After many trains and switches we arrived at the Osaka castle area, the whole thing was surrounded by steep stone cliffs and an enormous moat, some of the stones that made up the walls were 20 feet across and 15 feet tall, they stood at the gates as a symbol of the power of the castles lord.  Inside the courtyard there were gardens and food stalls everywhere. We climbed the stairs to the castle and I was in awe of its size, the castle we saw was not the original as it had been destroyed in the Second World War but it was a faithful replica.  The gold leaf on the roof really made it clear they the castle belonged to a powerful lord and that we were inferior.  The castle has eight floors each packed with history and precious artifacts but what caught my attention was the stand that let you try on kimonos and samurai uniforms. I got to try on a kimono which is something I have always wanted to do!