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Here are some of my favourites things in Osaka:
1. Osaka-jo
This castle has been burnt down in the past but was rebuilt as a philanthropic project to preserve ancient Osaka culture. Frankly, I’m more tickled to find a very modern lift inside such an “old” structure. The presence of modern technology in an ancient castle seems awkward at first but provides interesting contrasts.
2. Floating Garden Observatory
You will love the feeling of using the escalator that brings you to the top of the outdoor observatory deck. The escalator travels outside the main building 170m above ground before bringing you to the top of Osaka. Come here in the evening. You’ll get to catch a splendid sunset and admire the sublime beauty of Osaka once darkness kicks in.
3. Dotombori
Yummy Food! Glaring Neon! Great (and weird) looking crowd! Quirky buildings! The madness stretches along the waterfront, bringing endless fun to everyone. It’s like a funfair that never ends. How much more exciting can it get?
4. Shintennoji Temple
Even if you are not a religious person, you would cherish this tranquil corner of Osaka after many days of sensory overload exploring other parts of Osaka.
##Everything has been summarized in the Google map above and their locations. Of course there are much more to do in Osaka than my shoddy summary here. I would need 2 months to cover everything within this post. Or make a website. Or both. Hmmm…
In Osaka, you absolutely have to try the street food. Okonomiyaki was invented here. Takopochi’s invented here too.
Okonomiyaki
Takopachi
Heck, even these beautiful plastic replica food might had been invented here also.
Replica Food
And if you are feeling old-school about your Japanese cuisine, you’ve got a great deal of them too. Here are two of my favorites when I was there.
Ramen by the road
Sushi on the conveyer!
My landlady in Japan was right. Once I left for other Japanese cities, I could not find food that tastes as yummy as the ones I’d found in Osaka. Osaka is definitely Japan’s kitchen.
(via SBA73 - Flickr)
Japan. The mystical land of tradition to some. The land that houses the most modern civilisation to others. For me, I enjoy being in Japan and do all kind of weird things.I can be an otaku and head out for the manga/game shops. I can be a glutton and go on a gourmet tour and sample the fine Japanese cuisine. I can also play to my nature-side and swoon at how beautiful the rural areas of Japan are. The list goes on.
The most obvious method to get there is to fly into one of the 2 major international airport (Kansai @ Osaka / Narita @ Tokyo). Airfares depend on where you are flying from/on. But, if you happen to be on a world tour of sorts, try this – get into Japan via a ferry/cruise ship from Korea. It’s cheap, and fun! Two ways to go about it :
1) Take a hydrofoil(!) from Busan and land in Fukuoka. Go with JR Kyushu on this one. Haven’t tried it but since this one is operated by the national rail company of Japan, it shouldn’t be too shabby. (The homepage shows one of its ship about to topple over though)
Cost: JPY13,000
Duration: 3hrs
2) Take an overnight cruise ship from Busan to Osaka. Go with Panstar. (The site’s all in Korean but click around to see if this, well, floats your ship) Then call/email the office and get someone who speaks English to help. I had done this before and it works. If you are lucky, you get to travel with a huge crowd of teenager girls too. A mate and I got a 4-person cabin all to ourselves. And with all Asian establishments, there is a TV inside.
Cost: ~USD100 one way
Duration: 16 hours (overnight)
A lot of teenage girls on board. I wasn't joking.
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