Today we are headed to Osaka! Well technically it’s just me traveling there. Lani and Blake are meeting me there. They are staying in a Love Hotel and I am going to check out some of the hostels in Osaka. I caught the bullet train from Tokyo and made sure to pick up some delicious bento boxes before I left from the train station. The box above is unagi (eel) with rice, egg omelette and some veg. Below is my absolute favorite it’s a huge mixture of the freshest seafood you have ever eaten. Obsessed with Japanese seafood is an understatement.
Some more cute purchases from the Pokemon center we visited in the previous post.
My first hostel was called Osaka Hana Hostel located in Shinsaibashi which is a really great area to stay, especially if you are travelling solo. How cute are the hand drawn maps!
Osaka Hana Hostel
1 Chome-8-4 Nishishinsaibashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0086, Japan
On a side note it was my Dziadek’s (Grandpa’s) 90th Birthday! I love him so much, we had a little lost in translation catch up. It was very sweet.
Love from my friends back home, follow my instagram @yeswanderlust for more regular content.
My first ramen in Osaka. This was just the nearest hole in the wall, order your ramen from a vending machine kind of place, which is basically all Japanese ramen places and I love it. I wish I remembered the name but I do remember it being near the main shopping area in Dotonbori.
Time to try out the blue eye contacts to match my shirt for a full on day of Vintage Shopping.
I ended up buying this and it was a great little bag when I just needed to take out a bit of money and my phone when traveling. Plus it’s my color.
Pablo is a very well known cheesecake house that originated in Osaka and is an absolute must try when you visit. The cheesecake is freshly baked when you order and just melts in your mouth, it is a truly quintessential Osaka experience.
Pablo Dotonbori
Japan, 〒542-0085 Osaka, Chuo Ward, Shinsaibashisuji, 2 Chome−8−1 心斎橋ゼロワンビル1F
Entering the Shinsaibashi shopping tunnel with the infamous running man sign.
Tried Taco Bell in Japan for the first time and was thoroughly underwhelmed.
There are so many of these 200-300 Yen bars, it’s the best. Drinking in Japan is not very expensive at all.
Have you heard of Japanese Dipping Ramen Noodles? They are called Tsukenmen and they are such a fun deconstructed way to enjoy ramen.
This is my attempt to save the location of this place on my phone so I could come back to visit it.
I came to this place that is known for BBQ Offal of everything you could possibly imagine. I am all for adventurous eating and will try basically anything when travelling but some of these meats were a bit much even for me. Think intestines, crotch, stomach, innards and everything in between.
But I was brave and got a mix plate. The one think I really couldn’t stomach were the intestines on the left. The texture was just awful but the rest was actually pretty good. If you have ever had Korea BBQ Beef tongue a lot of these meats had a similar taste/ texture. I won’t lie I genuinely don’t know what half of what I was eating was and if I was cooking it enough. Do not recommend doing this alone. I was quite nervous that I was going to undercook something and make myself sick. But luckily I was all good.
This is another famous spot in Osaka known for being able to fish for your own meal. It is hard to see but in that big tank there are these miscellaneous fish that you can catch with a rod like you can see above. They also have eels, not sure how you catch those, maybe with a net. I didn’t do the whole experience as I feel this would be a lot more fun to do with a friend. See the name and location below.
Zauo Fishing Restaurant
Japan, 〒542-0086 Osaka, Chuo Ward, Nipponbashi, 1 Chome−1−13, Sotetsu Grand Frésa, B1F
A little pop up Alice in Wonderland themed boutique that is unfortunately no longer open.
This is an example of some of the Love Hotels you can stay in around Japan. A lot of the rooms can be different themed and you can choose when you are booking.
Not to promote smoking in anyway but these vanilla cigarettes truly were something else.
The BEST brown sugar bubble tea I have ever had in my LIFE! From Sinaju location below.
Sinaju
Japan, 〒530-0013 Osaka, Kita Ward, Chayamachi, 4−13 バグス茶屋町ビル
Some of the weird and wonderful stores you come across exploring Americamura shopping district.
I love how decorative and OTT Japanese store decor always is. It makes shopping such a memorable experience with each store having their own unique aesthetic and decorations. How amazing is this clear grand piano!?
Spotaka General Store
Japan, 〒542-0086 Osaka, Chuo Ward, Nishishinsaibashi, 2 Chome−5−9 SPOTAKAビル 12F
Grizzly
Japan, 〒542-0086 Osaka, Chuo Ward, Nishishinsaibashi, 2 Chome−8−29 澤井マンション
For reference, 1,200 YEN basically translates to $12 AUD give or take a few cents. Food is quite affordable here.
This store is really fun and have a huge variety of new and vintage clothes.
Volcan & Aphrodite
2 Chome-18-4 Nishishinsaibashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0086, Japan
I apologise that not all the locations or names for these stores are listed in this post. I am putting together a google map that you can access to see these locations in real time. Below is an example of some of the places I visited.
Ending day 1 in Osaka solo with a strangers so kindly taking some obligatory tourist photos for me.
Don’t forget you can always reach out to me on my instagram @yeswanderlust if you have any questions about your trip to Japan, I would love to help with any advice I can share from my experiences.
erica
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