OSAKA-KYOTO-NARA
9th Jun 2018 (Saturday)
If you are travelling to Osaka, you will most likely be flying to Kansai Internation Airport.As I reached the airport at around 8.30pm , my husband and I then decided to explore the area that we are staying in. Have a good rest for the day, to explore more on the other days !
During my stay, i opted for a hotel at Hearton Hotel Nishi Umeda and the nearest station is Osaka/ Umeda. By travelling here, you can simply buy the tickets online at klook or buy it on the spot and walk to Terminal 1 platform 5 for the limousine bus and alight at Herbis Osaka (travel duration : 60 minutes). The ticket will cost about 1500yen (SGD19). The hotel is pretty small and do remember to bring 2 pin plug to charge your phone, camera, etc.
We had our first meal in Japan at Okonomiyaki & Teppanyaki Restaurant near our hotel area at Osaka station. The food is not very impressive though.
DAY 2 : FULL DAY IN OSAKA
10th Jun 2018 (Sunday)
My husband and I went to Kuromon Ichiban Market, Lucky Owl Cafe, Osaka Aquarium and Dotonbori to end the night. By travelling, we used our 2 days Osaka pass which we already purchased it online at klook (SGD 41). You can check out my other post to see how worth the card is.
Kuromon Ichiba Market
To settle our breakfast/ early lunch, we headed to Kuromon Ichiba Market and it was really fully packed with people on a Sunday Morning with tourists. In the market you will find around 150 stores and a quarter of of which are selling seafood. WOW! As this place was famous for their fresh seafood, we then decided to go ahead to squeeze with the crowd and try out their food. As this place become a popular tourist location, I must ware you that the price is pretty pricey.
Here are some highlights from the market as shown below:
Meat
Other than fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and seafood, there are also some stores selling clothes. Below are some of the food that we tried over there and i love their seafood the most, it was indeed fresh and delicious.
How to get there:
Kuromon Ichiba is 3 minutes walk from Nippombashi Subway Station. From our hotel , we walk to Osaka Station and take the
Direction from our hotel : 350 Yen
= Walk 4 mins to Osaka Station (Take the Osaka loop line platform 2 to Temma Station)
= Alight and walk to Ogimachi Station and board the brown line and stop at Ninippombashi Station (5 stops)
= Walk 3 mins to Kuromon Ichiba Market
Lucky Owl Cafe
We spent a good 40 minutes taking photos with the owl in this cafe. A total of 200 Yen person (including admission fee and 1 soft drink) with a time limit of one hour. The staff there was friendly and helpful if you want to know each owl came from where. Don't be afraid, the owl over there are mostly friendly unless they stated with a card do not touch.
How to get there :
A good 6 minutes walk from Kuromon Ichiba Market. You can use your GPS to lead you the way.
Osaka Aquarium and Tempozan Ferris Wheel
Beforehand, we also bought our tickets from klook in order to avoid queuing. Osaka Aquarium is one of the largest aquariums and certainly very impressive when you walked in. We spent about 1 hr 30 minutes exploring and looking at those charismatic animals like penguins, shark, otters and more. From what I had research, there are a total about 30,000 animals representing 620 different species in this aquarium.
Scroll down and look at some of the photo:
Entrance fees:
Adults (aged 16+): 2,300 yen
Senior citizens (aged 60+): 2,000 yenChildren (aged 7 – 15): 1,200 yen
Pre-school children (aged 4 – 6): 600 yen
Children (aged 3 or younger): Free
Tempozan Ferris Wheel
Since Tempozan Ferris Wheel is free (covered by 2 Days Amazing Osaka Pass) we decided to go ahead after exploring the Osaka Aquarium. A ride on this 112.5 meters high Ferris Wheel will allow you to see the dramatic views over Osaka bay.Opening hours from 10:00 - 22:00 and tickets at 800 Yen if you require to purchase.
Had our early dinner nearby since we did not had a filly lunch before we proceed to Dontobori.
How to get there :
From Lucky Owl Cafe:
= Walk 9 minutes to Namba Station and take red line --> Stop at Hommachi Station
= Walk to Hommachi Station (Green Line) to Osakako Station
= Walk about 10 minutes to Osaka Aquarium
Dotonbori
When you look at the photo above showing the Glico running man, I believe the you will relate where is the place in Osaka. And yes, you are right, this is the lively entertainment area of Dotonbori where you can get to enjoy lots of delicious food.
In Osaka Japan, Takoyaki is a food that you must try. Theirs version is pretty different from Singapore as this traditional Japanese Octopus balls are pretty melty and small when you bite it.
We stay at Dotonbori to have some light snacks and shopping before heading back to hotel.
How to get there :
= Walk 9 minutes to Oskako station
= Take green light to Awaza and transfer to pink link
= Pink link (Sen-Nichimae Line station) to Osaka Metro Sen-Nichimae Line (3 stops)
= Alight at Namba station and follow signs 15-B
= Walk 4 minutes to Dotonbori
DAY 3 : FULL DAY IN OSAKA
11th Jun 2018 (Monday)
(Entrance fee 300 yen covered by Osaka Amazing Pass)
To me, there are nothing to view in this Temple and might not be worth, therefore you can skip this destination if your planning is packed.
How to get there:
From Hotel:
= Walk 11 minutes to Higashi- Umeda Station
= Take Tanimachi Line (purple line) and alight at Shitennoji-Mae Yohihaoka Station
- Osaka Castle
( (Entrance fee 600 yen covered by Osaka Amazing Pass)
( (Entrance fee 600 yen covered by Osaka Amazing Pass)
Osaka Castle is also another place that is full of tourists. The tower is 55 meters high and houses a museum and viewing platform for visitors to enjoy the majestic views of Osaka City. This place extends over two square kilometers contains mostly grassy lawns and trees during the season that I visited.
Inside the Osaka castle is a museum with eight floors of display which I never take photo. You can get to see historical artifacts and there are also samurai costumes to try on for a fee. A movie theater on the first floor showing historical programs too. If you want to purchase any souvenir , you can visit the 1st and 8th floors of the castle museum.
One point to add on, with the Osaka Amazing Pass, you can get to enjoy the attractions around OSAKA Castle for FREE.
We had our lunch at one of the building.
How to get there:
From Shitenno Ji Temple:
= Walk 11 minutes to Shitennoji- Mae Yuhihaoka Station
= Take Tanimachi line (purpler line) and alight at Tanimachiyonchome station (3 stops away)
= Walk 17 minutes to Osaka Castle
(Entrance fee 600 yen covered by Osaka Amazing Pass)
Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street
After visiting the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living, we went to walk around the Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street which is famous for the arcade shopping district.
Dotonbori (Cruise ride + Dinner)
Thanks for reading ! Will write up on my trip for the remaining days in Japan.
