Sakai, Osaka

My wife retired in January, and since she had some time before the next school year started, we decided to go out to a nearby place, so we went to Sakai on January 30. Sakai is served by the Hankai Line, a streetcar, which runs from Tennoji Station. I had always wanted to ride the Hankai Line, so this was my first time to ride it.




We got off at Hanataguchi Station and went to Ebisu Park. This park was built near the former residence of Ryokei Hibiya, a wealthy merchant who is said to have extended hospitality to Francis Xavier, a Jesuit missionary, when he stopped by Sakai in 1550.



Next, we visited the site of the birthplace of the poet Akiko Yosano, the site of the Sen no Rikyu mansion, and the "Sakai Risho no Mori" (Sakai Risho Forest), which commemorates both of them. In this way, one can clearly see that Sakai is a city with a long history.








Afterward, we had lunch at "Jidori Chicken Yakiniku Kutsurogi" near Nankai Sakai Station.


After filling up, we headed to the sea via Ohama Park.





We walked around the old Sakai Port via the old Sakai Lighthouse. 
It is a beautiful place with a yacht harbor. There are two statues across the harbor, one of Lu Sung Sukezaemon and the other of the Dragon Goddess, so after stopping by both, we returned to Tennoji via Nankai Sakai Station. We took the Hankai Line from Ohkoji Station.















We took a break at Abeno Q's Mall and headed home. I had been to Sakai twice before, but that time I was near JR Sakai Station, and this was my first time near the sea, so I felt the atmosphere of the city was quite different. Phoenix Street was planted with palm trees and the streets were wide, and the atmosphere of the city seemed similar to that of Wakayama. Anyway, it was an enjoyable excursion.



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