Today's weather was fine with plenty of sunshine and a clear blue sky overhead. We took a 10 minute Captain Line Cruise shuttle ride from the jetty behind our hotel to Tempozan, cruising down Osaka Bay. Approaching Tempozan, we could see the distinctive red and blue structure of Kaiyukan Aquarium welcoming us near the dock and the enormous Tempozan Ferris Wheel in the background.
Upon entering the aquarium, we were greeted by a tunnel tank housing an array of tropical marine fish such as damselfish, chromis, angelfish and rays. We then stepped onto a very long and steep escalator transporting us all the way to the 8th floor at the top. The exhibit on this level was the Japan Forest and it housed two prominent displays such as the Asian small-clawed otter and the Japanese giant salamander, amongst the lesser exhibits housing freshwater fish and wall-climbing crabs.
Going down one level, we entered the Aleutian Islands exhibit which housed three extremely playful sea otters which were much larger than they looked on television. They appeared to be having fun lazily floating on their backs and steering themselves with their tail. We were just in time to witness feeding time as the furry critters eagerly awaited their handler to hand out their rations for the morning. They had such animated faces and actions that they seemed almost human as they washed their pieces of salmon and squid in the water before tearing at their tasty morsels one bite at a time.
The next exhibit was the Monterrey Bay and it housed several harbour seals and a California sea lion. These marine mammals swam so gracefully in the large exhibit and appeared to be doing an underwater ballet with their fluid movements. I found the spotted harbour seals more appealing with their plump, rounded bodies. They reminded me of swimming spotted sausages with eyes and whiskers.
Moving quickly past the exhibits featuring the flooded rainforest of tropical South America which was surrounded by a group of Japanese school children on excursion squealing over the gigantic Pirarucu and Pacu, I stopped at the next exhibit: Antarctica; which housed King penguins, Adelie penguins and Gentoo penguins living side by side. The Gentoo and Adelie penguins seemed very active; diving into the frigid water for a swim and then bursting back onto land again, while the King penguins looked regal against the backdrop, standing motionless in the cold, oblivious to the activity around them.
The next exhibit was very large indeed and featured a land area with rocks and trees. This was the Tasman Sea exhibit and housed several Pacific white-sided dolphins. I love cetaceans and was thrilled to see these intelligent creatures up close. It's true that the smile of a dolphin has a profound effect on us. The dolphins raced by so quickly that it made taking a good photo of them an impossible task!
Descending to the 6th floor, we came face to face with a very large exhibit right in the centre which was themed the Pacific Ocean. This exhibit is probably the highlight of every visitor to the aquarium as it houses a myriad of denizens of the open sea which are rarely seen up close. This tank had a school of sardines which moved about as one, bursting through and changing directions abruptly every now and then as they made way for larger fish such as the whale shark which cruised by majestically, befitting its status as the largest fish on earth. Sometimes it looked as if the whale shark was playing tag with the school of sardines. Several other larger schooling fish such as jack trailed the whale shark while snappers and groupers roamed the middle to lower levels. Different species of rays glided by the walls of the tank so gracefully while I swear I saw a large hammerhead snap up a tiny sardine in an instant, leaving behind a shower of silver scales falling through the cyan water.
As we gradually descended to the bottom of the ocean, we passed by the Seto Inland Sea and found a very shy octopus lying motionless, camouflaging as a piece of ocean rock in the twilight lighting of the depths. We finally arrived at the Japan Deeps and saw a tank full of giant spider crabs with long spindly legs. They looked so fragile as they danced on their long, slender limbs on the sea floor.
The final exhibits were specially designed tanks to house jellyfish so that they do not collide and die. There was an amazing variety of jellyfish on display varying in sizes from as tiny as a ladybird to as large as a dinner plate. These were cleverly illuminated with different colours against a dark background to bring out the best in them.
As we made our way to the exit and into the souvenir shop, I spotted a row of capsule toy vending machines that sold exclusive mini figures of the creatures exhibited at Kaiyukan and instantly knew that I had to get my hands on a couple of these 'gashapons'. Priced at only JPY300 per piece, I tried my luck and bought a total of 9. Luck was on my side as I managed to collect 7 desired minifigures, with only 2 spares. The souvenir shop was very well stocked and I managed to replace a seashell which I had lost many years ago during my big move from Australia.
After spending half a day at Tempozan, we decided to spend the rest of our afternoon exploring the city centre at Namba. We took a JR line train to the city but caught the one heading the wrong direction and ended up doubling our journey time. By the time we arrived at JR Namba station, it was close to 5:00pm and finding our way to Dotombori after sunset was going to be a challenge. I just followed my instincts and decided walking northbound as I knew that we were in the south. We came across a Family Mart shop at a corner and decided to enter a busy side lane lined with brightly lit restaurants patronised by locals on both sides. Following the crowd of work people still dressed so smartly after work, we exited the lane and arrived at a very large zebra crossing. Across from where we stood was Takashimaya and two entrances leading to two separate covered strip malls similar to Shinsaibashi-suji. Lady luck was on our side as there was a sign on one of Takashimaya's windows directing us to Dotombori. However, interpreting the map incorrectly, I took a wrong turn and got a little lost in the huge strip mall which goes on infinitely. Eventually we managed to find our way back to Takashimaya and then headed towards the right direction to Dotombori.
Feeling like I had seen the light at the end of the tunnel, I knew that I was at the right place when a familiar sight greeted me upon exiting the long covered strip mall of Ebisubashi: it was Dotombori with the large mechanical crab above a specialty restaurant diagonally across from where I stood, a Tsutaya bookstore and Starbucks on my right and a H&M store across a bridge. The whole Dotombori street was bustling with activity with both locals and tourists taking to the sights, smells and sounds of this lively place.
I decided to visit Shinsaibashi-suji first since I had already been to Dotombori in April this year. Shinsaibashi-suji is an almost endless strip of shops on both sides ranging from international labels to small clothing boutiques, convenience stores, music shops, cafes and restaurants and we walked like what seemed like miles until we couldn't tread any further and headed back to Dotombori on sore feet for dinner. We found a delightful looking cosy little restaurant with a huge pufferfish hung above the shop front and tucked into a warm, hearty unagi meal with some chicken karaage and gyoza as side orders. If my hiragana skills didn't fail me, and if I was reading the correct signage, I think the name of the restaurant was Tayoshi. The heavy dinner and all that walking must have had a soporific effect on us and we decided to call it a day, enjoying the cool autumn air of the night as we slowly headed home for a good night's rest.
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