An edgier city full of delicious food
We budgeted a day in Osaka, but if I were to go back again, I'd definitely give it more time. What a cool spot! There are lots more places to eat, and tons of parks that we didn't get a chance to visit. High up on the list for the next visit.
Where to go
Things to do
- Osaka Castle 大阪城 - quite large and filled with a lot of historical knowledge on how Osaka came to be the towering castle that it is. Very cool stop, definitely big enough to warrant its status as the capital many years ago.
- Nakanoshima Rose Garden 中之島バラ園 - we timed this pretty well, and ended up seeing some spectacular roses in the garden. But this is also a lovely little park in the middle of the Aji river.
- Horie Park 堀江公園 - the center of a very cool neighborhood, with some nice shops to visit like The ONOE FURNITURE
- Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan 海遊館 - a great aquarium with whale sharks and huge rays! I'm always a fan of aquariums and zoos, but this visit was a nice way to have fun and relax on our last full day in Japan.
Places to eat and drink
- Takoyaki Dotonbori Kukuru Dotonbori Minami たこ家道頓堀くくる道頓堀ミナミ店 for the cult-like takoyaki spot, which honestly had quite great takoyaki and is deserving of its lines!
- お好み鉄板焼 KONOMU for the best okonomiyaki ever. I still think about this okonomiyaki, and I can't wait to go back again to try it again!
- Starvending machines, these great yellow hipster vending machines, which had some very, very cool drinks like creamy banana and a great yuzu lemon drink.
