This is my third blog post on our trip to Japan in February 2020. In the first post, Our Journey to Japan, I tried to give an overall view of our trip and short stopover in Seoul. In my second post, Our Journey to Sapporo and Otaru, I described in more detail our travel to the island of Hokkaido and the amazing time we had in and around Sapporo and Otaru.
In this post, I will go into more detail on our stay in Osaka. We chose Osaka as the second leg of our journey for a couple of reasons. First, Teresa had never been there. On our first time to Japan, while Teresa was attending her Ikebana course in Kyoto, I took a day trip to Osaka. Although only there for the day, it was an exciting and vibrant city and I definitely wanted to go back. Second, because of the amazing train services in Japan, we decided to use Osaka as a hub for day trips to Kobe and Hiroshima, two cities we wanted to visit. With Osaka set as the second destination of our trip, I began to plan for our time there. You will find our itinerary and activities below.
Information, websites, blogs - Again, I will include any specific websites that apply to activities from the itinerary in the body of the post for reference. At the end of the post, I will list the information I used for planning our stay in Osaka. You can use this as a guide after you read the post or just go to the end to read the information.
Accommodations - A note on this Airbnb. First, it was great. I had a more difficult time finding the neighbourhood we wanted to stay in as there was no specific spot we needed to be close to (unlike Sapporo and Kyoto). And of course, I was not familiar with the city. After a lot of searching around, I landed on this place that looked great and had very good reviews. The one thing I will say is this Airbnb is NOT in a tourist spot. It seemed to be in a "working class" (whatever that means) neighbourhood. There was a sketchy park a few blocks away that often seemed to have old, drunk Japanese men hanging around in the afternoon. We definitely felt like we were the only tourists in the neighbourhood. Having said all that, we always felt safe in Japan, including around this Airbnb. It was about a 25-minute walk to Dotonbori, the centre of Osaka. There were lots of great restaurants, a sento, an amazing grocery store where, in addition to stocking up on needed supplies, we got takeout several times. The area had character and we loved it. All I would say is, if you want to stay around major hotels and don't like walking down dark, narrow alleyways, this may not be the place for you.
Tuesday, February 11, 2020 - Travel day Otaru/Sapporo to Osaka
After an wonderful stay in Hokkaido, it was time for the next leg of our journey, a flight to Osaka. We figured out the trains to the Sapporo airport on Hyperdia and were all set. We enjoyed the ANA Lounge at Osaka airport before our flight (a nice bonus) and got to experience the awesome Sapporo beer dispensing machine. Eighteen seconds and it pours a perfect glass of Sapporo Classic draft beer (definitely need one of these for the cottage and at home).
I love these photos as they give you an idea of the amount of snow we had in Otaru and Sapporo. What fun (?) it was trudging to the train station with our roller bags.
We decided to book a shared limo service again, through Viator. The service was perfect. We had the limo all to ourselves and again, the driver made sure we were at the right place before he drove off.
Our Airbnb in Osaka was a great place to stay.
We went out in the afternoon to explore the neighbourhood. We found lots of interesting shops and an amazing grocery store to get supplies. They also had an incredible selection of sushi and premade food, which we enjoyed at our new home when we did not feel like eating out.
After a short walk, we had dinner at Yakumido. Yakumido is a (very) small place, 6 chairs at the counter. The chef/owner lived above the restaurant. He had left working at large companies to move back to his neighbourhood and start the restaurant. We were the only two people there. His English was excellent and so we learned lots about the neighbourhood, Osaka, and tips for our trips to Kobe and Hiroshima. He was terrific and the food was delicious. On the menu was a meat or vegetarian stew. We ordered both, divided on our plate by white Japanese rice. He had Kirkland IPA beer from Costco (kind of different) which was perfect. It was nice to have dinner in a neighbourhood spot with wonderful food and conversation.
Wednesday, February 12, 2020 - Osaka
This was our day to get settled and oriented to Osaka. We had stocked up on groceries at the local grocery store the day before, so after breakfast and coffee, we decided to walk to Dontonburi, which as mentioned, is in the centre of Osaka. It was about a 25-minute walk and was fascinating to look at all the shops and restaurants along the way. It was also cool to see how the city changed from the neighbourhood where we were located to Dontonburi, which is the hustling and bustling downtown. It was a great way to get a feel for Osaka.
We went to a great little Udon restaurant for lunch. You chose and paid for your lunch at a ticket machine (that took us a little while to figure out), then sat at the counter and handed the chef your ticket. For 500 yen, about $6 CDN and two minutes later you had a delicious steaming hot bowl of udon. Back out on the street, we shared a plate of takoyaki, Japenese octopus balls which you also chose and paid for from a ticket machine (by this time we were pros at it). A delicious snack.
The ticket machine for our Udon lunch, chef and udon and the Takoyaki snack ... mmm
Now we were ready for our walking tour of Osaka by Free Walking Tours - https://osakafreewalkingtour.com/. We had done these tours when we were in London and they were fun, so we thought we would try it here. First, it is important to understand these tours are not free. They don't charge a predetermined, advance amount for the tour, but the tour guides definitely are making at least a part of their living salary from guiding these tours. The guides are obviously very motivated to ensure you have a good experience so you will feel like paying (more) for the tour. You can Google to get recommendations on how much to tip if you are unsure. The tour was fantastic. We learned lots about Osaka and our guide, Masaaki, was knowledgeable and funny. Osaka is called the "kitchen of Japan" because of the variety of foods and restaurants. It is also the least uptight of any major Japanese city (especially compared to Tokyo and Kyoto). It is also known as the party city. Masaaki took great pride in telling us that Osaka does not see the need to be "spotless" the way Tokyo and Kyoto are, all part of their relaxed outlook. To be clear, Osaka was very clean and safe.
Photos along the way on our walking tour.
For dinner we went to Higekatsu, a local restaurant near our Airbnb. I think we were the only non-local/tourists. Most of the various foods available were served on skewers. You ordered a few at a time and the server (everyone sat at the counter) put chips into a cup in front of us. At the end of the evening, he counted the chips and that was our bill amount.
Teresa and I love eating in local restaurants and Higekatsu certainly met that criteria. The servers spoke very little English and many of the people in the restaurant knew each other. We managed with the small English menu and watched what other people ordered and asked for some of that too! Along with Japanese beer, we had an incredible meal.
Thursday, February 13, 2020 - Kobe
As I mentioned, we chose to stay in Osaka both to enjoy the city but also to use it as a hub for day trips to Kobe and Hiroshima. Today was our trip to Kobe. You basically take the subway/commuter trains to Kobe so it is not too complicated or expensive (Hiroshima is something different). Again, Google maps, transit mode was key here to find the train entrance, right train, confirm we were on the right train etc. Everything worked out great and we arrived in Kobe which was the warmest, sunniest day of our trip.
We decided that we would buy a pass for the hop on hop off bus in Kobe called City Loop - https://kobecityloop.jp/. Kobe is a reasonably small city and this was a great way to get around. Cheaper than regular public transit (in fact some residents use this bus versus public transit) it also stops at everything you will want to see in Kobe. The city is small enough and the stops close enough that you can get off, explore for a while, and then walk ahead to a bus stop. Like everything Japanese, it is clear when the buses arrive at each stop and they are usually on time. If you are going to Kobe for the day, I highly recommend this as a convenient way to see the city. Much better and more flexible than a guided bus tour.
So many beautiful sights in Kobe.
Kobe has one of only three major Chinatowns in Japan. The others are in Yokohama and Nagasaki, so it was definitely our destination for both sightseeing and lunch. We sampled a few different things. Peking duck in a wrap I think was my favourite.
We wandered around the port area in the afternoon. It was a gorgeous day and we finished up at a bar with a beer to relax after a great outing.
Friday, February 14, 2020 - Osaka
Valentine's Day in Japan! Up at 4:15 am (are we on vacation?) to take the 5:17 subway to our 6:20 am meditation class at Osaka Castle. What? This is an activity that I found on Airbnb experience and was the first time we used this function. I had been reading many books on meditation and Osaka Castle was on our list to visit. This seemed like the perfect activity to experience meditation, breakfast, and exploring Osaka Castle.
It was (very) dark when we woke up, had coffee and headed out to catch the subway to the castle. Walking from the subway to the castle was amazing. The streets were deserted (again we felt very safe) and as we came nearer to the castle it was stunning to see the structures, walls, and moat in the dark. Definitely a perspective you don't get when visiting during normal hours. We got to the meeting place early and there was already a large group of people following along with an instructor doing warm-up and stretching exercises. A pretty cool way to start your day - group warm-up in Osaka just outside an awesome historical site.
We met our instructor and the three other people joining our group. We started by joining the larger group for exercises, called Radio Taiso, and then moved to a more private area. Here we learned and experienced meditation. Although I have not followed through on practicing meditation, I think it is definitely something worth exploring. Teresa and I had planned on taking a community course on mindfulness and meditation when we returned home, but it was full. Now, of course, everything has been cancelled because of COVID-19. I don't know if meditating at home will match that beautiful morning in Osaka though.
Warm-up exercises in front of Osaka Castle (wow) and our meditation group
After the meditation, we joined our instructor and fellow meditators for a traditional Japanese breakfast (delicious).
Although it felt like it was the afternoon we had been up for so long (smile), Osaka Castle was just opening. We went back to the site to tour the grounds and the castle. There are eight floors of astonishing displays on the castle's history and incredible views from the rooftop. Definitely, a must-see when you are in Osaka - https://www.osakacastle.net/. It is one of those places where you are in awe of how the structure was constructed. It is made of huge pieces of stone and it is difficult to imagine how they built the castle without construction equipment.
Our visit to Osaka Castle also gave us our first opportunity to enjoy (enjoy is really an understatement) the beautiful plum blossoms (ume). Many of you have probably read about cherry blossoms (sakura) in Japan. People from all over the world schedule their vacation to Japan to experience the beauty and tranquillity of these spring flowers. You can spend hours on Google trying to figure out the right time and the best places to see the cherry blossoms. While I was researching our trip, it appeared that we would be too early for sakura season, but might get lucky and have the opportunity to see the plum blossoms, particularly in Kyoto. Obviously given Hokkaido was still covered with snow, the plum and cherry blossom season is much later. We certainly had not planned the dates around the plum blossom season, but this turned out to be one of the biggest bonuses of our trip. We saw large plum orchards with stunning displays of flowers in locations like Osaka Castle, as well as single, magnificent trees on our walks around the southern cities. I am sure people who have seen the cherry blossoms feel like they are the most beautiful and they are certainly the most popular, but to be honest, having seen so many of the wonderful plum blossoms, it is hard to imagine anything more spectacular (maybe on a future trip we will experience sakura season and get to compare!).
Just a few (of many) photos of the plum blossoms at Osaka Castle.
After an amazing experience at Osaka Castle, we headed back to our Airbnb to relax, have a beer and a nap.
It was Valentine's Day so we decided to try one of the most famous dishes in Osaka, okonomiyaki. Although I think of okonomiyaki as an egg dish, it is really more of a flour-based pancake, with a lot of egg. It is like a cross between a pancake and an omelette. It is a savoury dish where you choose additional ingredients beyond the base of egg, flour, cabbage, green onion, tempura flakes and spices. It is totally delicious. After a lot of research, I had decided that Ajinoya - http://www.namba-ajinoya.com/ was the place to go. It was in Dontonbori, so we had a nice 25-minute walk before dinner. When we arrived at Ajinoya there was a huge lineup, but I had been expecting that from everything I had read. We settled into the line, which moved fairly quickly. Menus were available as you moved up to the front, which only served to make us feel hungrier as we scanned the delicious choices. When we got to the front of the line, the hostess asked if we would like to sit at the counter. I personally love sitting at the counter, and for this type of restaurant, I think it is the best choice. In fact, I would suggest if you visit the restaurant, you ask to sit at the counter. You get to watch the chefs prepare your food as well as everyone elses. Because the okonomiyaki is so big, every table in the restaurant has a heated grill where the food is placed to keep hot. You serve yourself from this grill onto your plate. In our case, we used a corner of the main grill. We ended up with an excellent dinner and a show, watching all the food being prepared.
Valentine's dinner at Ajinoya.
We then wandered around Dontonbori - http://www.dotonbori.or.jp/en/ at night. The crowds, lights, energy was all very exciting. It is a must do activity while in Osaka.
Saturday, February 15, 2020 - Hiroshima
This was our day to travel to Hiroshima. On our first trip to Japan we visited Nagasaki, the second city where the US dropped a nuclear bomb. We have also been to Pearl Harbour on visits to Hawaii. These three places, Nagasaki, Hiroshima and Pearl Harbour, all have an intrinsic connection. I feel that the monuments and museums at all these locations do a great job of presenting the history, the horrors, and the events, without hatred or racism. Visiting the monuments and museums at Hiroshima, like Nagasaki and Pearl Harbour, was a sombre experience. I am not sure I can say I "enjoyed it" but we were certainly glad we went. There is lots of beauty to see when visiting Hiroshima.
We took the Shinkansen Train (bullet train) from Osaka to Hiroshima. The distance is about 350 km and the train ride takes an hour and twenty-five minutes (we need this between Montreal and Toronto!). The cost was about 10,000 yen one-way, approximately $125 CDN. Not cheap, but very efficient if you want to do a day trip. We had picked out our route on Hyperdia and made it to Hiroshima with no issues.
After our positive experience with the Loop Bus in Kobe, we opted for the same thing in Hiroshima. Again, very glad we did. Hiroshima is a bigger city so it was not really practical to walk to stops as we did in Kobe. The bus stopped everywhere we wanted to go and made it very easy to get around. - https://www.hiroshima-navi.or.jp/en/information/loopbus/
Our first stop was the Shukkei-en Gardens, a beautiful place that had small versions of some of the famous gardens in Japan. They had gorgeous plum blossoms and a small bamboo forest (we saw the huge version in Kyoto later in our trip). We visited Hiroshima castle, not as big a site as Osaka Castle but still impressive. Primarily made of wood versus stone, it is a striking building.
Shukkei-en Gardens
Hiroshima Castle
We then had lunch at Nagataya Okonomiyaki - http://nagataya-okonomi.com/en/. Hiroshima okonomiyaki is very different from Osaka okonomiyaki. Both are delicious but I think I like the Osaka one better.
Our next stop was the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. This is a huge area with several different monuments, sites and a museum. As I said, it is a sombre place, and some of the descriptions in the museum were horrific. Make sure you leave lots of time to explore the whole area. We had half a day and it was about the right amount of time to see everything, at a pace where we did not feel rushed.
We took the bullet train back to Osaka, relaxed and reflected on what an amazing day we had in Hiroshima.
A lot to see at the Peace Memorial site and museum in Hiroshima. Definitely a sombre and serious experience, but we would not have missed it.
Sunday, February 16, 2020 - travel day to Kyoto
Teresa's birthday! We took the train to Kyoto today for the third leg of our incredible journey. Again, the check-in time for our Airbnb was midafternoon so we had time for some relaxing before checking out. After extensive research on my part (smile), we decided to go to Micasadeco & Cafe - http://micasadecoandcafe.com/ in Osaka for brunch. OMG! We had the fluffy Japanese pancakes (part of the extensive research) and they were totally, totally, totally amazing. I know you are probably wondering what can be so great about pancakes. Look at these photos. If you end up in Osaka, you must go here and try them.
After brunch, we headed to the train station for our two subways, one train and a couple of walks to the Airbnb to Kyoto. More on Kyoto in the next post.
Travel apps and technology:
Hyperdia - https://www.hyperdia.com/. A must-have for train travel in Japan.
Google Maps - I know it is dull to mention this given how much everyone uses it but a must-have for walking and public transit in Japan.
TripAdvisor - Another common app but a great way to highlight and then find restaurants that you want to try.
Pocket wifi - A must-have for travel in Japan. An affordable way to stay connected.
Phone plan - In addition to the pocket wifi, I got a minimal voice, text and data plan from our cell phone provider. Although you can do most of what you need on the pocket wifi connection, you will want to be able to text (in case you are separated from your travel partner(s), call for information, reservations etc. If you get the minimum plan it will provide more than enough usage along with the pocket wifi, which is not very expensive, but can really help out for your travel.
Travel Tips
You will always want to plan out your train travel in advance on Hyperdia. Although you cannot buy your tickets on the app, it gives you the route you need, which you can then show to the ticket agent. Much easier than trying to explain in English to someone not speaking English. It is also worth considering buying your ticket in advance. Ticket kiosks can be busy and you don't want to get stuck in a long line and then end up missing the train you want. All long train rides in Japan require, in addition to the basic fare, a reserved seat fare, again something that is worth doing in advance
Once you have your train ticket, don't leave it to the last moment to get to your train's platform. Major city train stations are huge in Japan and you don't want or need the stress of rushing at the last moment and potentially missing your train,
Talk to people! It is the best way to learn about the area you are in, find out about things to do in the area, find great restaurants etc. Japanese people are incredibly friendly and helpful, so don't be shy to ask!
Save the favourite restaurants and tourist sites you have found on TripAdvisor. Then when you pick "near me", TripAdvisor will bring up your favourites first so you can see what is close by.
Websites I used for our travel to Osaka, Kobe and Hiroshima
Will Fly for Food - https://www.willflyforfood.net/
Inside Osaka - https://insideosaka.com/ - I actually used the Kyoto version of this site extensively for planning our Kyoto trip. I did not find this one until late but it looks great
Free Walking Tour Osaka - https://osakafreewalkingtour.com/ - A great way to get oriented to the city. Remember it is NOT free!
Viator - viator.com - A broker of many travel services. It has some interesting stuff even if you just use it for ideas.
Just One Cookbook - https://www.justonecookbook.com/visiting-kobe-japan/
Japan-guide.com - https://www.justonecookbook.com/visiting-kobe-japan/ - You can find information on all of Japan on this site
The Crazy Tourist - https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-things-to-do-in-kobe-japan/
Nomadasaurus - https://www.nomadasaurus.com/?s=kobe
Restaurants we loved
Yakumido - https://yakumido.com/
Higekatsu - https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g298566-d7441195-Reviews-Higekatsu-Osaka_Osaka_Prefecture_Kinki.html - Looks like they don't have their own website but here is the listing on TripAdvisor.
Ajinoya - http://www.namba-ajinoya.com/ - Absolutely have to go here while in Osaka. Ask to sit at the counter.
Nagata-ya Okonomiyaki - http://nagataya-okonomi.com/en/ - Hiroshima okonomiyaki, great lunch spot if you are visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial site.
Micasadeco & Cafe - http://micasadecoandcafe.com/ - Brunch is really not a big thing in Japan, but this place is worth visiting. You must have the fluffy Japanese pancakes (to die for!). They have locations in Osaka (where we went), Kyoto and Tokyo so you have choices,
Fun Stuff to do
Dontonbori - https://osaka-info.jp/en/page/dotonbori - The bustling centre of the city, so a must-see. Ensure you leave lots of time to wander around both day and night, (the lights at night are amazing!)
Osaka by Free Walking Tours - https://osakafreewalkingtour.com/ - A great way to learn and get oriented to the city. Remember it is not free! Make sure you pay the guide.
Osaka Castle - https://www.osakacastle.net/
Morning Meditation Osaka with Buddhist Monk - I could not find this on Airbnb (it was an Airbnb experience). COVID-19 may have interrupted the experience. I would suggest you search when you are planning your trip and hopefully you can find it.
Kobe - a great day trip
Hiroshima - Definitely a great day trip.
Hiroshima Loop Bus - https://www.hiroshima-navi.or.jp/en/information/loopbus/ - A great way to get around Hiroshima.
Other Stuff - Packing for this trip was tricky as we were going to experience a wide variety of weather. We decided we would only have one roller bag each (mine was bigger than Teresa's!). We weren't going anywhere fancy so that cut out some clothes to bring. Here were a few keys.
Ski Jacket - This was the warmest coat we brought, we wore it on the plane to and from Japan so we did not have to pack it. We also brought toques, gloves, scarves primarily for Hokkaido. We didn't need to wear this in Osaka, Hiroshima or Kobe but it was a definite must in Hokkaido in February!
Bubble Coat - I resisted buying this coat but eventually got it for our Alaskan cruise. Lighter (and less warm) than our ski jacket, it packs into a small bag, is easy to pack and doesn't take up much space. We got ours at Costco and it was a bargain
Rain Jacket - Teresa and I have his and hers (smile) Outdoor Research rain jackets (different colours!). These jackets are totally waterproof (apparently you can stand under a waterfall and not get wet!). We bought them originally for our trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand but have worn them hiking everywhere. With rainpants, they are great for rainy weather and also serve as a light jacket for warmer weather. We wore the rainpants over long underwear and other layers for cold weather (we wore this snowshoeing). Very versatile and again, pack up into a very small space.
Boots and shoes - Teresa and I have the same Salomon hiking shoes which we got originally for our trip to China. I searched the Salomon website but it looks like they don't sell the exact model anymore. They were TechLite and were great hiking shoes. Light, comfortable and waterproof, I would definitely get this brand again. I bought a pair of Salomon winter hiking boots for this trip. I had never had anything like this before and they were excellent. Warm (to - 30 degrees I think) and comfortable. Teresa and I wore our winter boots on the plane, again to save packing space.
French Press coffee thermos - As I mentioned in my original post, Airbnbs in Japan do not have coffee makers so this was a must-have. It is about 2.5 cups of coffee, perfect for starting the day. We bought ours on Amazon - https://www.amazon.ca/Bodum-Insulated-Stainless-Steel-0-45-Liter-15-Ounce/dp/B008TYX1DW/ref=sr_1_5?crid=27EQTVKQZNBWB&dchild=1&keywords=french+press+thermos&qid=1603052727&sprefix=french+press+ther%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-5
Airbnb
Osaka - https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/38704260?source_impression_id=p3_1603655847_Uci63qtMnqT29DXe - Great place, just remember NOT in a tourist area.
A few bonus photos of the beautiful port area in Kobe. Also, Kobe is the home of Yu Darvish.
In Dontonbori they had cafes where you could go pet a Shiba Inu. It seemed like a strange concept (and I am not sure if it is nice for the dogs). Anyway, since Patrick and Monica have Kai, we have easy access to a Shiba Inu to play with.
