The Backpack Adventures

Dotonbori  ( 道頓堀 ) is probably one of the most popular tourist destinations in Osaka Prefecture at present. Dotonbori  ( 道頓堀 )  Dotonbori History Dotonbori was originally designated as an entertainment district in 1621 and in just a year, the district already had numerous kabuki and bunraku theaters. With the already booming economy, restaurants and cafes soon popped up along the river banks and people from all around started to see the district as a place of entertainment, fun, and most of all opportunity. Dotonbori - Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture Sadly, the time came when interest in traditional forms of entertainment started to decline. Then the Second World War came and brought devastation to the district. One by one, the kabuki and buraku theaters in Dotonbori closed their doors and people slowly moved away.  Tonbori River as seen from Ebisu Bridge Luckily, the remaining restaurants and cafes continued to attract people from different places. This, in turn, started a new boo

It was just last year when my wife, daughter, and I last visited Osaka Castle . Come to think of it, we have always had Osaka Castle in our itineraries every time we visit Japan . It's like it's not a Japan trip if we didn't visit Osaka Castle. You can read about our first visit (2014) HERE and our 2018 visit  HERE . Osaka Castle Revisited 2019 What makes our latest (2019) visit different from the first two was that my parents and siblings are now part of the trip. Aside from that, my wife and daughter were not with me this time as they went ahead to our Japanese godparent's residence in Kumatori to bond and help prepare for our Christmas Eve celebration. Osaka Castle - Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture For those who are not familiar with Osaka Castle here's a bit of its history. Osaka Castle History:     Osaka Castle was built in 1563 under the commands of one of Japan's well-known historic figures -Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Construction was completed in 1597 but Hi