As the second-largest metropolis in Japan with a inhabitants of over 2.7 million individuals, Osaka is a significant financial and cultural hub within the nation. Its skyline is made up of towering skyscrapers, neon lights, and mega buying malls. Often known as “Japan’s Kitchen”, Osaka’s distinctive mix of mouthwatering road meals and distinctive native appeal units it other than its counterparts, Tokyo and Kyoto. You will want a minimum of two to 3 days in your Osaka itinerary simply to pattern all of its specialties.
If that is the final cease in your Japan itinerary, you’ll quickly see the variations between Osaka and different cities. Traveling the quarter-hour by Shinkansen from Kyoto to Osaka looks like leaping forward in time to a contemporary world the place they’ve taken the phrase “go big or go home” to coronary heart. You will discover building cranes eagerly constructing new skyscrapers, malls bedecked with Ferris wheels and rooftop gardens, and eating places with facades that function three-dimensional billboards with big crabs, octopus, or sushi on full show.
In Osaka, additionally, you will discover people who find themselves extra laid again than these in different cities. They are rebels who aren’t afraid to bend the foundations, like (gasp) jaywalking or crossing on a don’t stroll signal. The individuals are extra direct, barely louder, and have their very own customs — like standing on the appropriate facet of an escalator as a substitute of the left as you do in a lot of the nation.
Osaka is a contemporary metropolis however components of it are additionally retro, quirky, and funky. A go to to Japan can be incomplete with out spending a minimum of three days in Osaka. In this Osaka itinerary, I’ll get away methods to get there, methods to get round, the place to remain, and a day-by-day information to the preferred points of interest.
Getting to Osaka
You can simply get to Osaka by prepare or aircraft. From main cities like Tokyo or Kyoto, you’ll be able to board the Shinkansen and revel in a cushty and speedy journey to Osaka. Local trains are additionally an possibility, as it’s only half-hour on an area prepare from Kyoto to Osaka versus 15 on the Shinkansen. Keep in thoughts that the Shinkansen bullet trains arrive and depart from the Shin-Osaka station, which is a couple of five-minute native prepare journey from the principle Osaka Station. Just keep in mind that on the Shinkansen bullet prepare you now must make a reservation for baggage and people are restricted so make sure to take action upfront or ship your baggage forward.
If you might be touring on to Osaka, Kansai International Airport, situated on a synthetic island in Osaka Bay, serves as the principle gateway for air journey to the town. From Kansai International Airport, you’ll be able to simply entry the Osaka metropolis middle by taking a direct prepare or bus.
Another possibility is the Osaka International Airport, generally generally known as Itami Airport. Itami Airport is situated nearer to the town middle however primarily serves home flights inside Japan. If you fly into Itami Airport, you’ll be able to simply entry Osaka’s downtown space by way of numerous transportation choices, akin to airport buses, taxis, or the Osaka Monorail.
Getting Around Osaka
As a big, fashionable metropolis, getting round Osaka is sort of simple utilizing the town’s environment friendly and in depth public transportation choices. The Osaka Metro consists of a number of strains that join numerous components of the town, and, like in Tokyo, indicators and bulletins are in each Japanese and English. You can use your IC card (akin to ICOCA or Suica) to seamlessly pay for fares on each the subway and buses.
Additionally, the JR West rail strains had been very handy to make use of to get to many components of the town and surrounding areas from Osaka Station. This was an amazing saving for us since we had the JR Pass (simply understand that costs for the JR Pass are going up within the fall of 2023 and this received’t be such a discount anymore!)
Where to Stay in Osaka
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There are many choices for what areas to remain in Osaka, together with Namba and Umeda. I needed to remain close to a central transportation hub, in an space that supplied loads of eating places and outlets, however with out being too touristy. We discovered the Umeda space round Osaka Station good for our wants and selected to remain on the Intercontinental Osaka and couldn’t have been happier.
To be sincere, all of us felt that the Intercontinental Osaka was the nicest metropolis resort that we’ve got stayed at (beating out a number of Four Seasons and Ritz-Carltons). The resort is linked to the prepare station and buying malls by a collection of walkways. Upon arrival, you are taking the elevator to the gorgeous foyer on the twentieth ground, which can also be the place you will discover the eating places and beautiful foyer bar. The indoor pool, spa, bathhouse, and health room are all on the fourth ground.
Since I booked by the American Express Fine Hotels program utilizing my AmEx Platinum, we got an early check-in at 12 pm, together with a $100 meals and beverage credit score and day by day breakfast for 2. Instead of reserving two rooms as we had in different cities, I made a decision to spend only a tiny bit extra to order one of many two-bedroom residences. It was a worthy funding as all of us loved spending time collectively in the lounge, consuming room service one night time at our eating desk, and using the kitchen facilities, together with the washer/dryer combo.
Most of all, we beloved the spectacular views of the town and the river from the massive home windows! The solely draw back of reserving the residence over two separate rooms is that because it was counted as one room, we solely acquired breakfast for 2. If we had booked two rooms, it could have been breakfast for 2, per room, so all of us would have eaten free of charge. And let me let you know, the breakfast buffet was top-notch. I want so as to add it to my article in regards to the finest resort breakfasts on the earth. There was every thing from eggs to order to bao buns, that includes every thing you’ll anticipate from a Western / European buffet and a Japanese breakfast.
I’d extremely suggest the Intercontinental Osaka whether it is inside your price range, in any other case, there are various different selections:
Osaka Itinerary: Day 1
When you arrive in Osaka, in case you are staying within the Umeda space close to Osaka Station, head over to the Umeda Sky Building for a stroll across the rooftop out of doors observatory.
Umeda Sky Building
One characteristic that makes this statement deck completely different from others is the glass-enclosed escalators that you just take between the 2 towers from the thirty ninth ground the place the ticket workplace is situated to the fortieth ground and the doorway to the statement deck. These escalators give the looks of being suspended in air, which might both be a thrill or a fright, relying on how nicely you do with heights.
The 360-degree statement deck helps you to take within the metropolis from all angles and get an up-close view of the continued progress of this metropolis.
After taking within the view, head right down to the B1 Floor within the basement of the Umeda Sky Building, which is designed to resemble a small metropolis road from the Edo Period, lined with quite a lot of eating places. This is an efficient spot for lunch, or you may attempt one of many many eating places within the Grand Front Osaka shopping center, which is adjoining to the prepare station.
Shopping
Osaka is a superb metropolis to do some buying and reap the benefits of discovering distinctive fashions that you just received’t discover within the shops at house. For high-end buying, the Grand Front Osaka has some acquainted names and Hankyu Sanban Gai is an alternative choice. However, teenagers will love the inexpensive youthful fashions on the HEP Five buying middle. You will discover ground after ground of stylish types and even discover a big Ferris wheel (one thing you see continuously in Osaka.)
While these are each adjoining to the Osaka Train Station and inside a couple of minutes stroll of the Umeda Sky Building, an alternative choice is to take the metro to the Namba Parks shopping center, which contains a multi-floor rooftop backyard with cafe, eating places, and luxurious inexperienced areas.
Osaka Castle
Finish your sightseeing at the moment with a go to to the Osaka Castle and surrounding gardens, one of the iconic websites in Osaka. Built within the late sixteenth century, the fortress serves as a logo of energy and status, reminiscent of the tumultuous feudal period. Originally constructed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a famend samurai warrior, and statesman, the fortress performed a vital function in unifying Japan throughout that point.
The spectacular five-story exterior is an ideal picture backdrop to memorialize your keep in Osaka. If you want to enter the fortress, it pays to buy tickets on-line to skip the lengthy ticket strains. Inside is the fortress’s museum, which homes a various assortment of artifacts, together with armor, weapons, and historic paperwork. You may climb to the highest of the principle tower for panoramic views of Osaka’s skyline and the encompassing parkland.
The fortress’s grounds, encompassing huge gardens and moats, are a well-liked spot for cherry blossom viewing throughout the spring season. You may take a ship journey alongside the moat or go to the Castle gardens. To keep away from crowds, contemplate visiting the fortress earlier within the day or throughout weekdays to keep away from the bigger crowds that have a tendency to assemble within the afternoons and on weekends.
ORIX Buffaloes Baseball Game
If you’re a baseball fan and visiting throughout the baseball season, I’d counsel getting tickets to see a recreation on the Kyocera Dome. Buying tickets can get a bit of difficult, as you might want to first register and arrange an account. However, there are additionally third-party companies that can buy your tickets for you and ship them to your resort.
When we had been on the town, we had been lucky to get to see the Osaka ORIX Buffaloes play the Hiroshima Carp, which is sort of a rivalry. We had glorious seats behind house plate, which got here with entry to an all-you-can-eat buffet. It was very fascinating to see how the stadium was cut up with Carps followers on the customer facet and ORIX Buffalo followers behind the house group dugout.
The entire recreation had the energetic really feel of a faculty recreation, as each groups had bands and huge cheering sections that introduced the noise for all the recreation. We had a blast cheering for the house group and attending to see how the Japanese have adopted such a love for baseball.
Osaka Itinerary: Day 2
Plan to dedicate a complete day in Osaka to exploring the town’s wealthy road meals tradition. We took a meals tour of the Shinsekai district with Arigato Food Tours that we beloved! Arigato additionally affords meals excursions of the Dotonbori space, however I felt like that was simple sufficient to discover on our personal.
Shinsekai
Shinsekai is a really fascinating neighborhood that’s value exploring. At one level, it was farmland for inexperienced onions, and you’ll nonetheless discover scallions current on many dishes in Osaka. After World War II, the federal government needed to create a Western-style leisure district to draw worldwide guests in order that they created Shinsekai, which means “New World.”
This vibrant neighborhood was developed to imitate the cities of Paris and New York, Coney Island specifically. It is thought for its retro appeal and distinctive ambiance. Anywhere else I’d have thought it was tacky and too kitschy, however for some purpose, it really works and the combination of over-the-top restaurant facades, carnival-like video games, boardwalk-like gaming parlors, and memento outlets are literally fairly charming in a weird, retro manner.
The major landmark of Shinsekai is the Tsutenkaku Tower, standing tall and providing beautiful views of the encompassing space. Originally in-built 1912 and standing at a top of 103 meters, the Tsutenkaku Tower blends each Western and Eastern architectural components, with a resemblance to the Eiffel Tower. Today, you’ll be able to go to the highest of the statement deck and even take a slide down the facet of the tower.
One of essentially the most well-known meals from this space is kushikatsu, a dish consisting of skewers which are coated in panko and deep-fried, containing beef, greens, and different substances. You will discover the unique location of Kushikatsu Daruma, the ever present “Angry Chef” that you will discover all through Osaka, in Shinsekai.
Another must-try meals in Osaka is takoyaki, one of many metropolis’s most well-known culinary creations. The dish consists of small balls comprised of a batter of wheat flour, eggs, and dashi (a Japanese soup inventory), full of diced octopus, inexperienced onions, and different substances. Takoyaki is cooked in particular spherical molds on a scorching griddle after which topped with savory sauces, mayonnaise, and bonito flakes. They characteristic a crispy exterior and smooth, gooey inside.
You is not going to depart an Arigato Food Tour hungry! In addition to filling up on scrumptious meals, we realized a lot about this space and the native tradition (plus discovered a superb store to buy Japanese knives!) that we simply wouldn’t have found on our personal.
Dotonbori
After leaving Shinsekai, head as much as the principle vacationer district of Dotonbori (additionally spelled Dotombori). Dotonbori is likely one of the hottest districts in Osaka, famend for its vibrant nightlife, colourful neon indicators, and scrumptious road meals. Located alongside the Dotonbori Canal, the world is a hub of leisure, buying, and eating, with iconic landmarks just like the well-known Glico Running Man neon signal and the Ebisu Tower Ferris Wheel.
Start off by taking a stroll alongside the canal and immersing your self within the vibrant ambiance or take a canal boat cruise to view the websites from the water.
When it involves meals, Dotonbori is a meals lover’s paradise. The streets are lined with numerous eateries, meals stalls, and eating places. Takoyaki, the ever present octopus balls, is a must-try snack in case you didn’t get your fill in Shinsekai. Another native favourite is okonomiyaki, a savory pancake layered with substances like cabbage, meat, and seafood. You may discover sushi, ramen, kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers), together with many, many sweets.
Personally, I fell in love with the melon pan bread ice cream sandwich, however you can even attempt the towering “long” smooth ice cream cones, the 100 Yen pastries full of cheese or different substances, and taiyaki or mochi with pink bean paste. Just a few locations to place in your checklist embody:
- Grilled crab takeout from Kani Douraku
- Fried skewers from Kushikatsu Daruma (Angry Chef)
- Takoyaki (fried octopus balls) at Yama-Chan or Aizuya, the Michelin Guide-featured takoyaki store, or Acchichi Honpo or Kukuru.
- Okonomiyaki (invented in Osaka) at Mizuno, Chibo Dotonbori, or, Hozenji Sampei, which affords a fluffy model. Try ordering it with yakisoba, that are fried buckwheat noodles which you can order on the underside. We bought ours at Mizuno however it pays to go early earlier than the lengthy line kinds!
- Karaage fried rooster bites from Kin No Torikara
- Ramen from Kinryu Ramen Dotonbori or Kingemon Dotonbori
Beyond the meals, Dotonbori affords quite a lot of buying alternatives. The district is house to quite a few department shops, fashionable boutiques, and memento outlets, the place you’ll find every thing from style gadgets to native specialties to take house as souvenirs.
Just a few different locations to see within the space embody:
- Hozenji Yokocho, which is a slim, atmospheric alley with well-preserved conventional structure, stone-paved paths, and conventional lanterns that illuminate the world throughout the night, making a magical ambiance. The spotlight of Hozenji Yokocho is the Hozenji Temple, a small Buddhist temple that dates again over 1,400 years. The temple is known for its moss-covered Fudo-Myo statue, which is believed to grant needs. Visitors to the temple usually partake within the ritual of splashing water onto the statue for good luck and cleaning functions.
- Round1 Stadium, which options quite a lot of indoor sports activities and leisure services, together with bowling alleys, arcade video games, batting cages, billiards, darts, karaoke rooms, and way more. It has an in depth number of arcade video games from basic retro video games to the most recent digital actuality experiences.
- Amerikura, often known as “America-mura” or “Amemura,” is a vibrant neighborhood situated within the Shinsaibashi district not removed from Dotonbori. The title “Amerikura” stems from its affiliation with American tradition, as the world was initially influenced by American developments and style within the Nineteen Seventies. Now it’s identified for its distinctive and various style scene, with quite a few impartial boutiques, classic shops, and stylish clothes outlets lining its streets. The space additionally has colourful and crowd pleasing road artwork, graffiti, and murals, including to the creative and edgy ambiance. Aside from style, Amerikura affords a vibrant nightlife scene with an array of bars, golf equipment, and stay music venues that come alive at night time.
Osaka Itinerary: Day 3 (Day Trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima)
Osaka is underneath two hours from Hiroshima by Shinkansen and a go to to Hiroshima or Hiroshima and the neighboring island of Miyajima make for an amazing day journey and a great way to finish your time in Osaka. You can discover these websites by yourself, however I made a decision to guide a full-day personal tour with JGA (Japan Guide Agency) by Get Your Guide, and we beloved our information Eiji.
Eiji contacted me a number of weeks earlier than our go to to debate and customise the itinerary to ensure we visited the websites we had been most keen on, and within the order that I most well-liked. He met us on the exit of the prepare and was with us till we returned to the prepare station on the finish of the day.
Hiroshima
We began our go to with a fast bus journey to the hypocenter of the nuclear blast that killed roughly 140,000 native residents at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945. The bomb was dropped by the Americans to hasten the tip of the battle and carried by the American bomber plane, the Enola Gay. The assault on Hiroshima stands as a stark reminder of the devastating penalties of nuclear warfare, which is likely one of the causes these websites had been lately visited by the G7 world leaders.
From there, we walked over to the A-Bomb Dome, often known as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. It is the remnants of the Industrial Promotion Hall, which was initially constructed in 1915 and have become one of many few buildings left standing close to the epicenter of the atomic bomb explosion. It has been preserved in its ruined state, with its skeletal framework and crumbling partitions, to honor the reminiscence of the lives misplaced and to convey the horrors of the atomic bombing.
Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the A-Bomb Dome holds nice historic and cultural significance. It stands as a testomony to the resilience and power of the individuals of Hiroshima and serves as a solemn reminder of the significance of working in direction of a world free from nuclear weapons.
In the Peace Memorial Park, we additionally visited the Children’s Peace Monument. This monument is devoted to the kids who misplaced their lives because of the bombing and the long-lasting results of radiation. It contains a statue of Sadako Sasaki, a younger woman who turned a logo of peace by her story of folding 1,000 origami cranes.
In addition, we walked previous the Peace Memorial Cenotaph, which holds the names of all of the identified victims of the atomic bomb, and the everlasting flame, which they vow to maintain lit till nuclear weapons are eradicated.
Visiting this space raised so many questions, particularly as an American, whose nation was the perpetrator of this atrocity. Of course, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor to attract us into the battle, however the devastation of civilians and a complete metropolis with a single bomb is simply horrific. It was onerous to think about that the Japanese wouldn’t maintain some anger towards American guests, however Eiji assured me that they see the Memorial and the Museum as a reminder of the horrors of battle and the individuals are towards battle, not towards the USA.
Our last cease in Hiroshima was a go to to the Peace Memorial Museum, which supplies a complete account of the atomic bomb assault and its devastating penalties. Its reveals embody artifacts, pictures, and private tales, permitting you to achieve a deeper understanding of the human impression of the bombing. It offers not simply with the assault that day, however the long-term impacts on the individuals and the town.
It was heavy and lots to soak up, however an vital a part of historical past is to respect these killed and remind ourselves to not let this occur once more. After a darkish morning, it was a really nice change to spend the afternoon on Miyajima. I positively suggest visiting Hiroshima first to finish on a lighter observe.
Miyajima
Miyajima, often known as Itsukushima Island, is a picturesque island situated in Hiroshima Bay. It is known for its iconic floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine. When we visited it was raining and the mist on the mountains gave all the island a mystical high quality, making it certainly one of my favourite issues that we did in Japan. The city streets, stunning seashore, mysterious mountains, and basic Japanese structure make Miyajima really feel fairly magical.
To get to the island, you’ll be able to both take a brief ferry to the island from a ferry terminal, which is about half-hour from the prepare station by native prepare, or take a ship tour from the Peace Memorial Park on to Miyajima, which takes about 45 minutes.
The essential attraction is the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The shrine’s iconic pink torii gate seems to be floating on the water throughout excessive tide, making a mesmerizing sight. During low tide, you’ll be able to exit on the seashore and stroll by the gate. The gate was put within the water as a result of guests from Hiroshima would go to the shrine by boat, and enter by the gate.
The shrine itself additionally affords stunning structure and I’d like to see it throughout the spring excessive tides when the water laps on the base of the platform walkways constructed across the buildings.
Another fashionable attraction is Momijidani Park, which is a scenic spot identified for its stunning maple bushes, that are particularly pretty throughout the autumn season. Throughout the island, additionally, you will encounter wild deer. Unlike in Nara, you aren’t allowed to feed them, however the deer can nonetheless be aggressive you probably have paper or meals in your arms. One really adopted me into the customer middle and grabbed a brochure off of the counter and began consuming it. The workers needed to chase it outdoors and wrestle the paper away from the cussed deer.
If you select to spend a full day on Miyajima, you can even go to the highest of Mount Misen, the island’s highest peak. There are numerous mountaineering trails, together with a cable automobile possibility for individuals who favor a much less strenuous ascent. At the bottom of the mountain, you will discover the Daisho-in Buddhist Temple, which is supposed to be certainly one of Japan’s most sacred temples.
You will need to depart time to stroll alongside Omotesando Street, the place you will discover road meals stalls and outlets promoting conventional crafts, souvenirs, and Miyajima’s well-known picket rice scoops generally known as “mokugyo” (we purchased one to deliver house.) Here you’ll be able to attempt Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki and Hiroshima recent oysters, straight from the oyster farms that you just cross by on the ferry. These are pretty massive oysters, that are grilled and served up both plain or Rockefeller model. If you might be an oyster lover, don’t depart the island with out giving them a attempt.
I actually fell in love with Miyajima and it made me need to go to extra of the smaller cities within the Japanese countryside on a future go to. If I returned to Miyajima, I’d additionally guide an evening within the conventional Ryokan and benefit from the island after the day trippers depart.
If you’ve got extra time…
If you’ve got an additional day in Osaka, you might need to add in a go to to Universal Studios Japan or the TeamLab Botanical Garden.
I’d additionally hoped to go to the CupNoodles Museum Osaka Ikeda, which is a museum devoted to prompt noodles and Cup Noodles, in addition to its creator and founder, Momofuku Ando. You can reserve a particular ticket to design your personal Cup of Noodles. Since it’s half-hour outdoors of the town middle, we didn’t have time to squeeze it into our Osaka itinerary.
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