Osaka

Apparently the 2nd largest metro area after Tokyo, I have mixed feelings about Osaka. I don’t mean this in a critical way… Osaka is more rough and not as clean as Tokyo. It feels the least like my image of Japan than any other location.

Takoyaki (fried octopus balls, careful they’re hot inside) and okonomiyaki (shredded cabbage pancake grilled on a hot plate at your table) are worth trying!

About a 40 min train ride from Kyoto, you could conceivably stay in one and daytrip to the other. Osaka will be more affordable, but I think there’s more to see in Kyoto.

I know even less about Osaka than I do about Kyoto. Hee…

 

Hotels

Mimaru Osaka Namba North

Recommended
Sure :)

Notes
Apartment-style rooms with a small kitchen. At least the Pokemon-themed room we stayed in had it. The Pokemon room was a bit pricey but worth it for my nephew. They give you a few small bags, there were 2 beds and a bunkbed, a table with booth type benches. 10 min walk to Dotonbori (southeast), Pokemon Center (northeast), and maybe 15 min cab ride to Itami airport. Kansai International airport is further. Would stay here again and try out a regular room. There’s another Mimaru Osaka so carefully note which one you book.

3-Star hotel that is super close to Dotonbori. Will be nosier because of its proximity, but I don’t remember noticing. More affordable than Mimaru (most likely) and prioritizes convenience. Not a bad hotel, though.

Sure :)

Coffee

Recommended
If time allows

Notes
This somehow got on my radar but I haven’t gone yet as it is pretty far northwest. Though I did go to the Cup O Noodles museum and it may be just as far from the heart of Osaka.

Haven’t been but found this somewhere and put it on my list. More helpful in that it’s closer to everything else.

If time allows

Restaurants

Pokémon Cafe

Name
Ippudo

Recommended
If time allows

Notes
Ramen; it’s a chain. Only go if you go to the Cup O Noodles museum, given its distance. Haven’t been as we opted to head to our hotel after the museum. There are locations in central Osaka, though!

Unagi (freshwater eel, if you’ve ever had the sushi… it’s typically grilled) restaurant right in Dotonbori. Haven’t been because I’ve ended up browsing and picking random places to eat.

If time allows

This is 1 of 2 Pokemon cafes in Japan, but I was able to actually get a reservation to this one. Had to book at 2 am PST a month in advance and book within minutes… but booking Tokyo was virtually impossible.

If time allows

Scenic

Umeda Sky Building

Recommended
If time allows

Notes
Must have gone here on my first trip to Osaka many moons ago. I don’t recall marking it in Google Maps, haha.

A nice view of the Osaka skyline. We went right before closing for night photos and lesser crowds.

If time allows

Shopping

Dotonbori

Recommended
Highly

Notes
Covered shopping street that goes for a while. Worth meandering through, if just to browse.

A lot of Pokemon merch, but maybe the smallest of the ones I’ve been to. Layout makes it feel crowded.

If time allows

Touristy

Glico sign

Name
Dotonbori

Recommended
Highly

Notes
If you don’t go here, people will wonder what you went to Osaka for. Lively strip with giant electronic billboards, restaurants, etc. The few times I’ve been to Osaka, I’ve eaten somewhere here while wandering.

Obligatory stop / photo!

Highly

An arcade a short walk southeast from Dotonbori.

If time allows

I saw BLACKPINK here! Unless it’s a concert or baseball game, etc… probably no reason to go here.

If time allows

Far northwest. About 40 min by train. You can build your own, draw on the cup and choose toppings… pretty fun experience. Good activity with kids. Also one in Yokohama, but haven’t been there myself.

If time allows

Haven’t been to an amusement park in years prior to this trip, but had a lot of fun at USJ. Will do a summary for now and maybe a blog post someday.

  • I forget if tickets go on sale 1 or 2 months in advance. Like DisneySea, best to avoid weekends and holidays.

  • USJ app is key for navigating and it makes Super Nintendo World more fun. You will want to buy the power bands at Super Nintendo World (~US$40?). I saw a couple places that sell it after you get in (timed entry).

  • More shade than Disney, haha. And more adult / faster rides as one would expect from Universal.

  • USJ’s website was so dang finicky, I gave up and booked via Klook. Much easier experience.

  • You’ll need a park entrance ticket and then if you want to go to any of the timed entry areas (Nintendo, Harry Potter), you’ll need to get a separate ticket for those.

  • I bought a package that gave me entry to both and one ride in each. We got into Super Nintendo World at 11:00 and had fun on the Mario Kart ride (I wanted to do Yoshi’s ride but saw it was for very small kids and my nephew wasn’t interested). We were a little rushed for time as we needed to get to the Harry Potter area by 13:00. While the Nintendo area wasn’t huge, it’s packed with stuff to do and could have easily spent another hour or more. The problem is the Harry Potter area is right next to it, but you have to go back around the park (halfway to the entrance) to get to it.

  • In the Harry Potter world, we did the Forbidden Journey ride and that was fun. Dark and you can’t have anything in your pockets (there are free lockers they’ll guide you to) or they may fall out. The frozen butter beer (no alcohol) was a lifesaver in the heat and so good I almost agreed to get another.

  • My Hero Academia 4-D was also included in the package and it was unsurprisingly in Japanese. Still fun to see and cool off, but my intermediate Japanese was insufficient to help me comprehend beyond what I could figure out from watching.

  • Hollywood the Ride was our favorite. We were happy we opted for this instead of Jaws, though Jaws may also be fun. This was a proper rollercoaster and so glad we didn’t have to wait in the super long line. There is a Backdrop version that goes backwards on the same ride and my nephew was terrified we were going to do that. Both lines queue up next to each other and they all use the same track, so the ones before us were backwards. I did check with someone before we went in but still was doubtful when I saw the backward ones arrive. Still, ours faced forward and it was a blast. He kept talking about how fun it was.

  • I wanted to do the Jurassic Park ride where you can see people flying around the park and screaming their heads off in terror, but we didn’t have a pass and it was likely too scary for him.

Highly