April 13, 2026

Osaka is Japan’s third largest city (after Tokyo and Yokohama) with almost 3 million people. Osaka is also a great starting point to visit Kyoto, Japan. The cruise terminal is next to the Tempozan Ferris Wheel, which at 369 feet was the world’s tallest from 1997-1999. Now there are 23 taller observation wheels, as many are known, with the Ain Dubai holding the current record at an amazing 820 feet tall.  A shopping mall and large aquarium were within easy walking distance, as was a train station. Universal Studios Osaka is just across a modern bridge, complete with roller coasters and Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Castle.

The contrast between modern Osaka and ancient Kyoto is striking. We have been to Kyoto before, and it is a window into the Imperial days of Japan.

Kyoto was the imperial capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years and escaped bombing during World War II. As a result, it boasts a large collection of palaces, temples and shrines. The Nijo-jo Castle, was built in 1603 by the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The shogun was the chief samurai and wielded political rule while the emperor served as head of state. Visiting feudal lords waited for audiences with the shogun in many of the rooms in the castle. I was itching to photograph them, but photography is banned inside the castle.

The most beautiful of the temples is the Golden Pavilion, part of the Zen Buddhist Rokuon-ji Temple. The pavilion sits within beautiful gardens, said to represent the Pure Land of Buddha in this world.

Initially built as a villa by a shogun in 1397, it was later converted into a temple, with the top two stories covered in pure gold foil. Visitors pass through a garden, turning for their first breathtaking view over a pond. I was lucky to catch a giant cormorant drying its wings in the breeze.

The Ryoan ji Temple, a country home of the shogun Tokudaiji Clan is a kind of “Camp David” where the shogun would bring visitors. Amidst the water lily-filled pond and gardens is a rectangular Zen rock garden with white gravel – perfectly raked daily by monks-surrounding 15 rocks.

The Heian Shrine may look familiar to some of you as it is the stairway where the actor Tom Cruise was filmed in The Last Samurai.

If you read Memories of a Geisha you would know that Kyoto is the geisha district. However, don’t be fooled by what you see. These are “fake geishas”, Asian women who don rented geisha costumes, makeup and hairstyles to pose for pictures with tourists.

Thanks for traveling with us.