Osaka Castle

大阪城(Osaka Castle)

組太鼓kumi-daiko or 和太鼓wa-daiko(Japanese drum)

I'm not really into the traditional Japanese drums, but the way some of these 大学生(university students) get a kick out of it is awesome to see. They can spend from 1 hour to 2 hours paddling those things, and then rest a little and start a whole new round. And they really get into it. I mean, REALLY!

Biggest Rock used for wall

This stone wall was built during the early Edo period in 1624, by Tadao Ikeda, feudal lord of Okayama, who was ordered to take charge of this part of the premises by the Tokugawa shogunate. This stone in the front is known as Takoishi, literally, an octopus stone, and is the largest stone in the Osaka Castle, measuring 50.43 square meters in surface area and 708t in estimated weight.

We went to the castle park to witness