Osaka + Nara, Japan: Food, Shop, Temples, Repeat!

Kon'nichiwa Osaka! 👘

After spending time in Tokyo and Kyoto, finally made it to Osaka - a city that will never fail to delight, surprise, and make you crave for more. Was the trip to Osaka fun? Boy oh boy I was in for a surprise... the surprise? RAIN! 😂 ☔🌧

So, buckle up, grab your chopsticks, pick up your shopping bag, and brace yourself to dive headfirst into the whirlwind of romance.... I mean, emotions that I experienced while in Osaka.

My happiness hormones were at the highest level at the following places...😍

Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street

One of the must-visit places in Osaka is the Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Street.

This shopping street is almost a mile long, stretching from Shinsaibaishi station to Dotonbori, so you'll never miss it. Considered as one of the oldest shopping streets in Japan, the covered shopping arcade boasts a massive collection of shops ranging from high fashion to cosmetics to traditional crafts.

Despite being long, shoppers or tourists will less likely to get lost since it is one long straight line that seems never ending. 

Aside from shopping for souvenirs, there are numerous food shops within the area, from restaurants to small stalls along the street. So, you'll never get hungry while walking and shopping! 

You can spend at least 30 minutes at the shopping street, or for several hours (guilty as charge!). I just kept on walking, entering one shop to another, checking and comparing prices, and the next thing I knew, it was already dark and pouring. 😭 I didn't have an umbrella! 

Originally, I didn't plan to buy anything yet, the pure intention was just to familiarise, but after discovering that it was raining cats and dogs, my legs made a U-turn. I got an umbrella at Daiso - the Daiso Japan still kept its price at ¥100 per item unlike in Singapore. Daiso is 💖!

The Glico Running Man

You've never been to Osaka if you don't have a photo with the Glico Man. Who's the Glico Man you say? 🤔

The Glico running man is one of the famous attractions in Osaka, featuring a "running man" in a lit sign. For more than 80 years, this huge and brightly lit billboard has glimmered and reflected against the Tonburi River. This landmark is so popular that it never fails to attract crowd, especially at night when it lit up - too jammed that I didn't got a decent photo with it. Arg! 😢

Oh, here's a secret... There's a spot where you can do a running pose with the Glico man as the backdrop. 

Shopping & Street food

Have I mentioned that I already did some shopping on day 1 in Osaka? Blame it on the rain - it stuck me at the shopping street, so what better things to do? Shopping! 😄

I must admit, looking for an umbrella was a good excuse to browse aisle to aisle, then eventually picked-up some stuff ranging from beauty products (not all mine..), food, to whatever cute stuff I found. 😁 After around 4 hours or slightly more, it was time to head back to the hotel since the next day's itinerary was outside Osaka. 

Think I was done shopping? Nope! After the following day's itinerary, it was shopping time again.. and this time, it was at Don Quijote Dotonbori which has six stories/floors. Guess no need to share the details what happened inside the store. 😄

NARA - Day Trip

I wanted to see deer, so the best place to interact with these creatures is the NARA Park! 🦌 

There are 2 lines that connect Osaka and Nara: the JR Yamatoji Line, and the Kintetsu Nara Line. The latter was my option which is the local train.

Todaji Temple

Upon reaching NARA, it was drizzling but I was prepared - I got my umbrella! 😂 It was also raining in Osaka, but I thought it would be different in Nara... that's what I thought. 😅

Kofukuji Temple

I mapped out a mini-itinerary in Nara on Google map and just followed it which made navigating much easier. However, some spots were skipped, eg. garden, since it was already pouring - might end up getting stuck. Most of the visitors were already soaking wet.

Gango ji temple

Here are some places worth visiting in Nara:

✔ Kofukuji Temple

✔ Sanjo dori

✔ Gango ji temple

✔ Nara Park

✔ Todaji Temple

✔ Nigatsudo Hall

✔ Kasuga Taisha Shrine

Don't forget to try the snacks from nearby food stalls (several options). My favourite was the matcha mochi! 😍

The highlight of the Nara Prefecture trip was the cute bambis - so glad to see them in person. But I didn't buy the biscuit (rice crackers) so I wasn't able to feed them and get that "bow" gesture. Nonetheless, it was fun taking photo with them. 

The rain affected the overall plan. Most of us were soaking wet and it got cold... so a decision was made - went back to Osaka at around 2pm (still early!).

Reminder:

Despite them looking all-so-cute and harmless, tourists must still respect the deer and avoid provoking them as they might get aggressive.

The weather in Osaka was not friendly.... the heavens didn't cooperate and was pouring like there was no tomorrow. We were all drenched despite having an umbrella.

Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle is one of those must-see places that I must return to to appreciate it. Due to the heavy rain, walking towards the castle was a bit of a struggle. Our shoes were soaking wet as well as the bottom of our clothes. From the station, it would take more than 10 mins (depending on the pacing) to get to the Osaka Castle.

Wandering around, drenched, was not comfortable at all... I dreaded it! 😭 Hence, another decision was made - no need to go inside the castle and go back to the hotel to change. Guess, I'll see you again Osaka Castle!😉

Outside Osaka Castle

What better way to spend the remaining time in Osaka than going shopping! Yup, I just repeated what I did on day 1, and I was able to checkout more shops! 😂

Felt like in heaven when I saw some anime shops! My favourite shop was the Jump Shop Osaka Shinsaibashi since there was a life-size Luffy figure. There was also a life-size figure of Totoro at the entrance of Donguri Kyowakoku. But still, I couldn't buy anything fearing that they might just break inside my mid-size luggage - next time!

How long did it take to shop? I went back to the hotel around 1am! 😂 Oh well, the Don Quijote shop was open until 2am (or was it 4am?).

There are many things to do and see in Osaka that I didn't manage to tick off from my list. Nonetheless, it was still a great experience. 

Mata ne, Osaka! 💖

6-8 Apr '23