Osaka The City Of Lights

Osaka is a popular travel destinations due to the affordable flight fares offered by most airlines. Stepping into this city, you will find that most of the stores and buildings are decorated with colourful neon lights and animated advertisements while the neighbourhoods remains real and ordinary. The vibes here are slower but much louder as compared to Tokyo, and if we were to choose between two, Osaka always wins.

With the short days we had in Japan, we had no choice but to leave Tokyo after two days. We boarded JR Shinkansen train which brought us to Shin-Osaka station after 2.5 hours.

Had our lunch at a random Japanese restaurant. First time in my life to try raw egg, still not my kind of thing haha

In order to get to Osaka Castle, you have to walk a distance through Otemon Gate as it was surrounded by a park. It was about 20–30 minutes walk under hot sun!! We can’t resist but grabbed some matcha ice-cream outside of the castle entrance,

We regretted for not coming here earlier to beat all the tour buses because the experience was less enjoyable when it was so packed with large groups of tourists. So we decided to stroll further from the castle and we found the perfect spot! I think it is really important to explore every travel attraction and look for the best spot for photos because you will sure regret if you just settle for an ordinary photo!

Direct translate of Shinsekai means ‘new world’. The first impression as we walked into the streets was that this place resembles so much like a game background — so failytale-like with technology. Tsutenkaku tower which was once Asia’s second highest building still standing tall and proud today. It is undeniably a good place for sightseeing however the food here is so overpriced and catered mainly for tourists.

Some good finds we got from the souvenir shops for our friends and family.

Come to Kuromon Ichiba market to try the freshest seafood and fruits! That watermelon slice costs us about sgd10 but it is the most juicy and sweetest melon we have ever tasted before, the flesh just literally burst into juice in your mouth! We also tried some grilled seafoods, oden and strawberry daifuku. Before you leave, buy some dried scallops as souvenirs for home! As it is a tourist attraction, they provides tax rebate service!

We went to Dotoburi twice during our trip in Osaka because it was so near to our airbnb. First time we went in the morning just to take photo with the Glico running man and the second time at night to savour all the food!

The night view of Dotonburi offers another kind of eccentric beauty as if it has come to life after the sun goes down.

Dont tell people you have come to Osaka without trying the takoyaki here! Originated from Osaka, takoyaki is equally famous in Singapore as small snack. There are many stalls selling takoyaki in Dotonburi so we just picked the one with the longest queue haha. The stall we tried was Acchichi Honpo Takoyaki, it can be easily recognized as it is the nearest stall to the Dotonburi canal.

CREMIA, BEST SOFTSERVE ICE CREAM EVER! The softserve was so pure and rich in milk flavor and the cone, made out of wafer-like thin cookies which twisted into cone shape. You can find this in various kiosks across Osaka but Dotonburi is the easiest one to find. It was so unforgettable that we went around other places to look for this but unfortunately we couldnt find it.

Gyoza from Osaka Ohsho Restaurant (大阪王将).

I would recommend you to sit by any restaurant beside Tomburi River in the evening and order a chilled beer to make it even better!

Long queue for melon bun, verdict: 3/10. Meh.

There are endless of food options to suit everyone’s palate. Me and HP did not manage to finish all the stalls because we are really small eaters haha. Nonetheless we had so much fun here getting attracted to almost everything from food to souvenirs to cosmetic shopping! (mostly me hehe)

The top items to buy according to google haha. Personally I love the ROHTO eyedrop (it helps so much at work!) and the mascara which does not smerge at all no matter how much you perspire (work wonders in Singapore hot weather). I bought all these from Don Quijote and came back to Singapore knowing that they have opened outlets here haha.

It is impossible to cover the entire Dotonburi with just one visit. We hope to come back again with empty bellies to try what we have missed out this visit.

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