Osaka with a Sky Ride
- Paul Hallman
- Apr 14
- 4 min read
Osaka, Japan’s third-largest city, has long been a major merchant and trading hub, with its wealth and influence shaped by centuries of commerce and its role as a gateway to the Kansai region. The modern Osaka Bay waterfront—where ships dock today—reflects a newer chapter of that story: land that once supported port and industrial activity has been redeveloped into a visitor-friendly harbor district built around shopping, entertainment, and big attractions.
We arrived in the harbor at 7:00 a.m., with the large shipping area clearly visible on the opposite site of the harbour. It was lined with cranes and equipment for loading and offloading ships. The buildings bore familiar Japanese company logos so they were easily identifiable.
Osaka is Japan’s third-largest city and the economic powerhouse of the Kansai region, historically known as the nation’s “kitchen” because so much rice and goods were traded and distributed through here. For centuries it was a merchant city—practical, prosperous, and central to domestic trade—while also sitting in a strategic position between Kyoto, Nara, and the Inland Sea routes.
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Even though we didn’t visit shrines on this stop, there are several well-known ones not far away that show Osaka’s older, traditional side beyond the modern waterfront—places like Sumiyoshi Taisha (one of Japan’s oldest and most important Shinto shrines), Osaka Tenmangu (connected to learning and scholarship), and Namba Yasaka Shrine (famous for its striking lion-head stage). They’re a reminder that Osaka’s history runs deep, even if the harbor area itself feels modern and purpose-built.
The Osaka Bay/Tempozan waterfront, where cruise ships dock, is a much newer layer of the city: land that once supported port and industrial functions has been steadily redeveloped into a visitor-focused harbor district, which is why so many big attractions are clustered right at the terminal.
Jan was planning to rest today as she was a bit under the weather so my plan was to meet up with a few others and spend the morning close to the ship as there was lots to do at the port. At 9:30 am I got off the ship and met up with friends and headed to the aquarium. It was one of the highlights of the day, with immersive exhibits and huge tanks filled with standout marine life—sharks and rays cruising past, mesmerizing jellyfish displays, and colorful reef fish—giving the whole visit a “walking through the ocean” feel rather than simply looking at displays.
The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is widely considered one of the world’s best and largest, famous for its deep 5.4-million-liter main tank, which houses whale sharks. Unlike traditional aquariums, it uses a top-down, spiral layout through Pacific Ring of Fire zones, offering a superior, immersive viewing experience compared to many global counterparts. As we entered the viewing area the fish could be seen on all sides of the tank and all the way down the building on all levels - it was so interesting because you managed to get all the action from all sides.
There were hundreds of visitors in the aquarium today with so many of them being children and watching them, as they viewed all the fish, was so much fun. They would put their hands against the glass walls trying to touch the large Whale Sharks but never succeeded.
The Penquins, seals and dolphins were so much fun to watch as they played around in the water. The penquins were so active as they swam underwater so quickly and darted all over the place.
This is a Whale Shark and he was having fun teasing all the tourists
They are called whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) but despite their name, they are not whales but rather they are the largest species of shark and the largest fish in the world. They are named whale sharks simply because they are enormour, filter feeding sharks that reach sizes similar to whales.
The most impressive part of the entire tour was the Jelly fish as they moved slowly around their small spaces, gracefully in tune to their own music and just like a ballet dancer. The video is impressive and best viewed with your sound on.
Jellyfish entertaining the visitors - I added some music for a more graceful movement
After the aquarium, Jan and I met up and went for a short walk together, doing some window shopping and stretching our legs around the area. We wandered a bit farther but kept it fairly close and unhurried. By the afternoon, we settled into the mall area and spent time there, with Jan taking it easy and heading back to the ship while I continued to hang out and walk around with friends.
Later, we grabbed pizza for dinner and took some downtime back on the ship.
From a food perspective I saw so many North American food booths in the mall. I almost felt like I was back home, but only for a short moment.
After dinner I headed out again for the Ferris wheel—waiting for the “all clear” car so we could see a full 360-degree view. Riding as the sky darkened was incredible, with the harbor lights coming on and the ship far below, making it a perfect finale to a relaxed but spectacular day in Osaka. I shared a car with Joe, a Calgary resident we met on board. We had an interesting time experiencing the ride.
The most amazing part of the 25 minute ride was how high we went. Our ship is a very tall standing vessel and we usually stand on deck 14 looking down when docked. Tonight, as we started to make the round on the Ferris Wheel we had a clear view of our ship straight down. suddenly we passed the height of the ship's upper deck and then we could see the pool and large screen. That's when I knew this ferris wheel was big, because we had only risen about 2/3 of the way to the top. As we approached the top the pool on the ship became smaller until it seemed that we were in the universe somewhere in time. What a view from above. Here are a few shots of our ship.
The higher the ferris wheel took us, the smaller the deck area with the pool became
Riding as the light faded was unforgettable—the harbor spreading out below, the ship looking small from up high, and the city lights starting to glow—an ideal finale to a spectacular Osaka day.
Our next stop is at Mt. Fuji and we are predicting a clear morning with 24C weather. Let;s cross our fingers for a clear view of Japan's tallest mountain.
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