Apologies that I'm waaay behind with my blog stuff again as adulting continues to eat me alive. From December, I spent the holidays in the Philippines, had a short family trip in Japan, returned to work for a month then went to America! 🙈 Hence, my start of the year has been quite eventful.
Though, lets talk about my recent trip to Japan where in this season, I got to return to Osaka—after 7 years! The Kansai prefecture has a big space in my heart as this was my first solo trip destination in 2017 and I’ve learnt a lot from it.♡ Nevertheless, Osaka has a different vibe from Tokyo as this is known as Japan’s gastronomical hub.
You can read my previous Kansai adventures but here’s some additional new ideas that you might want to try if Osaka is in your travel list 😉
Is Osaka cheaper than Tokyo?
I would say that the food in Osaka is relatively cheaper than in Tokyo. Basically, you can even have a meal just by going through the food strip.
This is also the better place to buy matcha compared in Tokyo but don’t just stick with the KitKats! The matcha cheesecake biscuits and bourbons are a must-try.💯
The shopping scene
Shinsaibashisuji is a maze of shops and stalls. The swarm of people just flows through the whole stretch of the area and surely, you won't be left empty-handed by the end of this shopping strip. Sometimes you can even score a better price for souvenir here compared to those in Donki.
Dohtonbori—my NAMBA one food strip and my newfound love for GYUKATSU
Amidst the vibrant lights and incredible 3D gastronomic designs, this area of food porn is widely known for Takoyaki, kobe beef and other skewered food. There's always a queue in most of the restaurants here so I believe every meal in this location is a must-try; It probably just depends on one's cravings too.😅
Yet, one thing that I’ve recently discovered and enjoyed is gyukatsu or fried beef cutlets. We had dinner to this restaurant where you can cook these sirloin breaded beef then craft it with your own dips. I love it.♡
My favorite combination of dips would be either soaking it in beaten egg or ponzu sauce with sesame seeds. Plus,I highly recommend to always put a little dash of wasabi in it! I hope they open a branch in London soon.🙏🏻
Visit USJ’s Super Nintendo World
In 2018, it was Harry Potter’s castle that was viral; Now, people queued early mornings to enter Super Nintendo World that features Supermario and Donkey Kong! Well basically, who didn’t grew up playing those videogames?!
It is tricky to buy the entry pass for this online so one sacrificial way to get there is to arrive early for they allow a certain amount of people to enter for free. Based on experience, we arrived at 7am and once USJ opened around 9am, people started to run towards this attraction as if there was an earthquake! It was even quite the distance from the main entrance up to there as it’s located further down the park. However, the swift pace towards here was worth it!
Moreover, they sell power-up bands which you can use to load power-ups in some figures around the area and then you can use it as a power attack when your ride the attraction rides! Although, queueing for the rides can take up to 3hrs even if it moves quick. We went for Yoshi’s Ride and Mario Kart and they're the best.
This ride takes you around Princess Peach' Castle which was pretty cool from above. You can see the whole interior of Nintendo World.
For Mario Kart, you get to wear the same construction cap like Mario and Luigi then you'll be racing and collecting coins just like how it is in the game console!🤩
Meanwhile for food, we went to Toadstool Café. The game concept still remains even on how the meals were presented!Plus, the food was really delicious.
We ordered sunflower Bolognese, a mushroom soup with mushroom biscuit inside, pizza and a tiramisu in a question box with random designs!
Our toadstool waiter did a good job taking me and my brother's photo 😄
There are other attractions that we went besides Mario which are Snoopy’s Playground, Hello Kitty and Sesame Street.
The world of Peanuts is actually made for children with the amount of playground around it and the photo stops are very cute. At that time, Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Sally and Lucy were there to meet the crowd. They were so in character like how you see them in cartoons and that they will interact first before you get to take a picture with them. I just ended up having a photo with Charlie Brown only instead.😆
It’s not a Japanese theme park without Hello Kitty, of course.🎀
And to complete the Kiddie Land is Sesame Street where we saw Elmo, Ernie and Bert, and Cookie Monster (my spirit animal haha🍪). I’m glad that there are still children who gets to know this cartoon and the mascots are very entertaining!
Last but certainly not the least, I hate rollercoasters but I wouldn’t mind riding it for a Spy x Family attraction! I love the atmosphere in this area so much as the ride makes you feel like being in a special episode of the anime. Though for me, this VR ride had a lot of ball drop that really made me scream or close my eyes during the car chase. Yet, we survived!🙈 I felt like this was more intense than Harry Potter’s quidditch ride.
Kobe Harborland
Apart from the “Be KOBE” monument and the port of Kobe Tower, Meriken Park offers a scenic view of its cruise terminal and maritime museum. The park was also surrounded with modern art so it’s a pretty good photo stopover.
And if shopping’s on your list, then it’s a must to visit Kobe-Sando Premium Outlet Store! It has a similar ambiance as Tokyo’s Gotemba Outlet. Price-wise is fair as most signature shops have their exclusive design that are only sold in the country.
Also on this trip, I finally got to visit Osaka Castle! It was a long 20-minute walk from the train station but I enjoyed the whole ambiance ♡ This is how parks should be despite being full of tourists (not sure but this might be two-fold during other seasons)--clean, calm and beautiful.
So there you have it. I hope this helps for your next travel to Osaka and I assure, you’ll definitely go back for more!💯
In the meantime, I’m currently writing my next 2 travel blogs so stay tuned and thank y’all for bearing with me.🙏🏻
‘til then!
