Osaka (Part 2)

Saturday

More sightseeing was on the docket for Saturday. I was originally planning to see a museum, a castle, a shrine, a temple, and a bizarre tower unique to Osaka. I managed to see the museum, the temple, and the tower, but was distracted by a zoo... a terribly maintained super depressing zoo. More on the zoo later. My first stop was Liberty Osaka, Osaka's human rights museum. 

I couldn't take any pics inside, so I'm just going to talk about it instead. The subject material delved into issues of discrimination in Japan against ethnic groups, women, the homeless, sexual minorities, and the disabled. Of course I rented the English audio guide, and they kindly provided me with a 30-page booklet filled with the english translations of the captions. Each different section had a documentary available with English subtitles, and those were probably the most educational and fascinating pieces of the museum. I learned about the history of HIV in Japan. A huge scandal in 1989 affected thousands of people when a single hospital used tainted blood for transfusions, effectively spreading HIV accidentally across the country. A unique tradition sprung out of the devastation to make quilts from pieces of clothing and stuffed animals that deceased persons suffering from HIV or Aids actually touched or used. The quilts were made to be large enough for one person to lie on. Some of the quilts were on display in the museum and looking at them was very sad as well as touching. The quilts represented a way for those who had passed to live on in the collective memory of the country while also being useful for those suffering with the same affliction.

Next, I learned about the Ainu people (pronounced "eye-new"). The Ainu are a group of indigenous people persecuted in Japan much like the Native Americans in the US. It was fascinating to watch the tribal rituals and learn about their culture. The Ainu believe that every animate and inanimate object has a spirit. Their goal is to respect that spirit by using the item or animal for it's intended purpose.

I then learned about Hanson's Disease in Japan, also known as Leprosy. A law required that all persons afflicted and even those who were cured be ostracized and sent to the sanatariums. Thousands of people were shuttled out to the outskirts of Japan. The camps were poorly maintained and once committed, patients were rarely allowed to leave. In order to keep patients from running away, tokens were issued in place of money upon admittance. The tokens wouldn't be accepted outside of the sanatariums, basically guaranteeing little interaction with the outside world. I felt so bad for these people! As a country, Japan turned a blind eye and forcefully squashed any protests. Eventually, the law was overturned. However, the national view is only now starting to change towards those suffering with any sort of disability. Continued education is needed to spread awareness and understanding.

Once I left the museum, I headed toward Tenno-ji Park. Here is where I found the despicable zoo. I wouldn't have paid the five dollar entry fee if I had known the place would have depressed me so much. None of the enclosures had nearly enough space for the animals. They all looked so sad and lethargic. It was pathetic. I even saw one of the chimps beat up another one. It was heart breaking. I hated that zoo. I took a couple pics of the best parts, but mostly it was sad. The camel was probably the worst. He had a tiny little enclosure filled with mud and would slowly walk in a loop the entire time. It was disturbing and I just wanted to rip down all the fencing to let him out. I couldn't even bring myself to walk around the entirety of the zoo. I took the long way around the park in order to avoid the depressing state of things when I was trying to find a way to the Isshin-ji Temple.

This is AWESOME!!

See that lizard? It really freaked me out. It's only a statue...but still. Not ok creepy zoo!

Sad Sad Sad

 Zach!! This pic is for you! It's an entire tree of Great Blue Herons. Wtf?! Why is that happening? There also happens to be a huge sea lion swimming in the pool surrounding this magical tree. Definitely a highlight of the zoo.

This bird could totally be a Blue Devil mascot. It's perfect.

If I were a monkey, this is probably what I would look like. It has a lion mane...I can relate. I mean I'd be this guy if I weren't an orangutan. I'm pretty certain I was an orangutan in a past life.

 Here's the first glimpse of a bizarre and wonderful tower that I will talk about later in the post.

Isshin-ji Temple

Dating back to 1185, this particular temple is known for its Okotsubutsu. Okotsubutsu is a Buddha statue made of the cremated remains of more than 200,000 people laid to rest in Isshin-ji. It sounds a bit morbid, but in reality the entirety of the temple and statue was simply beautiful. Creating the statue from remains is meant to reaffirm respect for the decesased and to turn them into an object of everyday worship. An Okotsubutsu is made every 10 years starting in 1887. Though 12 have been made, only the 5 created after WWII still exist. Of course I took a billion pictures of this gorgeous temple. Once inside, I tossed a few coins into the well sitting in front of two Buddhist statues dedicated to good fortune. It was very interesting to partake in such an old custom. I felt very connected to Japanese history and it was a moving experience to wander through the old cemetery. A black cat popped out from behind one of the headstones and honestly I was a bit spooked. That place might be my favorite site so far in Japan. Hopefully I get to see some more temples and shrines in my last month in Japan.

After the temple, I headed over to Tsutenkaku Tower. Most major cities in Japan have a tower, but this one is known for being one of the strangest. Built in 1912, the building concept was a combo of Paris's Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. The face of the tower holds Japan's largest clock that happens to change color every minute. I tried to get to the top of the tower to meet Billiken, the deity of things as they ought to be. I couldn't find a way to the top once I got to the bottom, but I had the chance to meet Billiken at many sights earlier in the day when I was wandering around. In fact, I was taking a picture with one of the statues and this crazy lady ran into me with her bike. I knew it was just a matter of time...

Billiken and Me

Hmmm....

Anyway, I had a fantastic time visiting Osaka. Liz has shows in Nagoya (Japan's second largest city) this week, so I'm sure I'll find some interesting adventures there!