Started the day with a swim again and big breakfast then walked up to the castle through the grounds. Lovely sunny day and a public holiday so very busy. We climbed all the way to the top to see the view from the top over the city. We came back down to get a river boat up to Osaka Amenity Park and saw the main city areas from sea level. The river boat had a collapsible roof to fit under the low bridges.

OAP was very eerie place and almost deserted with some extremely upmarket shops and a basement section of incomprehensible Japanese restaurants but we found an excellent local cafe for a lunch of dumplings and noodles and cold oolong tea. Didn't take to the oolong tea much; must be an acquired taste.

Next stop was the Apple store at Shinsaibashi but no free internet access at this one. We went to the Daimaru department store instead and had cakes and a disgustingly strong green tea. We got some presents for people and looked at designer clothes from Paul Smith, Chanel etc.

Walked for miles through endless covered arcades of trendy shops which were thronged with bizarrely dressed Japanese teenagers with their Louis Vuitton handbags and high heels. We came out at Dotonbori where the river emerges in a pool of neon lights.

Found a Starbucks and sat there in the window people-watching to recover.