The Sakura Blossoming In Osaka and Osaka Castle

	I was actually on that train headed to the next stop and Osaka Castle when I looked out the window and saw all these cherry trees blooming, so instead I got out early and had a nice walk along the river.
	After getting bad weather in Kyoto, I was glad to see the sakura blooming so beautifully where I hadn't expected them to.
	And here under the cherry trees you can see the beginnings of a traditional Japanese activity: celebrating fleeting beauty by covering the ground with ugly blue tarps and lots of trash and getting drunk off your ass after work. Still a bit early in the day for that though, so the families can enjoy it for a while.
	There were lots of vendors along the bike path.
	The trees were gorgeous though. Walking under them was like walking through a gently-glowing tunnel.
	The flowers look beautiful when viewed from far away or close up.
	Ah, finally a shot of that river I mentioned. You can see Osaka Castle in the background on the left.
	A nice reflection off the river under a branch.
	I got the impression that for most of the year this park is basically a build-your-own homeless shelter using the tarps left behind by sakura viewers the previous year. You can see a bunch of these shelters in this picture.
	As you can see, not all the trees were blooming yet.
	Some folks out for a stroll.
	I just liked seeing palm trees and sakura trees together. There were some college-age folks playing frisbee off to the right too. That made me happy.
	Can you tell I like shots of the river under cherry branches?
	Here we go: a clear view of Osaka Castle from the top of a pedestrian bridge.
	And looking the other way we can see more of Osaka proper, including one of the stadiums off to the right. I like how there's an old caslte wall on the right side of the river and a modern concrete wall on the left.
	Castle through the sakura trees.
	I really like this one.
	There were lots of great views of the castle on the way up the winding paths.
	A bit more of one of the walls with the castle rising above.
	Interlacing sakura branches
	Yes, there is a moat.
	From a bit higher up on the walls looking out at the city.
	Here's the entrance to the main keep.
	You remember the golden statue on the middle level in the last picture? Here it is from inside the castle.
	Another shot from inside the castle. I really like this building. Never did figure out what it was though.
	I think that river is the path I was walking down earlier.
	Another shot of the outside of the castle.
	And a weeping sakura tree.
	And outside the castle was this small monument to teachers.
	Here you can see that someone reserved this spot for an after-work party.
	I hate these things. Loudspeaker cars go around at all hours of the morning (though this was in the afternoon) blaring out political advertisements, public service announcements, or whatnot. In this case I think it was nationalist rhetoric.
	I went back to Osaka Castle late one night to get some shots when it was all lit up for sakura season.
	At the castle itself it was bright enough that I could get non-blurry photos without a tripod.
	Well, most of the time, anyway.
	Here's one from farther away.
	Way too blurry, but I like the strangely sharp people under the tree. I think they're ghosts.