🇯🇵 OSAKA TRAVEL GUIDE 2023 | 3 days in osaka | eating, playing, exploring osaka + day trip options!

hey guys and welcome back to Eileen's world and the next stop on my world tour Osaka Japan if you're planning a trip to Osaka and wonder what it's like to visit here's my guide on navigating the city what to do eat and how to make the most of your trip and if you're new here I'm Eileen and I'm temporarily retired to travel the world for one year with the goal of seeing and visiting as many places on my bucket list Osaka was the second stop during my two-month trip around Japan so if you want information and useful tips on arriving into the country then check out my Tokyo travel guide we are leaving Tokyo today we're going to Osaka we are taking the takaro Sanyo shinkansen number 18. it took two and a half hours on the shinkansen to get from Tokyo to Osaka you can purchase tickets online or at the station I purchase my tickets and reserved my seat from the station ahead of time if you have larger luggage make sure to reserve a seat with the large luggage option that way you'll be seated in the back of the train where you can store your luggage behind you otherwise you can still place your luggage in front of you if it doesn't fit on the top shelf one through three if you don't want to take your luggage with you another option is to use a shipping company to ship your luggage to your next destination we used Yamato Transport to ship our large luggage from Tokyo to Osaka for 17 if you're staying in a hotel the front desk can organize the pickup and drop off if you're staying in an Airbnb like we did we just dropped off and picked up our luggage at the Yamato locations closest to us it can take two days for your luggage to get to the Final Destination so make sure you have what you need to get by until your luggage arrives all right back to the shinkansen ride the shinkansen leaves from Tokyo Station so make sure you grab yourself an equiben for the ride unlike trains and buses you can actually eat on the shinkansen and you can also purchase coffee on board as well riding the shin content is so convenient and comfortable I actually wish the trip was a little bit longer if possible sit on the right side of the train and if the skies are clear you can see Mount Fuji and if you're flying into one of Osaka's two airports a convenient way to get into the city center is taking the Osaka airport limousine bus it has different drop-off locations it's comfortable convenient and inexpensive tickets can be purchased at the machine or you can use your IC card when you get on board just like in Tokyo the best way to get around Osaka is by foot or by Subway and train using Google Maps works really well whether you're looking for walking directions or figuring out which train to take it will even tell you the total cost of the ride so you can decide which route you want to take the Osaka version of the IC card is the ikoka if you have a Passmore suica card those will also work as well electronic payments is still pretty new in Japan so cash is still vital the best exchange rates can be found at money exchange shops in busy areas ATMs are widely available as well if you want to withdraw money during the last nine months of my traveling using an e-sim has been the most convenient option for me if you have a phone that has esm capabilities you won't need to buy a SIM card upon arrival and there's no physical card to switch out if I run out of data I can easily top up on my phone I look at different esim providers to see which one offers the best package and price for my destination and length of stay for Japan I used air aloe so if you want three dollars off your first air allo purchase you can use my code on the screen an Airbnb near curama market and a short walk from Namba station and I was really happy staying in this part of Osaka we were walking distance to so many points of interest like Don tambori and shinsekai we made it to our Airbnb in Osaka we're on the second floor this building actually has an elephant and ice and I'm going to give you guys a tour right now it has a lot more space than our spot in Tokyo because we do have my mother-in-law staying with us so we had to get something a little bit bigger as per usual no shoes well the shower is a pretty similar setup to what we had except it's just not as new so we don't it doesn't look like we have a like room warmer the toilet is just a standard toilet oh my God we're so spoiled with the you know the seat warmer the day that we had here is the kitchen area which is nice because we actually have like a full table that we can work on I mean those are the chairs but it'll do we have a stove we have a big fridge microwave Kettle and let's take a look at the rooms let's get into the first room this has a tatami format super traditional has a mattress on the floor let's go into the second room this one has oh amazing lighting and this one has two actually no it has like one twin bed and a double-ish bed here and another very nicely sized closet tons of space for the three of us but they do list it as up to six people which is like if you were to have six people in here it's gonna be good morning from Osaka we are here at a little breakfast diner Cafe spot we're gonna get some breakfast before we head out for our first day in Osaka and it's from 7 to 11 you can get a western set with toast an egg and coffee or you can get more of a Japanese style that has salmon and or mackerel mackerel my set is here I have a black coffee I have an egg and tiny Barbie size uh creamer I think a little spoon and my toast this is the salmon morning set we got tofu we have potato salad some radishes some miso soup rice seaweed and our salmon foreign years ago when I was here there used to be a giant Blowfish Lantern I could have sworn it's here but it's gone now you just get these ones here but you don't get the one that's hanging over here what the heck we found a shooting game here that my brother's gonna play She's showing us how to load it up baby as you can tell we've never shot a gun before all right well Dad thinks he knows better so he's going to try to win the family something come on Father do it for the fam you gotta Feed Us father wants something not a Monchichi with the takoyaki head if you need a food break after all the shopping and shooting here are some options in the area McDonald's Japan always has fun seasonal items on their menu to check out saw this poster outside McDonald's which is a bacon potato pie and I'm like yep we gotta go in we gotta try this got a Uchi matcha frappe and the potato bacon pie very sweet let's open up the bacon potato pie one hand [Music] if you're looking for something more traditional try kushikatsu bite-sized deep fried meat and veggie skewers made popular in the shinsekai neighborhood [Music] damn I missed it I missed the arrival wow mom's obsessed this is the shinsaibashi set which has 15 skewers in it I got a chuhai banana sochu and sparkling water we've got a cheese one and if you need something sweet after your meal or even just a light meal visit akisaten which is an old school Japanese coffee shop keep in mind some kisitans do allow smoking so if that bothers you you can do what my dad did and just leave here we ordered some traditional kisatan sweets like melon cream soda custard pudding and shaved ice if you're coming to Osaka with kids then visit the tanoji zoo which is just a short walk from shinsekai the zoo itself is over 100 years old and can definitely use some upgrade but you can't breed the price of admission there's even an egg for you to hang out in all right let's get out of here got enough too small for me I am born [Music] come on so here we have a statue of Rita and Lloyd and Rita was a chimpanzee that came to the zoo in 1932 and she was very intelligent she would walk on stilts ride on bicycles and she would even eat with a fork and a knife just like a human during my visit they just opened a new penguin and sea lion exhibit which was really fun the Highlight for me though was seeing the red pandas in person there's also a kid-friendly Cafe and several food carts if you want to grab some lunch there after spending the first half of your day around shinsekai there is a temple and a shrine nearby that is worth a visit the first one is not by yasaka Shrine which has a giant lion head shape building so for the low price of 300 Yen you can get one of these carbs these fishes and they have like a love fortune in it and the second is chitinoji which is Japan's oldest official Temple are you in the zone they're pretty cute for 1 000 Yen for the set I got so distracted by the flea market I almost forgot that we came here to take a look at the temple if you want you can walk up the Pagoda as well it's a little bit narrow and steep but definitely doable I'll take you no more than like 5-10 minutes we are taking a food break post shrine itadakimasu I do prefer the pancake over the turkey this is very mushy this is more firm yeah we found this vending machine that's pretty uh well priced we've got some 80 and 60 Yen and we found butter and milk tastes like a candy and my brother said it tasted like the rabbit candy the White Rabbit candy [Music] we're starting off day two with some fluffy Japanese souffle pancakes for breakfast at Cafe Anon [Music] just finished up our pancake souffle pancake breakfast and I think that's something you should definitely try if you're in Japan is what they're known for it's fluffy it's soft it's eggy and if you're still hungry or looking for some street food to snack on head over to kuramar Market it's a popular Street for fish meat produce and Street Food [Music] and not far off from current market is senichi mai Dogo yasuji Street which is lined with stores specializing in kitchenware and cooking items [Music] if you're a fan of Japanese department stores then you should definitely visit takashimaya archives to learn about the history of this department store in Japan it's located in the department store's historical East Building and not too far from the store's current location by Namba station admission is free and the space is well organized and you can see how the department store has evolved over time I personally love seeing the old advertisements the packaging designs the dolls wearing western style clothing and of course the collection of their precious mascot Rose Chan and in case you haven't stepped inside a Japanese department store let me fill you in visiting a Japanese department store in Japan is experience in itself each floor is dedicated to different departments you can find all the luxury bands you could think of a floor with restaurants and cafes and my favorite part the food Hall which has hot foods sweets and yes your normal groceries like 100 melons and connected to the same building is the Osaka Community Food Hall I think that's what it's called and it's just basically it's like a food court and I just ordered some Ramen from this spot lots of seating you can kind of order whatever you want there's lots of different types of food so yeah I ordered the black soy sauce ramen [Music] If Video Games anime and electronics are more of your Vibe then walk over to explore denden town the Osaka equivalent to Akihabara in Tokyo if you're on the search for just really random figurines here you go this has to be one of my favorite stores because you can find so many things of whatever anime that you like and it's pretty cheap too this is what we're having they call it Japanese soul food and we just found this spot just walking past by and tempted by the you know the fake food they have in the front it was like all sorts of spaghetti spaghetti with cheese on top there's like a carbonara looking one [Music] oh foreign if you're looking for something more traditional to eat you can also try Mio motto munashi which is just a short walk from Denton town they specialize in Japanese set meals at very reasonable prices [Music] good I ate here a couple times during my stay in Osaka and thoroughly enjoyed everything I ordered we are now in sinsabashi which is I think one of the busiest if not the busiest shopping street here in Osaka shopping shopping shopping shopping sunshabashi street we got some dormant choco and cookie we have I love Japan Hello Kitty strawberry choco daifuku and of course no visit to Osaka is complete without visiting downtown bori foreign [Music] there are plenty of food options in downtown body but for me it's a little too hectic so if you're looking for a restaurant to have a more peaceful and relaxing dining experience then visit kagonoya it's about a 20 minute walk from downtown body and has traditional dishes like Sukiyaki and shabu-shabu so you gotta get your key put it your shoes in the locker go barefoot change in the slippers got our little rice in this contraption got my beef Sukiyaki my tempura buy miso soup and a raw egg some pickles beat the eggs take a little bit of the meat dip it in here yummy strawberry Amazon for dessert isn't this so cute only 400 Yen 440 yen we are in line to get tickets and look they accept credit cards and also pasmo and etc etc foreign deck so right next to the castle is this building called mariza and it has shops and restaurants so you must be thinking what I'm thinking which is this building looks so different from the Osaka castle and that's because it was built in 1931 and it was the headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army's fourth division I found some spy family merch towels that I have not seen anywhere else not the cupid doll just like a I don't know Samurai here's a sword after a soccer Castle you can take a short train ride to umeda the main transport Hub of Osaka it reminds me of Shinjuku in Tokyo since it's modern full of lights shopping and dining options foreign so if you are a Nintendo freak we found the perfect spot for you this is Nintendo Osaka you can find anything Super Mario related super cute merchandise that we actually haven't seen anywhere else yet it's like pretty much Japan is like all anime and you'll see some Mario things here and there but this spot is like the spot we got some goodies and take a look at this bag that it comes with how freaking cute is this good quality too good quality bag this floor also has a bunch of other anime mugirara I'm not familiar with this but I do see it a lot there's this entire Doraemon section which is like so stinking cute I can't handle it I just can't handle this there's also a Pokemon Center here which looks just as fun area we're in humeda links and they have like a huge food court on the eighth floor we're back at Palms which has only omelette rice and one of the best parts about dining in Japan is that a lot of restaurants have like an iPad where you just order it direct you can close out your bill and but you have to pay up front or at the front where the register is at but it's nice because you don't need to call anybody over to order anything you literally just order decide you want something else you just order again this is the hamburger with Hayashi sauce and I picked the ketchup rice on the inside if you want to try some conveyor belt Sushi while you're in Japan Cora is a great budget-friendly option there are many branches around Japan and one in the umeda area depending on the location you visit and the time of day it can get really busy but they have a very well organized system where you can take a number and it'll give you the estimated wait time thank you we've got to our table here is all the sushi that's passing by and under the tables where we have sauces and utensils they even have matcha powder for you to make tea my strawberry too high is here I found this on the menu it's a strawberry vinegar and milk drink I was very curious thank you foreign like strawberry yogurt udon is here I guess this is how you open it oh this is like a lock favorite this here is a fried cheddar cheese tempura roll not bad so for every every five plates you return you can actually play a game and on our second turn we want something all right you can open it oh it's an eraser Slayer so we just finished up with lunch at Kura Sushi and aside from being good cheap lots of variety one of the best parts is that you literally don't have to speak to a human being everything is self-service you can self-check out I mean we had we needed someone to help us out of credit card issues but aside from that you don't have to talk to a single soul which is so nice and if you have an extra day to spare in Osaka here are my three day trip options number one Nara Nara is less than an hour by train from Osaka and is a great day Escape From the City Life of course it's known for the deers that roam around Nara Park but it's also home to one of Japan's biggest bronze Buddha statues inside of todaji Temple [Music] I got one last cracker and someone knows to bow ie and aside from deers and temples you can also stroll through the streets of old Nara visit a traditional home shop for souvenirs and see these cloth monkeys hanging on almost every door number two Kyoto Kyoto is about an hour by train from Osaka and if you take an Express train it's even quicker while I prefer to explore Kyoto over a couple of days I have been to Kyoto before on a day trip on my very first visit actually and was able to see most of the city's highlights and if you start early you'll be able to do the same and if you haven't done so already Kyoto is a great place to rent a kimono keep in mind most attractions like arashiyama bamboo Grove kinkakuji and Fushimi Inari Shrine are far apart so you'll most likely be using the train or bus to get around if you really want to get from place to place quicker or short on time you can consider using the taxi as well number three Universal Studios Japan if you're a fan of theme parks or traveling with kids Universal Studios Japan cannot be missed I've been to most Universal Studio parks in the world and this was the most impressive especially with the new Super Nintendo World we came on a rainy day and still had a blast and unlike visiting Disneyland Tokyo Universal Studios Japan is a lot closer to the city center and requires less travel time which is always nice and that wraps up my Osaka travel guide leave your questions comments and feedback down below I have more Japan travel guides coming up so make sure you're subscribed and don't forget to follow me on Instagram for real-time updates on where I am in the world Arigato gozaimas for watching and I'll see you guys in my next video foreign [Music]

Channel: eileen's world

Views: 254,488

Keywords: Osaka, Osaka Travel, Osaka Food, Universal Studios Japan

Id: 2-aqLS-_hhY

Length: 25min 6sec (1506 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 02 2023