People watching at Osaka Castle

People watching at Osaka Castle, Osaka

 I visited Osaka Castle to see biological impacts of Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant accident. Though I have visited various places in Japan to see the health consequences of the accident, I have never found any effect against creatures in Japan.
 Osaka Castle, located in Osaka Castle Park (270ac), is a symbol of Osaka. Osaka Castle is where Toyotomi Hideyoshi aimed to unify Japan as a nation. The history of this castle is extremely dramatic. A lot of stories related to this castle are still being told and written today. 1) Osaka Castle was constructed about 400 years ago. It was badly damaged twice by war. Each time, nearly the entire construction was burned to the ground.  2) The first Osaka Castle was built between 1583 and 1599 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Its size was about five times the size of the present castle. Unfortunately, every building was burned down in the Summer War of Osaka between Toyotomi and the Tokugawa shogun in 1615.
3) The second Castle was built between 1620 and 1629 by the second Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada and the third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu. The main tower was built in 1626, but it burned down due to a lightning strike in 1665. Most of the other buildings of the Castle were burned down during the Meiji restoration (The battle between Tokugawa Shogunate army and the Meiji government army in 1868). Only 13 buildings remain to this day and are designated as National Important Cultural Assets by the Japanese Government. 4) The present main tower was built in 1931, financed by donations from the citizens of Osaka.
 So I visited Osaka Castle for people watching. Fortunately, I couldn't find any impact of the nuclear power plant accident. It seems that there is no problem for childbirth and child-rearing in Osaka prefecture, Japan.
Posted by Yoshitaka Kiriake from Japan on August 11, 2015.


豊臣秀吉が築き上げた大阪城は夏の陣で焼失し、徳川幕府によって再築されましたが落雷により再び焼失しました。現在の天守閣は鉄筋コンクリートで再現されていますが豊臣秀吉が築いた天守閣は現在の５倍の大きさでした。

These pictures were taken on June 2015.

Osaka Castle

大阪城

Aoyamon Gate

青屋門

Google map

https://goo.gl/maps/U9Iiw

About Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle, which is a famous landmark, a popular sightseeing spot, and the symbol of Osaka, contains thirteen structures which have been designated as Important Cultural Assets by the Japanese government. Of special note are the grand gates and turrets along the outer moat. The steep walls that rise close to 30 meters high are made of huge blocks of stone that were transported to Osaka from quarries over 100 kilometers away. The sheer height of the walls and the wide moats they rise above make for a grand sight that can be matched by no other castle in Japan. Also of interest are the tower's eight roof dolphins and the ornamental roof tiles and reliefs carved in the shape of tigers, all of which are gilded with gold. The castle tower underwent a major renovation in 1997. The outer walls were replastered, the ornamental fixtures were restored, and gold leaf was re-applied throughout. These repairs have brought back the structure's stunning appearance of old―with pure white walls and striking accents of glittering gold. The re-engineered and refurbished Main Tower is illuminated both inside and out, highlighting the castle's brilliance as the symbol of Osaka.

 Source http://www.osaka-info.jp/en/facilities/cat11/post_269.html

There is a museum inside the castle.

About Osaka Castle Museum

http://www.osakacastle.net/english/

Osaka Castle Museum

A Signal Gun or Noon Marker

号砲

Moat

This castle has two moats, an inner moat and an outer moat.

Sightseeing Cruise on the moat.

Stone wall

This stone walls of the Castle were built between 1620 and 1629. The length of the wall is about 12 km in all, and its highest point is 32m in height, measured from the bottom of the moat. It is the highest in Japan. It consists of about one million granite stones.

Shinkansen

Japanese foods are good and safe.

Because of stricter food safety law by Japanese government, we have no worry about foods.

Ekiben or Bento ; Lunch box

駅弁

Takoyaki : Grilled octopus-filled balls made of pancake batter

たこやき

Negiyaki

ネギ焼き

Kushikatsu

串カツ

 4 years have passed since Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident. I have visited various places of Japan to see the health consequence of the accident.
 Fortunately I have never found any impacts by the accident among Japanese creatures. As far as I know, nobody has health problem which is caused by the accident in Japan.
 Our Prime Minister Abe assures that "The situation is under control. The influence of the contaminated water is completely blocked within Fukushima. There are no health-related problems until now and there will never be health problems." He also said that "Tokyo is 250 kilometers away from Fukushima, and the kind of danger that you imagine does not exist in Tokyo. Tokyo is a very safe city."
 As PM Abe said, Osaka Prefecture is very far away from Fukushima, people in there have no concern about the nuclear power plant accident. People in there have already forgotten the accident, because they think radioactive materials cannot reach there.
 We know there is no problem for childbirth and child rearing in Osaka Prefecture. So people in there have no concern about the accident.
 I continue to visit various places in Japan to see the effects of the accident, because I can meet various creatures which are more sensitive to radioactive materials from the environment. It is important to see their health for our safety.

公衆衛生ネットワーク

Public Health Network in Japan

http://plaza.umin.ac.jp/phnet/