Today was the first day of the school trip for the 9th grade students, and it was a long, but fun day, starting at 5:15am and ending at 8pm. After this trip is over, the students are planning to put together a travel journal. In this note, we would like to tell you about the journey of these two people, using these photos.

Before departing, they confirmed what their goals were, said goodbye to their families, greeted the teachers who are accompanying them, and finally climbed into the taxi. Last year, when we travelled to Hokkaido, we used an airplane. At that time we used Niigata airport, this time we used Fukushima Airport, and it was our first time doing so.

We boarded the plane after getting checked at security. Last years plane was a propeller plane, and it left a strong impression on us, but this time it was a jet plane, so it was a very different experience.

At Itami Airport, we met up with a Shiga tour guide and driver, who would be taking care of them for the day, and headed first to Osaka Castle. Osaka Castle is very crowded on weekdays. In particular, there were many tourists from overseas, and it was clear that there was a recovery in our tourism.

In the historical city of Osaka, you can feel the history from each large rock in the moat. This well is said to be 33 metres high, and although we looked into it, we could not see the bottom at all.

Osaka Castle had a lot of exhibits in front of the observatory. We wanted to take a close look at each one, but due to the time constraints, we tried to get as much information as we could on each one.

At the observatory, you can see a great view the city of Osaka. We were able to see the gold "shachihoko" (a castle roof ornament with the head of a tiger, and a fish body) and the children took pictures of the beautiful landscape.

Next, we headed to Dotonbori. During the trip, the guide asked us if we knew about the origins of the names of places in Osaka Prefecture, and we learned that Dotonbori has a slightly sad origin.

In Dotonbori, we ate kushikatsu for lunch, and took a walk around the area. While looking for souvenir and stationary shops, we were surprised by the number of people. There are many things unique to Osaka, so they decided to purchase souvenirs for their families, and mementos for themselves.

Next, we headed to Kaiyukan (Aquarium). There were many carp flags floating outside. We could see many fish, but also many other animals too, such as penguins and seals. Many of the exhibits were ingenious, and we were able to interact with some of them, which made our hearts glow.

It was very interesting to see the different areas of the large aquarium, which is unique to Kaiyukan. The typical route goes from top to bottom.

The souvenir store of the aquarium was full of cute products. It seems that both of them were able to make satisfying purchases, keeping in mind the sizes of their souvenirs.

For dinner, they had okonomiyaki. The okonomiyaki from this restaurant was delicious. Despite having lunch not too long ago, they were able to finish their meals.

After the meal, we all rode the large ferris wheel at Tempozan Marketplace, which had see-through seats and floors. It was very scary to see through the floor from a very high place, but the view of the city at dusk was beautiful, and we happily chatted for 15 minutes.

On the way to the hotel, the guide gave us a farewell speech:

From the observatory of Osaka Castle, and from the ferris wheel, the guide noticed us and waved to us as soon as we noticed them. There are plenty of stories related to Osaka on the way, and we were impressed not only by his ability as a professional guide, but also his ability as a "Local professional" and explained the city he was from. We think that's one of the best things to aim for. And what we were most grateful for was that even after we said goodbye, he waved to us with a smile all the way until the very end when we got into the hotel elevator. It was only for one day, but we learned a lot about the charm and history of Osaka, and gained a lot of love for the city.
To Mr. H and Mr. S from Shiga Tourism, thank you very much for today. We sincerely hope that the day will come when we will be able to go sightseeing together again.

Tomorrow is the day to explore Kyoto. We hope to fully restore our energy, and enjoy the whole day tomorrow.