The final town on my current Japan trip was Osaka which I had planned to stay for 5 full days. I had 2 days trips planned (separate posts) so the rest of the time was for Osaka which I have lumped together into this post (and relaxing because my legs were about to fall off any day now).

After taking the Shinkansen from Kyoto, I arrived in Osaka late afternoon and went to explore. More modern and bustling than Kyoto but not as enormous as Tokyo, Osaka felt like the quintessential image of Japan that appears in all the animations with the neon lights and power lines on smaller and more empty streets.

My first impression was that Osaka also appeared to be a foodie heaven with so many restaurants packed so tightly everywhere and for the whole street.

I met a friend for dinner as it was the last time that we would meet before she left. She had a cold soba place recommended to her so we went there. I was not so much of a cold soba fan before this trip as I thought it was pretty boring to have cold noodles with a dipping sauce when I could have udon or ramen. But after having so many, I’ve been won over! I particularly like the wasabi with the soba and dipping sauce which seems to pair so well and especially in hot weather.

I went with a duck soup with soba whilst my friend had the soba with fried vegetables (and a DIY fresh wasabi to grate). The meal was delicious and started my cravings with cold soba for the remainder of my trip.

After dinner we went for a walk to Dotonbori which is a lively area in Osaka with many shops and restaurants. There is a canal here that was constructed in 1612! It’s a great place to see the bustling night life and also walk off all the food.

We then went on the hunt for some ice cream which was so hard to find (lost business opportunity)! We weaved in and out of the alleyways back and forth. We even considered McDonalds but one left turn and we found an ice cream place and then called it a night.

Day 2

The next day, I had slow morning at my accommodation and only headed out at noon. I found some sushi for lunch and then headed to the Kuromon Ichiba Market. This market was started in 1902 and today sells a lot of seafood, desserts and homeware.

Still not over the huge seafood options, I decided to have an XL oyster that was bigger than the one I tried in Tokyo. I shied away from the 2XL which looked TOO big. To be honest, oysters are better when they can fit in your mouth all in one so an L size would’ve sufficed but it’s just the novelty of the size that was worth trying.

Eating at the fish markets can be pretty pricey so be prepared for that if you want to have a meal here.

I walked past a dessert place and saw a dango. Eager to give it another go, I bought this small box of dessert. I’ve decided that dango is not the dessert for me.

On my last day in Osaka, I went to Osaka Castle. Construction began in 1583, the entire castle in the present day is a historical museum with an observation deck at the top. Inside, there are floors of artifacts and information of the history of Osaka and the castle. It is a popular sight with the line for the elevator quite long so take the stairs if you don’t want to wait.

The grounds surrounding the castle are huge and I didn’t fancy walking more than I had to so just settled for a visit to the castle being going back into the city centre.

In my last few days, I also had a sudden craving for Korean food and was able to find a Korean restaurant quite easily. I had Jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) which was one of my last meals in Seoul.

There was one more area in Osaka that I had on my list that I didn’t get to which was Shitennoji. It’s suppose to be a lively eating area but I was just too exhausted to do much more walking towards the end of this trip. In hindsight, I could’ve had 1 less day in Osaka and perhaps another day in Tokyo.

Is Osaka a city you would like to visit? Do you have any favourite places in Osaka or recommendations?