It was back on a Bullet Train on Friday 20th February as we headed to Osaka, we splurged and went Gran Class which was very nice with a Japanese meal and sake included. The scenery was stunning with plenty of snowy mountains to be seen on a clear and sunny day as we whizzed past in smooth comfort.
It was quite a shock arriving in Osaka as it was just so incredibly busy with people, seemingly much more so than Tokyo, but we soon settled back into modern city life. We stayed in Umeda at an Ibis Hotel which was very nice except for not being able to open the bedroom windows, something I hate in hotels, but it was conveniently placed and next door to a Hub, a chain of British themed pubs across Japan and where we could get a pint without having to pay a cover charge just to get in (and a very popular place with the Japanese too!).
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We caught the train to Kyoto the following day (Saturday 21st February) and visited Arashiyama Bamboo Grove and Nijo-jo Castle before returning to Osaka. The Bamboo Grove was very crowded with visitors but the surrounding temples were relatively people free. I saw a few birds here including Red-billed Leiothrix, beautiful looking birds but flitty and skulky in the Myrtle trees as they fed on the berries amongst the leaves. A Long-tailed Tit showed briefly while Japanese White-eye were more confiding and along the river there were Goosander, Pochard, Little Grebe, Coot. Wigeon, a Grey Heron and a Great White Egret.
Nijo-jo Castle was very interesting and one of the highlights of the trip, the Nightingale floors that "sing"as you walk over them were bizarre, a result of pins rubbing against the wood to create a squeaking noise, and the (reproduction) wall paintings were quite stunning too. There were also Ducks present in the castle moat and amongst the Wigeon and Mallard were my first Gadwall and Shoveler of the trip while a White Wagtail was watched feeding around the waters edge.
Sunday 22nd February saw us heading off on the train again for a day trip to Nara. We visited the Deer park where habitualised Sika Deer bow to you in return for a Deer cracker, we didn't feed them but it was interesting to see them up so close. The Todai-ji Temple in the park was stunning though, another highlight of our trip and well worth putting up with the crowds on what was an unseasonably hot and sunny day (21°c!). The warm weather even brought out a few Butterflies - 2 Japanese Oak Blue which posed for the camera, a brief fly by of a Brimstone-like butterfly that I think was a Common Grass Yellow and 2 other species that disappeared no sooner than I saw them, 1 was small and orange and the other larger and brown and white.
Sika Deer
It was back to Kyoto again on Monday 23rd February where we visited some more Temples and then the Kyoto Railway Museum which was actually very interesting but very busy with children due to it being the Emperors Birthday and therefore a National Holiday. The usual birds were seen but I was pleased to finally catch up with a male Daurian Redstart as we walked through a park and which showed well despite the crowds.
We finally spent the day in Osaka on Tuesday 24th February, our last day there, and we visited the Umeda Sky Tower before heading over to Osaka Castle where the Plum blossom was on show and where I saw a few birds including another male Daurian Redstart, 2 redhead Smew and a Bull-headed Shrike.
