The first stop was the Kansai Ki-in, where we could watch the professionals play their games. Most of the participants were waiting in the Kansai Ki-in Go Salon on the first floor, while a small group was upstairs visiting the pros. The groups rotated so everybody got a chance to see the pros playing.
A funny thing I noticed was a professional sitting in his chair in the traditional Seiza. I always thought it was a formal posture when sitting on the ground (which is common in traditional Japanese settings). I tried sitting in Seiza once during the Himeji-trip - but only for several seconds. For me (and for 4k), it's really uncomfortable, but then I might have been doing it wrong or are just not used to it. This pro seemed to find it a really comfortable posture (or maybe it helps him concentrate?)
After lunch, a part of the group (not 4k since the weather didn't look very good for taking pictures) went to the main sightseeing spot in Osaka - the Osaka Castle. The current castle is actually a reconstruction (one of many), not the original building like the castle in Himeji, with the Osaka Castle Museum located inside. Thankfully this meant not so much stairs (Elevator desu!). The view from the top (8th floor) was great, similar to the view in Himeji (but compare for yourself).
The castle has an interesting history, conquering the castle was part of several important wars in Japanese history. Not much is known about the original building, which was constructed in the 16th century. Nearly all information uncovered about the old castle seem to be from the first reconstruction at the beginning of the 17th century, after it was conquered by another family and changed the owner.
In the 19th century, the castle was completely destroyed in a fire after being struck by lightening. It must have been an enourmous fire, since some of the damage is still visible on several of the castle walls today. Another interesting fact about the castle walls is that it contains some really big stones, with the biggest stone having a surface area that is bigger than a small single-room flat.
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