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

Hey guys and welcome back to Aileen'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 Aileen 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 Takaido 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 purchased 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. 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 location 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. Alright, back to the Shinkansen ride. The Shinkansen leaves from Tokyo Station, so make sure you grab yourself an Eki van 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 Shinkansen 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 ICOCA. 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 eSIM has been the most convenient option for me. If you have a phone that has eSIM 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 AirAllow, so if you want $3 off your first AirAllow purchase, you can use my code on the screen. We found an AirBnb near Kurama 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 Dotonbori and Shinsekai. We made it to our AirBnb in Osaka. We're on the second floor. This building actually has an elevator, which is really nice 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 it doesn't look like we have a room warmer. The toilet is just a standard toilet. Oh my god, we're so spoiled with the, you know, the seat warmer, the bidet 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 floor mat, 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 we were to have six people in here, it's gonna be so crowded. 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. Trains 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 this teeny tiny barbie size creamer, I think, a little spoon, and my toast. This is the salmon morning set. We got tofu, we have potato salad, some radishes, miso soup, rice. Seaweed and our salmon. 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 won 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 uji matcha frappe and the potato bacon pie. Very sweet. Let's open up the bacon potato pie. One hand. If you're looking for something more traditional, try kushikatsu, bite-sized deep-fried meat and veggie skewers made popular in the Shinsekai neighborhood. 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 a kisaten, which is an old-school Japanese coffee shop. Keep in mind, some kisatens do allow smoking, so if that bothers you, you can do what my dad did and just leave. Here we ordered some traditional kisaten sweets like melon cream soda, custard pudding, and shaved ice. If you're coming to Osaka with kids, then visit the Tennoji 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 beat the price of admission. There's even an egg for you to hang out in. All right, 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 Namba Yasaka Shrine, which has a giant lion head-shaped building. So for the low price of 300 yen, you can get one of these carps, these fishes, and they have like a love fortune in it. And the second is Shitennoji, which is Japan's oldest official temple. Are you in the zone? They're pretty cute. For 1,000 yen for the 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. It'll take you no more than like 5-10 minutes. We are taking a food break post-shrine. I do prefer the pancake over the taiyaki. This is very mushy. This is more firm. Yeah, we found this vending machine that's pretty well-priced. We got some 80 yen, 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. We're starting off day two with some fluffy Japanese souffle pancakes for breakfast at Cafe Anon. Just finished up our pancake souffle, souffle pancake breakfast, and I think that's something you should definitely try here in Japan. It's 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 Kurama Market. It's a popular street for fish, meat, produce, and street food. And not far off from Kurama Market is Senichimae Doguyasuji Street, which is lined with stores specializing in kitchenware and cooking items. 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 brands you can 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 foods, so yeah. I ordered the black soy sauce ramen. 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. Bibs are provided. Neapolitan? If you're looking for something more traditional to eat, you can also try Miyomato Munashi, which is just a short walk from Denden Town. They specialize in Japanese set meals at very reasonable prices. I ate here a couple times during my stay in Osaka and thoroughly enjoyed everything I ordered. We are now in Shinsebashi, which is I think one of the busiest, if not the busiest shopping street here in Osaka. Shopping, shopping, shopping, shopping. Shinsebashi street. We got some Doraemon choco and cookie. We have I Love Japan Hello Kitty Strawberry Choco Daifuku. And of course, no visit to Osaka is complete without visiting Dotonbori. There are plenty of food options in Dotonbori, 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 Dotonbori and has traditional dishes like sukiyaki and shabu-shabu. So you gotta get your key, put your shoes in the locker, go barefoot, change into slippers. Got our little rice in this contraption. Got my beef sukiyaki, my tempura, my miso soup, and a raw egg. Some pickles, beat the eggs, take a little bit of the meat, dip it in here. Yummy. Shabu-shabu 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. We are at the observation deck. So right next to the castle is this building called Muraiza 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 kyuubi doll, just like a, I don't know, samurai? He has a sword. After Osaka 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. 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. Mugiwara, 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. We're here in the Umeda links and they have a huge food court on the eighth floor. We're back at Palms which has only omelet 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, Kora 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. We've got to our table. Here is all the sushi that's passing by and under the table is where we have sauces and utensils. They even have matcha powder for you to make tea. My strawberry chuhai is here. I found this on the menu. It's a strawberry vinegar and milk drink. I was very curious. Let's try it. It's like strawberry yogurt. Udon is here. I guess this is how you open it. Oh, this is like a lock. My favorite. This here is a fried cheddar cheese tempura roll. Not bad. So for every five plates you return, you can actually play a game and on our second turn we won something. All right, you can open it. Oh, it's an eraser. Demon 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-checkout. I mean we needed someone to help us out of credit card issues but aside from that, you don't have 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 to 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 Todaiji Temple. I got one last cracker and someone knows to bow. Kawaii. 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 gozaimasu for watching and I'll see you guys in my next video.