Charles Chan

We knew we would not do Kyoto justice if we only did a day trip from Osaka. However, we understood that our kids had not have the appropriate appreciation of a foreign religion to be able to visit the Kyoto shrines. So, we decided to go to Kyoto as a day trip.

A popular landmark in Osaka is the Osaka Castle. It was usually packed with visitors but the park was so big that you wouldn't feel crowded at all. I was there to day before to run 5K around the park. It was a very pleasant experience.

On January 17, 1995 at 5:46 am, the city of Kobe was hit by the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake. It was a 7.3 magnitude earthquake and transformed the city forever.