There’s a reason why the Asian island nation of Japan is such a popular tourist destination. It’s incredible in every sense of the word. The country is safe, clean, organized, and efficient despite its massive population. The food is out of this world and the culture is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. And depending on where you go, you can find yourself surrounded by hyper-futuristic technology and neon lights, traditional temples and thousand-year-old buildings, pristine natural environments, and just about everything in-between. Come along with me as I experience it all for the very first time!
After spending two amazing days in Kyoto, it was already time for me to leave. And while I wish I’d had more time to explore more of this beautiful and traditional city, there was a lot more to come on my trip through Japan, so I was also excited to arrive in my next city. Come along with me as I show you the cheapest way to travel from Kyoto to Osaka by train!
Kyoto and Osaka are very close to each other, and I was able to get a train ticket to Osaka for only 560 Yen, or $5.03 U.S. After buying it, I had to get to track 60 at Kyoto Station and make my way through the crowd to get onboard. Once onboard my train, I had to stay very quiet; in Japanese etiquette, it’s considered rude to talk loudly on public transportation. Always learn the etiquette and culture before traveling to a new country. No one wants to be that one rude, uninformed tourist!
After a smooth, 40-minute ride, I arrived in Osaka! My next order of business was finding out how to get to Dotonbori, the most popular area of the city and the place where I’d be staying. As I attempted to find my way to my next train, I made my way through huge crowds and passed lots of shops and restaurants. The walk to my platform was long, but I was able to save money by taking a train (230 Yen/$2.07 U.S.) instead of a taxi to my Airbnb; a taxi would have cost more than ten times that!
Four stops and six minutes later, I was where I needed to be. I passed by more restaurants and shops on my way out. These big, Japanese train stations are like cities in and of themselves! They’re so busy and there are so many things to see and do there. After exiting the station, I asked for directions to my Airbnb—never be afraid to ask for directions if you don’t know where to go—and set off to the place I’d call home for the next couple of days.
It took me a while to figure out how to get the key, used it to get to the elevator, and took it up to my unit, 1304. From my balcony, I had some incredible views of Osaka!
What a fun but intense journey! As you can see, traveling from Kyoto to Osaka is very easy and can be extremely inexpensive if you make the right choices. I hope this helps you out if you’re traveling through Japan on a budget! Speaking of travel experiences, I wasn’t content to stay in my Airbnb for the rest of the night. Instead, I headed out to explore the amazing world of Dotonbori street food…but that’s for another video!
I hope you enjoyed following my journey from Kyoto to Osaka! If you did, please give the video a thumbs up and leave me a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already and I will see you in the next travel food adventure!
About Me: My name is David Hoffmann and for the last decade I have been traveling around the world in search of unique culture, food and history! Since starting Davidsbeenhere in 2008, I have traveled to 71 countries and over 1,000 destinations, which I welcome you to check out on my YouTube Channel, blog and social medias.
I focus a great deal on food and historic sites, as you probably have seen! I love to experience the different flavors that each destination has to offer, whether it’s casual Street food or gourmet restaurant dining. I’m also passionate about learning the local history and culture.
Okay, so I ran into a security guard and I asked her,
hey, where's Dotonbori, which train should I go down?
So, I guess I'm going to the subway line now.
What is this?
My God, there's so many people here in Osaka,
this is insane.
What's up guys, David Hoffman here from David's Bin
here in Kyoto, Japan.
Today we're gonna do something a little different.
I'm taking you from Kyoto over to Osaka.
Osaka is a big city, it's really close from here.
I think it's a 30 minute train ride.
It costs like 560 yen, so like $5.60 to get there.
And if you guys didn't know,
this is part of the Kansai area,
which is Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe.
Kobe's famous for Kobe beef.
And unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to go there.
I have like four days.
So, I took the bullet train from Tokyo
all the way over here to Kyoto Station.
It was like $180, but it's the fastest way to get here.
Very convenient.
And then from here, I walked over,
five minute walk to my Airbnb.
I gotta thank my boy, Tal, the Traveling Clap,
for connecting me with the owner.
It was an amazing place, perfectly situated
for everything I had to do here in this city.
I visited so many temples and shrines,
I ate so much food, and if you didn't know,
this city was the capital of Japan for over 1,000 years.
There's so many temples, I think there's like 2,000 temples,
and the food is ridiculous.
Now what we're gonna do, we're gonna go into the station,
I'm gonna buy my train ticket,
and then we're gonna go to Osaka.
Let's go.
So, I'm taking the fast train, it was $5.60.
I have to go to track number five.
Let's see, how do we get there?
The only problem about traveling with the trains
and this huge luggage, is the goddamn huge luggage.
It's too big.
This is not a good spot to be.
Everybody's just running into me.
Dude, this spot sucks.
Okay, I'm gonna have to fly through here some way.
Come on, everybody.
I need a seat.
Something I need to mention,
is that when you get on trains, or metro,
or anything here in Japan,
you can only talk on trains.
Best thing to do is put earphones on,
and just hear music, or basically entertainment,
but don't talk.
After a pretty quick, smooth,
it was more like a 40 minute ride,
we arrived here in Osaka,
and now what I have to do,
is I have to try to see which train to get
to go to Dotonbori, and that's where I'm staying.
I'm staying in basically the most popular area.
I'm staying in an Airbnb there.
I don't even know where to go right now.
Okay, so I ran into a security guard,
and I asked her, hey, where's Dotonbori?
Which train should I go down?
So, I guess I'm going to the subway line now.
What is this?
My God, there's so many people here in Osaka.
This is insane, this is a huge city.
I don't know, there's like a million people here, for real.
Oh man, this has been pretty intense.
So many people, and it's just a mission
to get to the subway.
I'm literally walking like a mile,
and there's so many little restaurants, cafes.
Yeah, you have to go far, far, far.
I think it would have been a better idea
to get a taxi and go straight to my place,
but the taxi would have been like 30 bucks,
so I wanted to save a little bit,
but damn, what an experience, huh?
Insane.
All right, so we're going to platform one.
It cost me 230 yen for the ticket,
and it's Namba station, station Namba,
and thank God there's somebody there helping me,
because it's a little different here.
You put the money in first, and then you choose your fare.
So it's 230 yen, so $2.30, platform one,
and it's Midosiju line.
There was no escalator,
so I literally had to carry all this stuff by myself.
My hand just broke.
My God, and we're here,
and this is the Umeda station,
and we're going to Namba, four stops, four stops.
That was so quick.
That was six minutes to do four stations fast.
So I just stopped some random guy,
and I asked him, you know, where is this?
And then he found out it was gate 32 or exit 32,
and right now we're at exit nine,
so I have to walk straight down this long corridor
that is just never-ending shops of food.
Man, they love food here.
They really do.
I mean, this is like a snack place.
Wow, chocolate.
They're also selling a bunch of clothing here, purses,
and it's like a city.
Each station, each like major station is a city.
Tokyo station, Kyoto station, Osaka station.
They're really, really, really, really intense,
but yeah, 32, let's go to 32.
Okay, guys, so fine, 32 exit,
but the guy told me, he's like,
sorry, but there's no lift, so there's no elevator,
no escalator, just break your back.
Oh my God, how are we going to do this?
I have to put you guys down for a second.
Oh my God, we did it, we did it.
We're here in Dondobori, right?
Now I just gotta look on the Google Maps.
When in doubt, ask for directions.
So I asked, they told me which street it was.
Going down this street, I have to pass the street,
make a left, make the next left,
pass the street, make a right, and we get there.
So now you know, if you're coming to this apartment
where I'm staying, when you get to Namba Station in Osaka,
you go to 32, you come all the way over here,
cross this street, wow, nice, and it's freezing right now.
It's like colder than Kyoto, my God, my ears are frozen.
My hands are broken.
I gotta say, I mean, what an adventure.
The way it works here in Japan when you rent an Airbnb
is usually you get there, and there's no one
there greeting you, obviously.
You'll find the key, now the key's always in a lockbox,
it's somewhere, this one is by a bicycle,
so it's on the bicycle, so number, okay,
and then it's in here, there we go, lock's right here.
Now I can't tell you the pin, obviously.
We did it, I got the key, I got the key.
Oh my God, sorry, that was such a delay.
I didn't notice there was that many locks in there.
So many locks, now we have to go in,
says for the entrance, please insert the room key
into the code, okay, here we go, let's do it, let's do it.
And we are 13, yes, we're here, we're in Osaka.
All right, let's quickly get up there.
We did it, guys, we're in Osaka, Dotonbori.
That is like the nightlife district,
lots of people, lots of street food, I cannot wait.
We need to go get a sake right now.
Oh, my back hurts.
Okay, guys, so I'm here in 1304, and I gotta unlock it.
Oh, there we go, awesome, whoo.
So here we go, my Airbnb, yeah.
All right, guys, so we did it,
we traveled from Kyoto to Osaka, it was a fun journey.
Only 30 minute train ride, or 40 minute train ride,
but getting there, and then getting here
was a little intense, and yeah, that's how easy
it is to travel between Kyoto and Osaka, very easy.
If you're staying in Kyoto, then come over here
for a day trip, that's very doable.
I mean, you come really early in the morning,
you can get the whole day here, and then you go.
I highly recommend staying in both cities,
doing it correctly, I'm staying here for two nights,
I cannot wait, I'm gonna go out now to Dotonbori,
to the area, and eat some street food.
And this view from my apartment is ridiculous,
look at this, skyscrapers in Osaka, I love it.
Well, guys, if you love this video,
please give it a thumbs up, leave me a comment below,
and subscribe to my channel for more awesome travel content.
I'll see you in the next travel food adventure
somewhere in the world, peace.
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
