Had to laugh when we saw Osaka's Santa Maria - coming from Sevilla (home of the original ship), it's pretty wild seeing a replica cruising around Osaka Bay! Talk about worlds colliding - Christopher Columbus's flagship reborn as a tourist cruise in Japan.
While we didn't take the cruise (though it sounds fun, cruising past those massive bridges and getting Universal Studios views), just seeing the ship was a surreal moment. There's something delightfully quirky about Japanese tourists sailing around Osaka Bay in a replica of a Spanish ship that started its journey from our hometown.
Pro tip: For anyone not from Sevilla - yes, there's a certain irony in seeing a Japanese take on a Spanish ship that changed world history. But that's part of what makes Japan so fascinating - they'll take anything and make it uniquely their own!