Second part of the Osaka post, this time focusing on sightseeing, things to do and some shopping! Osaka is a huge city so it’s going to be pretty different from what you get from Kyoto, but nevertheless there’s tons of things to see!
Dotonbori
One of the primary tourist spots downtown, housing some of Osaka’s favorite food delights.
Address: Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 542-0071, Japan
Recommend to visit? Yes, absolutely should not miss out.
This is the area I’d recommend staying close by. It has all the wonderful food and is quite lovely for walking at night! For food guide near Dotonbori please refer to this post instead.
All the wonderful sights to see.
View by the river is beautiful at dusk. There are some famous restaurants you can visit along the river too such as Ichiran and Yakiniku M.
The famous Glico running dude
Dropped by a Starbucks and it looks so pretty for chilling and reading a book
Pokemon Center
Pokemon haven for fans. Lots of adorable plushies and merchandise. Occasionally they have events so you can bring your Nintendo devices to get some goodies in-game. (not sure if applicable to games from countries outside of Japan)
Address: Daimaru Umeda, 3 Chome-1-1 Umeda, Kita Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 530-8202, Japan
I got quite excited when I saw the giant Pokeball
Good ol starters
Pikachu horde
ALL THE GOODIES
I’m not a huge fan of Swablu/Altaria but this was adorable af. I ended up getting this one for fun, it was about $11.
Sleeping pokes!!!! These were ex though like $50 each and impossible to lug home 😦
Rows of plushies
Thought long and hard about this one, Ralts is easily one of my favorite Pokemon and I’ve used Gardevoir/Gallade and love them both equally. But this was about $20 so i went ahead to get cutiepie Swablu instead lol.
Same same
The area for claiming in-game stuff
This substitute collection was SUPER cute. I loved the color scheme and spent a long time admiring the earrings, beanie and drawstring bag. But in the end decided not to.
The BF was really into this Pikachu since it’s very Japanese style. He got the bigger one in the end and it’s now seated at his office desk.
I decided to get myself a useful item from the store, this was simple and pretty, plus very useful. I’m still using it as my makeup pouch till now, very roomy and durable material!
Instant Ramen Museum
Museum dedicated to instant noodles and its creator Momofoku Ando.
Address: 8-25 Masumicho, Ikeda 563-0041, Osaka Prefecture
Recommend to visit? Yes, it’s fun and makes you feel like a kid.
To get to the museum, take the train to Ikeda station – it’s a little ways away from the main centre of Osaka. Take note that the museum closes at 4pm, we almost missed it arriving close to 3.30pm and there was a friendly staff who greeted us outside and quickly ushered us into the ramen making stop first so we won’t miss it before closing. Also cuz that’s where their revenue comes from of course, vs us just looking around the museum.
Very sleek exterior
9.30am – 4pm
Make your own ramen, check out that queue!
We got one to share instead, since Calvin wasn’t as excited as i was haha. It’s 300 yen for one (around $4)
Yayyy! I’m personally quite proud of our work, showcasing the languages we both know collectively and rainbows of colors. I had this inspiration as I was buying the cup and was quite insistent on decorating it this way. The strokes could be better but still pretty to look at.
Letting you choose in advance
Getting the ramen prepared. There’s a step where you get to run the machine that secures the ramen into the cup.
Our chosen ingredients. Staff kindly let us take photos at every step.
Sealing the ramen
The last step is for us to put the box in an inflatable plastic bag and inflate it. So it won’t get damaged.
After our little ramen making session we barely had time to look at everything else. Kinda rushed through the main displays. There were actually more activities to do upstairs, so if you’re in early enough you can definitely check them out. There’s also a spot to try the different flavors.
Rowsssss of glorious instant noodles
Interactive displays
Where the magic happened
So cute
There’s an Ippudo nearby as well – for those interested, they sell a special edition Momofuku ramen. It’s basically soy-based and i think mostly marketing on their end LOL.
Ippudo Momofuku ramen
Shitennoji (temple)
One of Japan’s oldest temples.
Address: 1-11-18 Shitennoji, Tennoji Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 543-0051, Japan
Recommend to visit? If you’re a temple person or when there’s an event going on. Temple lights up at night.
The timing for us was just nice to catch the Tanabata festival (traditional Japanese star festival). The area was lighted very prettily.
Entrance of the temple
With lanterns hung! We saw the same sight along the streets of Nara when we visited.
You can buy candles at the entrance to write your wishes and light them up
Since the paper was small i wrote a simple motto I always try to live by. BF was being annoying and saying it’s lame and i was like ok then you write yours
His
The inside of the temple was bustling with activity! Lots of food stalls everywhere!
We went all the way in and camped near the pagoda to wait for the sunset and catch the temple as it’s lighted up.
Was quite pretty. After it turns dark and we head back out, the area has been lighted up to look like the milky way!
Milky way concept
Certainly a good way to experience the local culture firsthand.
Osaka Castle
One of Japan’s most famous landmarks, it played a major role in the unification of Japan (ripped off from Wiki).
Address: 1-1 Osakajo, Chuo Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 540-0002, Japan
Recommend to visit? Yes for a slow stroll or run in the evening.
Osaka castle was fairly quiet when we visited. Many of the visitors were locals doing an evening run around the temple grounds. It was quiet and scenic.
From the outside. Sigh. So peaceful looking at this pic.
The entrance to the main grounds
I loooooooove this fort
The castle in its glory. Loving the trees and the sky and the little birdie flying across my frame. Sigh. Sometimes I think I’m not too bad as a photographer.
We headed over to this spot to wait for the sun to set.
Waiting for sun to set. We were both tired so we listened to our music and just.. peace out. I love moments like these where I can get some self-reflecting in, and it’s more awesome still that Calvin feels the need to as well.
Obviously this didn’t look like the pretty pictures on Google HAHAHA. But we decided after this that we’ve seen quite enough and that we were starving.
And… that’s it for Osaka! Short post huh, compared to the food one HAHA. Obviously our main aim for Osaka was the food, so nothing really surprising. Nevertheless there are some nice things to see around the city, in 3 days there’s more than enough things to do.
Hope you enjoy Osaka too!
darmawanders 