We zipped out to Tennoji today. First of all we visited Shitennoji temple.
Off to the zoo we go….
We thought the ducks were quite pretty, well for ducks, with their orange colouring. Orange is one of James’ favourite colours.
We found a trainer who was showing off his Noma Pony. It was so cute we gave him a pat and a hug.
The Black bear was pacing his enclosure.
James and Jennifer liked the Polar bear because we actually got to see him. Many times at SeaWorld the Polar Bear was out of sight.
We thought this Great Gray Owl was aptly named.
We stopped for a little snack by this cute little Garden.
Heidi, Heidi Ho, the great big elephant so slow. This one was a big beauty.
The Lemurs and monkeys were very entertaining and cheeky. The babies seemed shy at times.
Fancy seeing an Emu in Japan.
James and Jennifer struck a friendship with this long eared goat. We think he wanted something to eat, he ate someone’s brochure.
The Penguins were cute too and none appeared to want to escape. They were having fun sliding around and lining up on parade for us.
We thought the Tiger looked at the ready prowling around his enclosure.
Our junior lions were in training to see the Lion
We loved the regal Lion!
Second to the Lion, Kathy was pleased to see the graceful Giraffe.
Another statue, this time a Hippopotamus.
The Caribbean (red) flamingoes were beautiful, a much deeper pink than the Lesser Flamingoes .
After the Zoo we set off in search of the Billiken-San near the Tsutenkaku, a tip from our friend Saori. The Biliken-San is a gold smiling statue which looks like the Buddha.
We found a huge paper fish lantern and look what was behind it.
We went to investigate but we weren’t sure if it was the right one as the Saori had told us it was near the Tsutenkaku.
We could see the Tsutenkaku in the distance so we walked up to it. We couldn’t find one so we went into the Tower.
We learn some interesting facts about the tower. The lights on top indicate the next day’s weather forecast. We saw Orange on top of white lights which means cloudy/clear weather for tomorrow.
The clock on the side of the Tower is the biggest in Japan. Its face is 5.5 metres across and the minute hand is 3.2 metres long and weighs 25kg.
There is also 6 LED patterns with a different colour which represents different seasons: White - Snow - Jan & Feb Pink - Cherry Blossoms- Mar & Apr Green - New Leaves - May & June Blue - Sea/Sky - Jul & Aug Gold - Ears of rice - Sept~Nov Blue-Green - Fir tree - Dec
Inside we caught an elevator to the second floor which opened to a floor which looked like we were inside a tram car. It was an early 1900’s Hankai tramway from when the tower opened.
We then went to the observation tower and found the eight deities of good fortune. James and Jennifer collected the stamps from each one. James liked the Ebisu as he was holding a fish.
Jennifer liked Jurojin who was holding a deer.
If you pat the Billiken’s foot you will have good luck.
The view from inside across Osaka was very nice. The sun was almost setting which added something special.
We went outside and saw the tower lit up in Blue-Green, the colour for the Fir tree in December.
On the way home we saw a Christmas light display. They have some beautiful light displays in Osaka.
We thought this Santa made out of poinsettia flowers at Tennoji station was rather adorable.
We walked past a butcher selling marinated cooked pork, so stopped for a taste. It was so delicious we bought one for dinner.