Osaka 大阪 2025

Osaka 2025

Had a 7 day (Jan/28-Feb/04) travel trip during the Lunar New Year in Osaka 大阪, Japan.

It has been more than 6 years since I've been to Osaka, just before COVID landed. I was in Osaka when the news started pouring out and measures by countries started taking shape. Flights got cancelled and lockdowns began.

John

The trip was accompanied by John, hobbyist saxophonist and photographer. We met in one of my Jazz session groups, and cooked his maiden voyage to Japan.

Officially my first time to travel with a friend/photographer into Osaka other than a local domestic trip during my time in Japan.

Overall trip was a no-rush, photograph-centric, Kissa Ten 喫茶店 (cafe) chills with coffee and jazz background music, with evening visits to jazz bars/clubs.

Dotonbori 道頓堀

Person holding a red river cruise sign beneath a towering billboard of a running athlete against a blue sky. Not your usual glico shotEXIF

Giant chef face above a restaurant entrance with glowing neon signage and a person standing before it. Kushi Katsu 串カツEXIF

Man in cap examines large bluefin tuna weighing 58 kg inside a refrigerated display case. Bluefin TunaEXIF

The bluefin tuna may be heavier 😆 than me!

Osaka Castle 大阪城

Wood-paneled room with a TV showing a scene above vintage telephones and a retro coffee poster. You can sleep when you're dead!EXIF

Man in a black coat and face mask stands on a subway platform beside yellow tactile paving, looking down at his phone. EXIF

White two-story keep atop a sloping stone wall beside a wide moat under a blue sky with scattered clouds. Osaka Castle WallsEXIF

Man with camera captures Osaka Castle’s stone wall and white keep against blue sky and moat. EXIF

Group of students in white shirts and green shorts gathered around a bicycle on a paved plaza. Running in WinterEXIF

Students running up towards the castle, in Winter. 🥶

White-walled castle with green-tiled roofs and gold ornamentation, framed by blurred tree branches against a blue sky. Osaka Castle 大阪城EXIF

Leica M10 caught a cold

What better way to sour your trip when the only camera you have failed to work as expected?

Acrobat performing a handstand on a blue mat before a crowd, framed by a large tree. Bad focusEXIF

After the above shot, my M10's rangefinder/patch failed to move entirely, which means I am no longer able to focus.

Rangefinder stopped working, need advice (opens in a new tab)

Fortunately, the M10 recovered after sitting out in the hotel room for a day, just in time for our day-trip to Kyoto.

Arashiyama - Kyoto 嵐山 - 京都

Wood headboard with control panel and no-smoking sign against textured gray wall. Checking focus on the M10EXIF

White Kyoto Tower with red observation deck rises above hotel against blue sky with scattered clouds. Kyoto TowerEXIF

Interior of a train car with hanging straps, displaying an orange LED sign reading "Saga-Arashiyama" above doors. On our way to Saga-Arashiyama StationEXIF

Overhead station platform with yellow tactile paving alongside railway tracks under a corrugated roof. Saga-Arashiyama Station 嵯峨嵐山駅EXIF

World Cultural Heritage - Tenryu-ji 天龍寺

Tenryu-ji (opens in a new tab)

White directional sign for Tenryuji Sogenchi Garden with red arrow pointing left, stone wall background. World Cultural Heritage - Tenryu-ji 天龍寺EXIF

Person viewed from behind standing beneath a wooden gate framed by pine branches. John under the bridgeEXIF

Japanese tatami room with open sliding doors revealing a blurred garden view beyond. EXIF

Workers on a roof under scaffolding, framed by pine branches against a hazy sky. Building RepairsEXIF

John Seiza 正座 Shoot

John practices Aikido 合気道 and was interested in a Seiza 正座 posture shot.

With all the crowds in place... now that's a challenge.

Person kneeling on tatami mat inside traditional room, framed by shoji screens overlooking misty garden. EXIF

Man kneeling on tatami mat inside traditional room, gazing out through open sliding door at blurred green garden beyond. EXIF

Person kneeling on tatami mats facing a wall scroll in a traditional Japanese room. Featured in Black and White John Seiza ジョンさん正座

We spent quite some time here for various posed shots, waiting on crowds to pass through and that crowd-less background, time to go back to the original tourist route.

Sogenchi Garden 曹源池庭園

Person in hat viewing moss garden pond with scattered rocks and forested hillside beyond. EXIF

Wooden covered bridge with light green matting on stone steps, leading toward sunlit trees beyond. EXIF

Raked gravel garden with a central pine tree, tiled roof, and misty mountains in the background. EXIF

Wooden temple corridor with bamboo railing, leading toward a blurred forested hillside. EXIF

Traditional Japanese temple roof with ornate wooden eaves and decorative ridge tiles against a pale sky. EXIF

Man in hat holding camera sits on wooden stool beside gravel path with bamboo post. EXIF

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest 嵐山竹林

One of the more challenging spots to get rid of crowds. If you are preparing for that clean shot, be ready to spend some time here waiting on crowds. As it was winter, sunset was around 430pm, we decided to do a quick run on this spot and make our way back for food and rest.

Towering bamboo stalks framing a solitary dark tree against a sunlit green canopy. EXIF

Three women in floral kimonos stand with backs turned, gazing into a sunlit bamboo forest; one holds a phone. Featured in Color Arashiyama Bamboo Forest 嵐山竹林 Stroll

While we finally made our way out (a big detour) of the bamboo forest, we came across rickshaws training

Two rickshaws parked on a paved path beside a manicured hedge, with four people standing nearby under an overcast sky. Rickshaw in training 人力車研修中EXIF

After all that shooting and walking, the rickshaw sounded really tempting to send us back where we were, if only they weren't training 🤣

Tennouji 天王寺

Uniformed station staff stands on a platform beside tracks, with a train stopped at the left under bright lights. EXIF

Train marked Shin-Osaka with conductor waving on platform as passengers board. EXIF

ABENO HARUKAS あべのハルカス

ABENO HARUKAS あべのハルカス (opens in a new tab)

Chart comparing Japanese observation deck heights against a cityscape view through windows. EXIF

Aerial view of a multi-lane Japanese intersection with prominent red and green signage on buildings. EXIF

Aerial view of a rooftop parking lot surrounded by high-rise buildings and city streets. EXIF

Two people sit on a bench inside a glass-walled observation deck overlooking a dense cityscape. EXIF

White ceramic sink with dual faucets before a window overlooking a dense cityscape and distant mountains. Great views even in the restroomsEXIF

Modern building overhang with directional sign reading “300 M” and two spherical lights beneath a grey sky. Abeno Harukas 300EXIF

Low-angle view of a modern glass skyscraper with geometric setbacks against an overcast sky. Abeno HarukasEXIF

Shinsekai 新世界

Two people walking away on a city sidewalk, holding hands near parked bicycles and utility poles under an overcast sky. EXIF

Yellow bamboo fence with a poster of a kabuki performer and an illuminated sign listing today’s performances. EXIF

Red and white DAIICHI amusement hall sign above street-level vending machines and pedestrians near a green hedge. EXIF

Person aiming a wooden-stocked rifle over a red table with a small pink toy figure nearby. EXIF

Glass-fronted claw machine filled with colorful Japanese prizes, illuminated by red LED lights. EXIF

Crowded street in Japan with a Hitachi-branded tower rising above colorful signs and pedestrians walking past shops. Featured in Color Shinsekai 新世界