Osaka

Leaving Kyoto for Osaka is almost like going back to Tokyo, except not as nice. We stayed an extra night here instead of leaving for a night in Hiroshima - we figured a day trip was easy enough instead (plus a couple other reasons). Because of how easy it easy to get around, it actually took us a little over an hour to go from hotel to hotel, so our first stop in Osaka was the incredible aquarium. Favourites here included the sea otters (super cute, but the photos aren't as good), the manta ray (shown inside the MASSIVE tank), and the hammer-head and whale sharks (inside the same tank!). It was definitely better than expected, and a great thing to do on a rainy day.
Our second day included more rain, so we limited ourselves to Osaka castle, which to look at was great, but a disappointing visit (it's a relatively crappy museum inside). So we rested up for dinner out with our relations. From L to R: Tom, Rick, me, Adam, Kat, Vee, and Alison. What a great evening that was! This photo was taken inside a pub nearby the restaurant where we had all you can eat shabu-shabu and all you can drink! (Too bad for the time limit...)