Plumbing the depths of Osaka Aquarium

Because of the thickening rush-hour traffic, it took a fair amount of time to travel the short distance to Tempozan Harbor from the castle. We could see a magnificent suspension bridge and a towering Ferris wheel drawing closer. The reason why the bridge is such a remarkable sight is that the suspension wires radiate out diagonally from the tall, triangular support towers, giving the effect of a yarn sculpture on a gargantuan scale. The harbor is quickly being transformed into a Mecca for tourists. It houses one of Japan’s finest aquariums (where we were heading), the Suntory museum of art and design, a replica of the Santa Maria (double the original size) and the world’s largest Ferris wheel (I am not certain if this is true now that the Millennium Ferris Wheel is in operation in Britain). A Universal Studios theme park is under construction across a narrow channel.

Nephew Daichi communes with a grouper in the Osaka Aquarium

This early Friday evening, Tempozan Harbor Village was quite empty. Many of the shops in the Tempozan Marketplace adjacent to the aquarium were already closed and there were only a smattering of cars in the parking lot. In many ways, this was the calm before the storm. This weekend, the crowds were still enjoying the cherry blossoms in the parks throughout Osaka and probably many local tourists were crowding the streets in neighboring Kyoto for the same reason. However, in twenty days, Golden Week would begin. This is a national one- to two-week holiday where all schools and most non-retail businesses are closed and the majority of Japan’s population goes on vacation. The week hosts three major holidays, Greenery Day (April 29), Constitution Memorial Day (May 3rd), and Children's Day (May 5th). The airports and train stations throughout Japan run at capacity and roads leading out of the cities are clogged. As someone who perpetually struggles to outwit the crowds by doing things at odd times and odd hours, this is something that goes just a little against my grain and would be quite hard to adjust to. But, for the Japanese way of life, an arrangement like this is considered ideal.

As we entered the aquarium, it was obvious that they were set up to handle a much larger crowd than had appeared on this evening. We simply walked past the labyrinth of barriers that were erected to guide the long line waiting to get in, bought our tickets and began our tour of the magnificent facility. One of the longest escalators I have ever ridden ascended steeply to the top floor and our tour began with various environments from many ocean surfaces from around the world, from the Monterey Bay to the Great Barrier Reef. Our path then descended slowly though exhibits representing greater and greater oceanic depths. At the center of the aquarium was the huge main tank housing the Pacific Ocean habitat. It was surrounded by narrower, but equally deep tanks for the other environs. The penguins we saw lolling around in their icy home on the top floor would suddenly appear diving past us on as they made rapid vertical descents in search of food.

The aquarium was well designed in virtually every respect. If a creature was in sight, it's name, picture and description about it was always close by. There was a bit of showmanship involved, as well. At first, the creatures on exhibit were small and somewhat common. Then, more and more remarkable critters began to appear and the tanks and their inhabitants grew larger and larger. One of the first views of the 5,400 ton central tank provided a glimpse of the huge whale shark who was the most notable resident. At a point where I thought I had seen just about everything, we turned a dark corner and came to a large room full of giant spider crabs milling about. It was as if a brilliant special effects designer had stolen the images from my worst nightmares.

My niece and nephew loved it all. Every few minutes I would hear them calling "Oji-san! Oji-san!" getting my attention to show me something new.

After going through the exhibit, we stopped in the Tempozan Marketplace for dinner. While we were waiting for our food to come, I took out my Palm Pilot to make a few notes and it immediately aroused the curiosity of my nephew. Realizing that the expense program I was working in wouldn't be of particular interest, I first showed him the little program that I was using to help learn Japanese characters. Then, I switched over to one of my favorite games, a Japanese program called "H-maki." By pointing and tapping, I was able to show him how to play and he caught on immediately. This got his sister interested and he showed her how the game worked. From that point on, they would take turns playing one game each. I didn't say anything, but I was amazed at how naturally this kind of sharing came to them.

A Very Big Wheel

After dinner, we walked over to the Ferris wheel. At a distance, it seemed large. Up close, the size was almost incomprehensible. It was, indeed, the largest in the world and, unlike the Millennium Wheel in London, this ride ran quite reliably. One circuit took fifteen minutes as you sat in six-person gondolas. The cars moved slowly enough so it was possible to load and unload passengers without stopping. The way the structure was illuminated at night would indicate what the following day's weather would be: blue for rain, red for clear or alternating if the weather would change during the day. That night, the wheel showed a steady blue. The sky had, indeed clouded over since the afternoon, but it was still clear enough to see the city lights sparkling far into the distance as the wheel slowly lifted us into the night.

This was our last night in Osaka and our last night in a major urban center. Even though I was looking forward to getting back out into the country, I felt no overwhelming desire to leave the city. In fact, we had planned a rather strange Saturday by going to her parents house in Hiro (near Hiroshima) by way of Tokyo, far to the north. My wife worked out the schedule and, by leaving Osaka at a reasonable time, we could spend about an hour and a half in Tokyo before turning around for the three and a half hour trip to Hiroshima (followed by an hour on the local train to Hiro). It was a rather strange way to spend a day, but getting some pictures making some notes in Tokyo's famous electronic retail district would be a big bonus for the article I was writing. My wife humored me and reserved seats on express trains up and back. As excited as I was about the next day's trip, I had no trouble falling asleep after our very busy day.

Next: Osaka to Hiroshima - via Tokyo!?

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