Hello everyone, I am now at Kyobashi Station in Osaka I just left Osaka Castle Park and am now taking the Keihan Electric Railway to Nakanoshima Let me briefly introduce to you what kind of place Nakanoshima is. Nakanoshima is located between two major business districts in Osaka: Umeda (North) and Namba (South) Nakanoshima is a narrow sandbank in the river from east to west, shaped like a tadpole. There are many Baroque buildings in Nakanoshima, and the street scene is retro and elegant. Arrive at Nambabashi Station As soon as I walked out of the station, I was greeted by the dreamlike riverside scenery. There are many buildings built before World War II on Nakanoshima and have been preserved to this day. Despite its rich heritage, the island is also dotted with tall, modern buildings. The bridge I am walking on is Naniwa Bridge The Naniwabashi Station is named after the bridge Naniwa Bridge was built in 1915 (Taisho 4th year) and has a retro style. The European-style building in front is the "Osaka City Central Public Hall" If you continue walking to the left, you will see the Fairy Tale Forest (こども本の Forest) The red brick exterior reminds me of Tokyo Station and the Taiwanese Presidential Palace (The surrounding roads are currently under construction, but there are still passages to enter) Let’s go in and find out~ This building was completed in 1918 (Taisho 7th year) and is an important cultural property of Japan. Because it was a normal day, there were almost no people inside. It also makes people feel relaxed and comfortable The most important facility in the Central Public Hall is the auditorium on the first floor. The auditorium is usually not open unless there is an event But you can enjoy the 360-degree reality map through the official website I will put the URL of the reality map in the information column There are also some smaller assembly halls upstairs, but they are probably not open either. Although I can’t visit the auditorium, it’s not bad to spend 5 to 10 minutes to come in and take a look. One of the designers of Osaka Central Public Hall was Tatsuno Kingo The world-famous Tokyo Station is also one of his works I later learned that there is an open exhibition room in the basement with free admission. Where we are on the map now It’s really comfortable to walk here (∗ ˊωˋ ∗) There is river scenery and a beautiful bridge on the left On the right are historic monuments and the Osaka City Hall. The number of tourists here is relatively small compared to other places (such as Dotonbori and Tennoji) But I really like the peaceful atmosphere of Nakanoshima Next we will go to Osaka Prefecture Nakanoshima Library Nakanoshima Library is located between the Central Public Hall and Osaka City Hall What's special is that the entrance to the library is not the central door. This entrance looks like some kind of secret passage Very mysterious The dome of the central hall is a major feature of this building Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library was completed in 1904 (Meiji 37) It was completed earlier than the Osaka City Central Public Hall. Unlike other libraries, Nakanoshima Library’s collection mainly contains Osaka’s historical documents. Left the library Across the street is the Osaka branch of the Bank of Japan. And this road is one of the busiest in Osaka: Midosuji In Osaka, the north-south road is called "suji" and the east-west road is "dori". We arrived near Osaka City Hall Tourists passing by can take photos with this "Osaka" This building was also designed by Tatsuno Kingo The current time is around 2:10 pm, and we will go shopping in Umeda. Since the hotel is located in Umeda, Osaka, I will go back to the hotel to take a rest after shopping. Nakanoshima and Umeda are not far apart, so I decided to walk to Umeda. It takes about 10 to 20 minutes to walk north along Midosuji. Switch to the underground street~ I just saw an automatic ticket vending machine, so I added value to my IC card (ICOCA). Japan's automatic ticket vending machines can put multiple banknotes at one time The machine will count how many pictures it has Passing by a chain bookstore located in an underground street Every time I come to Japan, I will definitely visit the local bookstore. You can learn about contemporary Japanese culture and life Before returning to the hotel, go shopping at the Hankyu Department Store near Osaka Station. The deli area on the ground floor is always eye-catching This is the 11th floor, I want to find a coffee shop So many kinds of crepes! I just finished lunch and was a bit full, so I just ordered a coffee latte. There is a sky garden on the 13th floor. I want to see it. Today there is a Hokkaido Specialty Exhibition on the 12th floor. I went shopping but didn’t take any photos. I originally wanted to go to the Sky Garden first, but I accidentally discovered a mysterious place The 15th floor is the lobby of the office building, with an observation deck, supermarket, and restaurant. This is connected to Hankyu Department Store (or rather, upstairs from Hankyu) This road is the familiar Midosuji There are several elevators going up on this floor, so ordinary people can't continue going up. Next is the sky garden we were originally going to. Some department stores in Japan have torii gates on their roofs. The sky garden on the 13th floor is a place where you can relax and have a rest The building next to it is so tall! We’re almost done shopping, let’s take the elevator down~ Osaka Station can be seen from the elevator As soon as you walk out from the second floor, you will see the unique big roof of Osaka Station. The second floor of Hankyu Department Store is connected to the pedestrian bridge (Shin-Umeda Promenade Bridge) The building in front (South Gate Building) is the hotel Hanshin Department Store, Daimaru Umeda Store, and Yodobashi are also nearby. You can watch the tram running from a very close distance on the overpass. The exterior of Hankyu Department Store Umeda Main Store I just entered from the underground, so I didn’t see it. Osaka Station is the busiest station in Western Japan, with an average of more than 2 million people using it every day. This area of Umeda is also one of the busiest areas in Osaka. Back to the hotel room This is the dessert I just bought at Hankyu Department Store Muscadine fruit tart Looking out the window from the room, you can see the Umeda Sky Building and the Yodogawa River Next, we need to go to the Osaka Pokémon Center on the 13th floor of Daimaru Department Store. It's in the same building as the Granvia Hotel, which is very convenient If you want to go directly from the hotel to Daimaru Department Store, you must go to the lobby level on the 19th floor to change the elevator. The 13th floor mainly sells toys. There are many well-known toy brands. This is the TOMICA series that I loved so much when I was a kid (mainly railway models) Many tourists visit Osaka Pokémon Center when they come to Osaka. There are two Pokémon Centers in Osaka, one in Umeda and the other in Shinsaibashi. There is also a Nintendo store here The Pokémon Center sells a variety of Pokémon merchandise. Kirby zzz...😴 Arrive at the first floor, which is the central passage of Osaka Station Current time is 4:55 pm Next I am going to go shopping in Nihonbashi, which is called "Akihabara of Osaka" The underground structure of Osaka Station is the most complex I have ever seen. Three subway lines and private railway lines all intersect here. Osaka Umeda Station of Hanshin Electric Railway is also underground. Now we need to take the subway to Nihonbashi and transfer once at Minami-morimachi. There are many animation-related stores near Nihonbashi, such as Animate and Gamers. The train I want to take is bound for "Tengachaya" Judging from the map, Nihonbashi Shopping Street is very close to Namba and Dotonbori. Therefore, the itinerary for these two attractions can be arranged together. Arrive at Nihonbashi Station at 5:23 pm Because I have other attractions to visit in the evening, I won’t stay here for too long. On the way, we passed Kuromon Market, which is also a popular attraction near Nihombashi Station. This retro building is the Takashimaya Historical Archives After walking for a short distance, you can already see some animation-related shops. This is a big store that sells dolls, but I didn’t go in. Finally I reached the store I wanted to visit: Animate, Lashinbang, Melonbooks These three stores are all in the same shopping mall, which is very convenient Since I am short on time this time, I will only visit here The third floor is Lashinbang (らしんばん) A variety of anime peripheral products are sold here, and some second-hand ones are cheaper. The fourth floor is Melonbooks, which mainly sells novels and comics, but also has some picture books. I’ve almost finished my shopping. I’m going to walk to Dotonbori now. This is already Namba, and together with Umeda, it is the busiest place in Osaka. There are many department stores in this area of Namba, including Takashimaya, Marui, and a movie theater. 18:44 Arrive at Dotonbori I’m so happy to finally see the Guliguo Runner with my own eyes! Gorgeous electronic signboards, boats and canals interweave into a lively and prosperous scene There are many rivers flowing through Osaka City, so it is also called the "City of Water" I'm a little hungry now I found a takoyaki restaurant with good Google Maps ratings Business is very good, you have to queue but you won’t have to wait long The signature of this shop is a large takoyaki Dotonbori is the most famous attraction in Osaka, where tourists from all over the world gather. More than half of the tourists here are foreigners While waiting in line, you can also watch the takoyaki making process. Four flavors, different quantities available Then you can choose to add mayonnaise or salt You can order from the machine next to you, so you don’t have to worry about the language barrier! From the time you start queuing to getting your meal, it takes about ten minutes The green onions and mayonnaise are generously added This is the signature flavor The characteristic of Japanese takoyaki is that the skin is soft and chewy. Such exaggerated and vivid signs may only be seen in Osaka The shop selling crabs is the famous Crab Doraku (かに道楽) There are so many people here that there is no end in sight The direction on the left is "Ebi Bridge" in the center of Dotonbori On the other side of the bridge is the Shinsaibashi-suji shopping street. Because there were too many people, I didn’t go there. Ebisuji Shopping Street is heading towards Namba Station Walking into the alleys, you can see many unique restaurants and izakayas Now we walked to the Buddhist temple near Dotonbori There happens to be a ceremony today Attracted many people to watch It's 6:40 pm now, we have to take the subway to Tsutenkaku Tower This eye-catching building is actually a hotel In addition to the subway, Namba Station also has private railways, including Kintetsu and Hanshin Electric Railway. The nearest subway stations to Tsutenkaku are "Dobutsuen-Mae" and "Ebisu" I took the bus to the "Dobutsuen-Mae" station You can see Tsutenkaku Tower just a few minutes after exiting the station! Found a 24-hour chain izakaya This "Yokozuna" is actually a chain. I just saw it in Dotonbori. The store decoration is very distinctive The shopping street around Tsutenkaku is called "New World" Like Dotonbori, it has an exaggerated sign, but it has a more nostalgic feel. Tsutenkaku Tower is very beautiful at night The Tsutenkaku Tower we see now was completed in 1965 (second generation), with a height of 100 meters. There is a painting right below Tsutenkaku, which is quite interesting. Shinsekai (literally New World) was a very prosperous business district in the early 20th century Although the business district has moved to other places, there are still many tourists visiting here Of course we can’t miss Okonomiyaki when visiting to Osaka~ I found this small restaurant near Shinsekai with good rating The clerk is very friendly and will help customers take photos The long-awaited Okonomiyaki (๑´ڡ`๑) Although it’s delicious, I ate too much mayonnaise today haha The main reason for coming to Tennoji this time is this Tallest building in Western Japan: Abeno Harukas Abeno Harukas is 300 meters tall and has been the tallest building in Japan for more than 10 years. It was only recently surpassed by Azabudai Hills (325 meters) in Tokyo. Tennoji Station has the highest number of passengers every day, second only to Umeda and Namba in Osaka. Trains departing from Tennoji and bound for Wakayama It’s almost 10pm now, and I’m getting ready to go back to the hotel at Osaka Station. Arrive at Osaka Station I have walked across the pedestrian bridge I saw outside the window many times. I will leave Osaka tomorrow and take a train to Kyoto. Since I am staying in Umeda, Osaka this time, I will use my last time to take a walk around the area. Show everyone the North Exit of Osaka Station (This section was shot after 11pm) There are also many department stores and restaurants near the North Exit of Osaka Station The plaza at the north exit of Osaka Station is a place where you can relax and have a rest. The building in front is the Umeda Sky Building There is a large construction site north of Osaka Station. This is Umeda's large-scale urban renewal site. Looking forward to the new look of Osaka Station in ten years This installation art is so healing It’s very relaxing to watch the night view here The last thing I want to do today is eat soba noodles This store is open until late, perfect for a midnight snack After entering the store, the clerk took us to our seats on the second floor. This restaurant has a lot of items! A lot of them look delicious! The meal I ordered has arrived, Ebiten Sheng Soba The menu says this is the most popular restaurant Ten cut buckwheat (raw buckwheat) When eating soba noodles, you usually taste the original flavor first. Then eat it with the sauce on the side This cup is buckwheat juice, which has a lighter taste. Very delicious soba noodles, I want to try other flavors in the future Walk back to the hotel (upstairs of Osaka Station) Today's journey is over It was quite a fulfilling day and we visited many well-known attractions in Osaka. I walked more than 36,000 steps today and my feet were already very sore by evening. But it’s well worth it. I’m very satisfied with this first trip to Osaka. The information bar contains a Google Map of the attractions or restaurants featured in the video. If you have any relevant questions, you are welcome to ask in the message area Thank you all for watching to the end, and I wish you all a Happy New Year!
