Here is Part 4 of my Japan blogs. This covers two new areas that are on my future re-visit list!
TEMPOZAN HARBOR VILLAGE
DAYS SPENT: 0.5
OVERALL THOUGHTS: We went to Tempozan Harbor Village mainly for the aquarium. I was also considering experiencing one of the cruises or going on the ferris wheel but couldn't fit them into the itinerary. It also would have been nice to check out Legoland, but like all Legolands adults usually need to be accompanied by a kid.
PLACES VISITED:
Tempozan Market Place
What you see when you enter Tempozan Market Place from the front entrance. The display is very nice.
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
When we got to Tempozan Harbor Village around 10:12 AM, there was already a long line to buy tickets for the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (which I'll refer to as "the aquarium" for the rest of this entry). We joined the line and was able to buy tickets for 11 AM. You are not able to enter the aquarium before your slotted time, but once you enter you can stay there for as long as you like for that day. Around 10:55 AM, we got in line to enter the aquarium. There was a family ahead of us who had tickets for the aquarium but it turned out that their tickets were for a later timeslot. Their tickets for a cruise, however, was happening at 11 AM! They ran off towards the cruise.
Ticket prices for the aquarium vary by day. The ticket prices can be viewed on the aquarium's official website in the "Admission fees & other tickets" section. I've noticed that when you get to the website for the first time, it might automatically translate text to your language, but the calendar and ticket info don't show. To make the calendar and ticket info show, change the language in the top left corner of the site to Japanese (the option above English), then change the language back to the desired language. I'm not sure if that works for everybody, but that's how I've been able to see the calendar and ticket info. When we went, tickets costed 2700 yen each.
The aquarium was really fun! We saw a variety of animal life, many on the aquatic side. We took our time going through each exhibit, spending most of the time looking at the huge whale shark. My favourite exhibit was the penguins. The penguins just moved about and did their thing, not seeming to care that lots of people were looking at them.
There were also inkpad stamps to collect throughout the aquarium. Whenever we came across one, we'd stamp the design into our notebooks.
Aside from the very crowded gift shop, it was a very fun experience and I would totally visit again! :)
The mandarin duck cleaning itself.
The black-crowned night heron cleaning itself.
The whale shark! It is huge!
Some jellyfish moving.
More jellyfish moving.
Penguins. Lots and lots of penguins.
OTHER PHOTOS:
Our route to Tempozan Harbor Village partially shared the same route for people getting to Expo 2025. This means that commuting, even after the rush hour, was very crowded!
A neat display at I think Osakako station.
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NARA
DAYS SPENT: 0.5
OVERALL THOUGHTS: If you want to spend a day looking at deer, possibly feeding some deer, and also running away from some deer, Nara is the place for you! We missed visiting Nara during the last Japan trip because I got sick. I wasn't going to miss it again!
Aside from Nara Park, we checked out the Higashimuki Shopping Mall that was close to Nara station, which had some neat places.
PLACES VISITED:
We got to Nara Park around 10:10 AM, thinking that there'd be very few people around. We were wrong. The place was full of tourists... and deer! We walked a bit in Nara Park and then we walked towards Todai-ji Temple. When we got to the entrance of Todai-ji Temple, we decided to walk along the edges instead of paying the 800-1200 yen admission to go inside. Wherever we walked, we encountered deer. Some were lazing about; some were standing and observing the crowd; some bowed their heads (so cute); some approached with their deer-eyed looks in hopes of getting fed.
A map of restaurants and cafes nearby.
A sign cautioning getting close to male deer during mating season.
Cute.
More cute.
The entrance to Higashimuki Kita shopping street (across from Higashimuki Shopping Mall). We didn't explore it.
A vending machine for macarons.
That's it for Part 4. One Adventure portion and three other Japan-related entries are left! I've really been taking my sweet time haven't I? ^^; Hopefully I'll get them done before the year is over ^^;
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or comments about any of these places I visited, feel free to say something in the comments box or fill out a contact form!
PLACES VISITED:
Nara Park and some surrounding spots
We got to Nara Park around 10:10 AM, thinking that there'd be very few people around. We were wrong. The place was full of tourists... and deer! We walked a bit in Nara Park and then we walked towards Todai-ji Temple. When we got to the entrance of Todai-ji Temple, we decided to walk along the edges instead of paying the 800-1200 yen admission to go inside. Wherever we walked, we encountered deer. Some were lazing about; some were standing and observing the crowd; some bowed their heads (so cute); some approached with their deer-eyed looks in hopes of getting fed.
If you want to feed the deer safely, below are some things to keep in mind:
-There are tons of vendors selling deer crackers throughout the park. You don't have to get into the long line that might form at the vendors closest to the subway station (i.e. the vendors most people might see first if commuting to Nara Park).
-As of this writing, deer crackers are 200 yen. Deer crackers are the only things you should feed to the deer.
-Based off reading some Reddit threads, aim to get to Nara Park earlier than noon for a better chance at feeding the deer. Sometimes vendors may sell out of the deer crackers or the deer may no longer be as hungry in the afternoon.
-Aim to feed deer that are by themselves to avoid getting crowded. Once other deer see you feeding or holding any kind of food, there is a good chance that they will approach you. They don't make much sounds when moving so you could get surrounded and not even notice until it's too late. When deer get really close they could nip or bite so try to avoid getting into that situation. My boyfriend got bit on his side once and one deer bit above my butt. Thankfully we didn't bleed, but my boyfriend had a small reddish mark for a few days.
-Keep unused deer crackers in a pouch or bag with a zipper as some curious deer may poke around your pockets or open bags. Along the same vein, keep any personal belongings in a pouch or bag with a zipper. That wallet or phone in the back pocket is not safe!
-Be extra cautious of feeding deer with antlers, filed down antlers, or nubs. They are males and tend to be more aggressive than females.
-If you want to try communicating to the deer that you have no food, hold up your hands high while showing your empty palms to the deer. I can't say it will work all the time, but some of the deer should understand.
Overall, our time there was very nice and relaxing (with a mix of alertness for any ninja deer). Seeing the deer was great and we'll definitely come back again!
The deer crackers. One pack was more than enough for us.
Some deers surrounding us.
My boyfriend feeds a deer (I don't show my boyfriend's face).
Feeding a sitting deer.
A father kites a bunch of deer and then gives the cracker to his son.
Did this deer make a sound?
My boyfriend feeding that deer.
The deer making more sounds.
A deer bowing.
OTHER PHOTOS:
A display at Nara station.
That's it for Part 4. One Adventure portion and three other Japan-related entries are left! I've really been taking my sweet time haven't I? ^^; Hopefully I'll get them done before the year is over ^^;
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or comments about any of these places I visited, feel free to say something in the comments box or fill out a contact form!
Take care, stay safe, and until next time! :)
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