We left Kyoto after two nights and headed back to Shinkansen (bullet train). This time, we had our luggage, and for those wondering, yes, there is an allocated spot on Shinkansen for luggage. We were bound for Osaka, which is one of Japan’s most visited cities by tourists.
As we drove through the streets of Osaka, we saw that it was busy, like Tokyo but over the coming days we would realise that the feel of Osaka is different. I’m not sure if you’d call the vibe more relaxed but it seems to stray a little further from tradition and exhibit a little more fun. If you are looking to party, Osaka is a good choice for you. When we arrived at Swissotel Nankai, we were happily surprised. The hotel was grand and luxurious, the service was spot on and the location was within easy walking distance of Dotonbori. If you want to be in the thick of Osaka, book somewhere near Namba.
We were too early to check in to our room and so, in keeping with our ‘let’s squeeze everything possible into this trip’ theme we asked the concierge what we should go and see. Osaka Castle is a popular spot and a must see in the area, so we headed out. Now, the concierge did try to tell us how to get there by train and we did go down into the subway. We bought a ticket and we had every intention of trying to get there by trainline. We sunk into the sea of people, we saw signs pointing this way and that, we saw different colours and stairs going up and down. We asked a lady behind a desk where we should go. Sweat beaded on our necks, not only because of the warm, stagnant air but because we felt cramped and confused, we needed get out. Out into the air and out where there was space to breathe and think clearly. Once we were out, there was no way we were going back in… back to the ol’ faithful, Uber.
The current Osaka Castle is a rebuild of the 1583 original and is known now as a museum and lookout that houses 16th Century historical artifacts. It is absolutely a site to behold and the view from the top is just amazing. It really was a great thing to start our Osaka adventure with. You get a great overview of the city you are about to dive into. If you were going to give something a miss at Osaka Castle, it wouldn’t hurt to miss the grass garden, it may be spectacular in a different season but at this time of year, it was just grass and trees.
When we got let up to our room at Swissotel, it was a really nice size, unlike our tiny Tokyo apartment. If you are looking for a little luxury and lots of food options, without needing to leave your hotel then we highly recommend this stay. It is close to everything and you can escape when the outside world gets too full on. It was actually a perfect choice for our final accommodation spot for this trip.
The next thing to do was to explore Dotonbori and over the coming days, it was a place we would frequent. Dotonbori is what I like to describe as a market of restaurants. Any and every type of Japanese food is available. Dotonbori is big and loud, not noisy, but loud in that there are lights and moving signs and neon everywhere you look. There are big crabs hanging from walls, Japanese statues grinning at you, dragons coming out of signs and hundreds of glass cabinets displaying so much food, that although you want to, you would never be able to try it all. It is a must see for any foodie or anyone who is really just looking to have a good time.
The next day was Universal Studio’s day, so the first night, we didn’t stay out too late. We knew that like Disneyland day, it was going to be long, hot and hectic. It would pay to get a decent rest before that. We tried the rooftop restaurant at the hotel, which was lovely, and we sat and watched the world below for a while then turned in.
The ride to Universal Studios was about 30 minutes by car from Namba. We had our tickets and fast passes organised, and I really recommend that you get on Klook and look at your fast pass options for this day. It is worth the extra money. Your day is organised and if you select your preferred fast pass, then you are going to get to see all the things you want to see.
Universal Studio’s is home to Super Nintendo World, Jurassic Park, Jaws, Despicable Me and the Minions, Hogsmead (Harry Potter) and lots of other iconic movies and characters. When they are all laid out in front of you, the excitement and the memories of iconic scenes flood your mind.
Hogsmead was the first stop on out list and… oh, wow! This is an absolute must see for any Harry Potter fan. You walk through the gates and what is waiting for you? The Hogwarts Express, of course. From there, by grey stone streets, you are taken into Hogsmead and yes, it has an Ollivander’s and everything. You can buy a wand and do spells, you can eat Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans and then get a butter beer. This was my number one spot in Universal and I honestly, could have hung out there all day. When it came time to jump on our rides, the virtual reality Harry Potter ride really blew our minds. Ben has never watched any of the movies and wasn’t familiar with the stories but he still thought the ride was good. It did everything from taking you to school to putting you on a broomstick in a Quidditch field to following Harry past the dementors. It was nothing short of incredible. The Flight of the Hippogriff was our other ride there and it was a short but pretty awesome roller-coaster.
We had a little break between our fast pass times and so we took this time to explore Universal more. There were so many stores, lots of themed restaurants and great photo spots. Ben was most excited about Super Mario World but this wasn’t scheduled until the end of our day so we did the Jaws ride, the Minions ride and the Jurassic Park ride, plus we sat in on the Sing stage show, which was really entertaining and got us out of the heat for a while.
The sun was setting on our epic Universal day and we just had one thing left to do… Super Mario World. This place is absolutely ‘off the hook’ when it comes to Nintendo nostalgia. If you ever wanted to be Mario or Yoshi, jumping on mushroom heads, kicking turtle shells, collecting coins and just coming back to life when you got it wrong, then Super Mario World is the place for you. The scenes they have created just ‘are the games’. They are not like the games, they are the games and once you are in there, you are part of it. The rides were okay, there was a Super Mario Kart one and a shooting based game. There is also the mine cart ride in Donkey Kong Country and this one was the best in that area. The Donkey Kong sundae shake was the most delicious banana flavoured cold treat that we had for the day.
The next couple of days contained more exploration of Osaka and a food tour. Unfortunately, our Osaka food tour wasn’t as good as our Tokyo one. We saw some more amazing things like a shop that contained heaps of sporting apparel but also had a skate park for kids inside the store. One of the most interesting places we visited was NIFREL, which is an indoor animal park. This place has three floors of animals and one with this spheric light show that is totally unexpected in the middle of a place like this. The bottom floor is aquatic animals in tanks, then above that there is lemurs, otters, wallabies, penguins and even hippos. There is a white tiger in the same room as the Cafe, just being a good neighbor to some salt water crocs. The enclosures are almost eerily clean and the animals are strangely calm.
Dotonbori bought us more fun the night after our food tour. We found a little bar called Kenny’s. Now Kenny’s is a weird kind of establishment. It is simple, a cart which makes the front of a skinny basic little alley style room. At the back of the room there is a toilet and a fridge. Lining the walls are some bar tables and stools. At the front is Kenny, with his disco lights and cart. He is serving anything from beer to whiskey and even sake. Not just in a sake cup, but in a bowl. From all of the handwritten messages on Post-It notes on his walls, you can see how well Kenny is loved by travelers, and how much they enjoyed his hospitality. Kenny entertains with air guitar and a smoke machine and serves with generosity, making curious travelers very tipsy travelers by the time they are done. We met a German tourist and some Mexican tourists, then joined forces with a Japanese American and his Japanese girlfriend. With Kenny’s liquor clouding our best judgement, we ended up in a Japanese night club where we had more drinks and the night slipped away into more lights, music and dancing.
On our last night in Japan and in Osaka we went to a fishing restaurant. It was an experience we’d heard about from friends. For anyone who doesn’t know Ben, he is a super keen fishman. This was said to be a place that you could catch your own fish and have it cooked for you. It was high on Ben’s list of things he wanted to do. The venue is set out like a boat dock and your tables are on stationary boats. In the blue water, surrounding those boats, there are… yep, you guessed it… fish. You are given a rod and you can catch your fish and eat it too. You simply catch, point at the poster which has all of the cooking options on it and they serve it. This was an experience in itself and if we did it again, we would steer away from the set menu, it was just way too much food for us.
When we were saying goodbye to Japan, our main thoughts were that we did have a great time. The food was great and we made memories we would keep close. There was a lot of city time and if we returned to Japan, we would try to spend less time in cities and more in the countryside.
To those who have followed my Japan blog through, thank you. I really hope you enjoyed it and got something out of it. If you have any questions, I am more than happy to answer them, just send me a message.
Top Tip No. 6:
You really can do Japan as cheaply or as fancy as you like. It is a ‘choose your own adventure place’. You can eat very cheaply and stay in cheap accommodation and still be very comfortable or you can live it right up to the extreme. For us, we went somewhere in between. In regard to Fast Passes for Universal, if there is one thing to spend some extra dollars on, then this is it. It will make your day when you get to skip the queues and do the best rides with very little wait time.
Food & Fiction 