Kyoto/Osaka Trip, Day 2 - October 9, 2020

Day two of our trip it was pouring down rain. We decided to take the train to Osaka and visit the aquarium. The big draw for the aquarium (besides getting out of the rain) was the whale sharks. We were supposed to go diving to see them in the wild, but COVID had canceled those plans so this was our alternative.

We got off the train along with a group of kids. Apparently, they were going to the aquarium too. Just look at how cute their raincoats are!

I loved how the coats were designed to fit over a back pack. You just can't beat Japanese ingenuity.

Our first stop was the otters. These little guys were so busy this was the only non-blurry picture I was able to get.

Next, came the puffins. The David and I have an inside joke about puffins so they always make us smile when we see some.

Isn't this a pretty girl?

We got lucky at the sea lions and got to see a show. The handlers were making them do tricks for their lunch. Three handlers each throwing out food at the same time while the sea lions were all doing different tricks. I couldn't keep up and again had trouble getting a non-blurry picture. This is the best I could do.

Sooo....something strange happened when we got to the penguin exhibit. I suddenly found myself shooting pictures more appropriate for a rock album cover. Check them out:

OK, so maybe the last one was a little less "rock album-y" but I had something going with the first two, right? I may have found my calling. LOL!

Now I want to introduce you to my little friend. I don't know why but he took one look at me and ran up to the glass to hang out with me for a little while. Here he is coming as fast as those penguin legs can waddle.

And here is he is 100% focused on me while I take his picture, photo credit goes to David on this one.

I do not know enough about penguin behavior to begin to offer an explanation. Maybe I look like someone he knew.

The Pacific White Sided Dolphins were next. We stopped to watch this one playing with his toy for a while.

Next stop...the main attraction (for us)... WHALE SHARKS! They were smaller than we expected, and after a quick google search we knew why. They can grow 12 meters long but the ones in the aquarium were about half that size.

Up close, they were too big to get in one shot so here is a compilation:

In the same tank is a Spine Tail Mobula. I had never seen one before.

Moving on to something else I had never seen before was an Ocean Sun Fish. I was really fascinated by this guy. He's a fish head with no body. He's SO odd looking!

The Sun Fish was next to the squid tank. Squid are so COOL!

The aquarium is laid out like a big spiral you walk your way around and down. We had started at the surface and as we walked the spiral we revisited some of the marine life we had seen previously, but this time we were viewing them from a lower level. I found myself shooting rock cover albums again.

Can't you just picture the last one as a Pink Floyd album cover?!?

This Long Tooth Grouper was begging to have is picture taken.

Diving has given me a new appreciation for eels. They can have such unique markings.

This Moray Eel was just so impressively HUGE. His body was larger in diameter than my arm. I hadn't realized they could get that big.

Check out this awesome "rock album cover" Japanese Spider Crab photo:

I am telling you! I was on a roll this day with the album covers! Even the jellyfish shots fit the theme:

We briefly ducked outside long enough to see that the dolphin show was a little too crowded for comfort and to take a quick shot of this guy chillin' before heading back in.

By then we had made our way to the bottom of the tank, but I got some of my favorite shots from this vantage.

We really enjoyed a aquarium and going back through these pictures has me smiling as I remember the day.

After the aquarium we decided to track down a late lunch, On the way I saw these cuties in a window and had to stop for a little shopping.

I didn't bring a kitty home but did pick up a French Bulldog puppy on a swing.

Lunch was supposed to be found at Kuromon Market. It's a street market with lots of fresh fish, sushi, produce, and more.

Poultry experts can even pick your favorite breed of chicken to eat.

We were having a hard time finding something we wanted to eat standing on the side of the street and ended up in a small curry shop. Warm, filling curry on a damp, cold day was perfect!

After our late lunch we had time for one more stop before starting the train ride back. The Namba Yasaka Shrine:

The performance stage is pictured above.

I really love the shi shi dogs!

The shrine is pictured below.

Cute, isn't it?

As we walked back to the train station we passed another random shrine and I had to stop for one last picture before calling it a day.