Sumimasen, this post is gonna be a long one.

First tip to travelling in Japan is to know this word – sumimasen. If you are ever in a pinch and need to ask for directions, or call the waiter, or anyone really, start with sumimasen. It can be interpreted as either “sorry” or “excuse me”.

Also, I realised photos are slightly blurry because it was compressed. Apologies!

Why Osaka?

Osaka, located in the Kansai Region, is Japan’s second largest metropolitan area after Tokyo. It is a well-connected tourism and transport hub. People often set Osaka as their base, and then venture out to other cities like Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, which I followed. Doing so helped to reduce the burden of carrying bulky luggage around especially when travelling with family and how Japan’s infrastructure is structured around stairs. We only had to carry big items twice – on arrival and when departing.

Another plus point is the people there are friendly and lovely. They always try their best to assist us in any way they can, which is adorable!

Getting There

We chose a direct Scoot flight based on affordability and timing. Upon arrival at Kansai International Airport (KIX), we exchanged tickets at the train counter to take the Rapi:t train. The cool thing about KIX is that it is in the middle of the ocean, so you travel across the sea to Osaka. Anyway, they assign seats for the next available train, and you just pass through the gantry to the train. The cabin was luxurious and comfortable.

It is also possible to take a normal train, but it takes slightly longer, and you may have to squeeze with the rest of the public along the way. You know how packed Japan trains can get.

Itinerary

Note: I went during autumn with many red leaves and cool weather, but drops to a single digit in the evening. I was pretty satisfied with this trip. There is a lot of walking needed to get around in Japan though.

Day 1	Head to Accommodation Explore Neighbourhood (Namba)	Family Mart
Day 2	Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan Pokemon Centre Osaka Umeda Whity Umeda HEP FIVE Ferris wheel	Bab-ul Hayat St.Marc Café (Their croissants urgh)
Day 3	Universal Studios Japan	USJ Food
Day 4	Osaka Walking Tour Kuromon Ichiba Market Dotonbori Ebisu Bashi-Suji Shopping District Namba Marui (OIOI) Shinsaibashi Shopping District Round 1 Stadium Park	Ayam-Ya (Best Karage I’ve had!) Takoyaki
Day 5 (Nara)	Kasuga-Taisha Okumura Commemorative Museum Nara Park & Nandaimon Gate Yoshiki-en Garden & Isu-en Garden Kofukuji Temple Higashimuki Shopping Street	Homemade breakfast PY Halal Kitchen Mochi
Day 6	Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street America-mura Round 1 Stadium Park Takashimaya Tower Records Namba	Homemade breakfast Q-Japan 3te Cafe
Day 7 (overnight in Kyoto)	Arashiyama bamboo forest Nishiki Market Kyoto International Manga museum	Yoshiya Arashiyama Honten Soymilk Donuts Bubble Tea
Day 8 (Kyoto)	Kyoto Walking Tour Ishibe Alley Gion Fushimi Inari Shrine	Ramen Factory
Day 9	Osaka Museum of History Osaka Castle DenDen Town	Homemade Brunch Homemade Dinner
Day 10	Minoo Falls Umeda Area Namba Area Daiso	Instant noodles by the Waterfall Fried Maple Leaf Ramen Honolulu
Day 11	Pokemon Centre at KIX Shops at KIX	Homemade Breakfast Bulls Honolulu Sukiyaki KIX

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Really, Really, Fun Things to Do in Osaka

• Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

At first it seemed fishy. I wondered what was so amazing about this aquarium. Wouldn’t it just be like the others, where we marvel at sea creatures?

Well, I was schooled! It was my first time seeing an aquarium that was eight floors high, and I was reeled in by the well-organised path as it introduced various forms of life inhabiting the Pacific Rim. I also appreciated the proper English translations of the exhibitions.

We started from the top, which housed a few land animals, and then slowly dived into the giant tanks. It was fin-tastic to watch the animals from different depths and perspectives as the same tanks stretch over several floors.

Towards the end of the aquarium, you could watch penguins being fed live, and there is also a small pool where you can touch some small sharks and ray! I thought their skin would be slimy, but it was actually sandy and rough.

Feel free to explore the surrounding neighborhood. It was quiet in the morning, with some food stalls and health/beauty shops along the way. There was also a huge ferris wheel beside the aquarium.

Address: 1 Chome-1-10 Kaigandori, Minato Ward, Osaka, 552-0022, Japan

• Universal Studios Japan (USJ)

One of the reasons I chose Osaka over Tokyo was because of USJ. It was huge, and so full of small, wonderful details in the way it was built. The roller coaster rides were thrilling, especially the flying dragon (MUST RIDE) and everything else brought about happiness, including the Harry Potter World.

Unfortunately, I had many regrets about this place 😦 I definitely need to go again to make sure I complete my USJ bucket list.

Here are some key tips:

1. Please choose the correct date to visit USJ. I didn’t realise I went on an off in lieu of a Japanese holiday so the queues were extremely long. I had a friend who went the next day and they said it was not crowded at all.

2. Buy the ticket on Klook, and go as early as you can. They typically open at 8.30am. We reached about 20 minutes before the entrance opens, and it was already packed with people.

3. Borrow a friend’s wand so you can try out all the magic spots, which was very fun! Best to visit Harry Potter World before it gets crowded.

4. Order cold butterbeer, because the hot one is so-so.

5. Please wait for the evening parade! I was so stupid as I thought the light show at Hogwarts castle was also part of the parade. But the parade was at the Hollywood area, where we were at and people were gathering :((((((( utter regret, even if the Hogwarts light show was cool. Also may be better to pick warmer weather because it was freaking cold in the evening.

6. Ride the Flying Dragon. Best ride ever.

Address: 2 Chome-1-33 Sakurajima, Konohana Ward, Osaka, 554-0031, Japan

• Kuromon Ichiba Market

My whole family enjoyed visiting this market. Fresh seafood which was grilled on the spot, or fresh fruit juice, juicy fuits, raw sashimi, rice cakes, side dishes, and everything! Was so happy eating the seafood here (as the meat not halal, but I’m sure it’s tasty too).

Address: 2 Chome-4-1 Nipponbashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0073, Japan

• Dotonbori

Dotonbori is well known for the Glico man sign, and their takoyaki and okonomiyaki street food. To know the history of the Glico man, join the free walking tour highlighted below in this post. Colourful neon signs and decorated entrances livens the mood of the streets there.

There is a Muslim friendly takoyaki stall there to try too.

Address: 1 Chome-9 Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0071, Japan

• Pokemon Centre Osaka

If you wanna be, the very best, that no one ever was, please visit the Pokemon Centre on the 13th floor of Daimuru Umeda Department Store. Having played Pokemon since the Game Boy era, visiting the Pokemon Centre healed me back to full health!

It was crowded, but there was still space to look comfortably at the merchandise. I tried my best to buy items that I will use, like lip balm, a file, and face masks. They have like Snorlax, Pikachu and Jigglypuff face masks. They also sold the Pokemon nintendo switch there, and according to my brother, it is about $50 cheaper then in SG.

Pokemon card games are also still very much alive in Japan, and an area in the Pokemon Centre is dedicated to these, where card collectors can just hang out and play against each other.

Spotted Pikachu vending machines around Osaka too

There is a smaller Centre at KIX, including some places in the airport to showcase Japan’s love for Pokemon!

Address: Daimaru Umeda Shop, 13F, 3Chome-1-1, Kita-ku, Umeda, Osakai

• America-mura

I guess you could call this the Haji Lane of Osaka. It was full of hip, fashionable youngsters, who lepak in the area. The haven for vintage clothing, and streetwear brands like Supreme, Off-White, Stussy, Nike and Adidas (with Japanese exclusives!).

A bubble tea shop is also in the midst of this area. Second-hand high-end thrift stores are also popular there, managed to buy some branded items at a cheaper price.

Address: America-mura, 1 Chome Higashishinsaibashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0086, Japan

• Round 1 Stadium Park

Ok, so Round 1 Stadium is real addictive. It almost felt like a forbidden fruit, with seven levels of entertainment.

The first two to three levels were your arcade games, claw machines and panchinkos. You are spoilt for choice with the variety of plush toys, and it was equally hard to get all of them. Good if you keep tabs on how much you spend and set a limit before playing.

It is also fun if you watch the experts play. Their strategy was to target the same plush toy over a few rounds and slowly push it towards the winning hole. And it eventually drops down to win the prize! One tip is to get the staff to help set up the plush toy you want perfectly for you (they do this manually), and then hope your skills make it. Whatever the outcome, it was really fun.

The next few levels are the karaoke rooms, lounges, and sports. This includes basketball courts, tennis courts, ping pong, boxing, bull riding, mini golf, darts and more. They even have roller skates and soccer!

We went for bowling at night. The staff, as usual, was so kind and polite. Since it is a tourist area, they gave us a book with all the possible translations on the services they provide, and how to order food and drinks, or find the toilet, or if there are technical issues when bowling. Really very thoughtful, don’t you think?

They even had a shoe rack at the bowling alley (wish SG also had these). They also had an automated shoe drop off locker was really cool.

On another day, we also visited the batting cage. Some spots could be more popular than the others, and you might have to wait your turn to enter the batting cage.

Address: 1 Chome-3-1 Nanba, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0076, Japan (Opens 24 hours!)

• Minoh Falls

Minoo/Minoh Park is a forested valley on the outskirts of Osaka, with beautiful autumn leaves EVERYWHERE. The main highlight is Minoh Falls.

It is a walking trail, but you get to appreciate the different types of trees, bridges, gardens, and temples along the way. Reward yourself with the view of the waterfall, and your tummy, as you sit by the falls to eat your lunch.

The other highlight of Minoh is their tempura maple leaf! My thoughts on it here.

Address: ２-2 Minookoen, Minoo, Osaka 562-0002, Japan

• Osaka Walking Tour

The walking tour takes about 2 hours, but you get to have a crash course on Osaka. We learnt about the history behind Dotonbori, famous food restaurants, and the male host culture.

We then passed by Kuromon market, and DenDen town. While walking, we were introduced to their famous toilets and their all powerful bidets, the school system and the Osaka dialect! Pretty cool how they take pride in their culture.

We then visited Shinsekai to see the Tsutenkaku, the Osaka Eiffel tower, kushikatsu and Billiken, the God of wealth and money. Without the tour, we would never have known about the pachinko culture. The guide was experienced and very easy to listen to.

Meeting Place: Namba station (Osaka Metro) , outside exit 15B.

Other Fun Things to Do in Osaka

• Umeda – HEP FIVE and Whity Umeda

The Umeda district is one of Osaka’s main city centre, with a few departmental stores and underground shopping malls. While the departmental stores have pretty and modern items, it didn’t suit SG’s climate at that point of time, and was expensive. My objective in Japan was not to shop, so I was cool with this, and did not explore most of the stores.

Japan seemed to have a strong fascination towards ferris wheels as I’ve seen many of them since landing in KIX. We rode the one at HEP FIVE, where the ferris wheel is on the highest level of the building! Read that its highest point is 106 meters above ground, and passengers can see all the way out to the Akashi Strait. In the cabin itself, they provide you with a map to orientate when you are in the air. Do note that it is a paid attraction.

View is beautiful though! However, it felt slightly scary because you could see directly below the busy streets, and it felt way too high (even if I am a thrill seeker). When you are at the highest point is the scariest, cause you feel like you can just tip over and the cabin swings even with the slightest movement.

Address: Japan, 〒530-0017 Osaka, Kita Ward, Kakudacho, 5−15 HEP FIVE 7F

• Osaka Museum of History

I love museums, so I sneaked in one museum visit. This museum had a lot of good reviews online. We could collect stamps from the exhibits as a souvenir, and there were English translations. The exhibits provided many visuals, so it was easy to imagine what life was like in the past.

Overall, I thought the museum served its purpose, and was located strategically. We could look out the window to view the important landmarks that was mentioned in the exhibit. We took about 2 hours, as we played a Japanese game with one of the volunteers. They also had a cute hands-on area explaining about archaeology, which I liked.

Across the street from the museum is a parliament house of sorts, so we spotted media camera crew waiting for government officials to appear in cold weather. It is also walking distance to Osaka Castle.

Address: 4 Chome-1-32 Otemae, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 540-0008, Japan

• Osaka Castle

Osaka (Oh sucker) for the view of the Castle. Head to the highest level for the best views.

Besides that, the castle houses an informative museum about the castle’s history and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The museum space is on the small side, but enjoyable still.

Address: 1-1 Osakajo, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 540-0002, Japan

• Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street

Anyone who cooks would love this place. It is a 150m-long shopping street lined with specialty stores with every cooking utensil and kitchen item available.

Address: 14-5 Nanbasennichimae, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0075, Japan

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Really Fun Things to Do in Kyoto

• Kyoto Free Walking Tour

Gion district

Learn more about Kabuki Theatre, geisha district in Gion, Higashiyama and Shinto shrines and temples. We were also introduced to parks, spotted cute merch, starbucks and weed. The guide shared about purified water at each temple that helps you with a certain goal. For example, with a drip of that purified water, it will make you beautiful.

Discovered that there is a height limit to all buildings in Kyoto, to ensure the Pagoda is the tallest in Kyoto, to pay respect to the home of the gods.

Meeting Point: In front of the Izumo no Okuni statue on the bank of the Kamo River

• Arashiyama bamboo forest

Arashiyama is a hit for Japanese and tourists alike. Enjoy the scenery of natural growing bamboo. To get a good shot, you must either head super early, or just be patient in one spot.

You can also enjoy views of the hill side set against the river, and a park with beautiful autumn leaves.

Not very relevant here, but I bought a bag along the shops leading to the bamboo forest, and discovered that it was much cheaper there than in Kyoto city centre.

Address: Japan, 〒605-0028 Kyoto, Higashiyama Ward, Bunkicho, ６１

• Nishiki Market

Nishiki Market is food shopping street and is a great place to find seasonal foods and Kyoto specialties, such as Japanese sweets, pickles, dried seafood.

Address: 609番地 Nishidaimonjicho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8054, Japan

• Kyoto International Manga museum

If you are a manga lover, it has a massive collection of manga titles including those old version one copies in Japanese. Imagine fruits basket, inuyasha, skip beat, conan, and all. Free for anyone to browse! A small section is dedicated to foreign and translated manga.

There are also booth activities, and small exhibits on the history of manga in Japan and around the world, and the history of drawing styles.

Address: 452 Kinbukicho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-0846, Japan

• Fushimi Inari Shrine

Fushimi Inari Shrine is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters and belongs to the shrine grounds. Nothing but respect for torii gates, and thousand years of culture. Let’s try torrilate (to relate) to one another ya.

It is a long climb to the highest peak, so we stopped after two thirds of the journey. The higher you go, the lesser people, and the torii gates are much older.

The good part is the food street, which helps fill your tummy after walking up.

Address: 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, 612-0882, Japan

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Really Fun Things to Do in Nara

• Kasuga-Taisha

Best tip is to take the public bus and head to the furthest attraction first, which is Kasuga Taisha. Nara’s most celebrated shrine, it was established at the same time as the capital and is dedicated to the deity responsible for the protection of the city.

You will easily spot the deers and interact with them. Pass by a wide field, then a path of tall trees, and finally the shrine. The shrine itself is huge, and there is a paid section to see more artifacts.

While all the deers are wild, the deers in this area are slightly aggressive I think. They will follow you around and reach for those deer biscuits hidden in your pockets, to get as many biscuits. But it is also more fun because the ratio of deers to humans is 1:1, as compared to Nara Park.

And don’t worry, their bites don’t bite. You can just feel some saliva, but it dries pretty quickly. You can also buy the deer biscuits along the paths.

Address: 160 Kasuganocho, Nara, 630-8212, Japan

• Yoshiki-en Garden & Isu-en Garden

Yoshikien is a pleasant Japanese garden located in central Nara. It is named after the Yoshikigawa River, a small river that runs beside the garden, and was built on the site of Kofukuji Temple’s former priest residences. The entry fee to the garden is waived for foreign tourists.

There are three unique gardens within Yoshikien: a pond garden, a moss garden and a tea ceremony garden. So, a visit to Yoshikien provides the opportunity to see three different variations of Japanese gardens in one spot. If visitors still want to see more techniques of Japanese gardening, the Isuien Garden is located just across the small river.

Japan Guide

Address: ６０ 1, Noboriojicho, Nara, 630-8213, Japan

• Nara Park & Nandaimon Gate

Nara Park covers the centre of Nara, and connects to most of the tourist attractions. Beautiful, vast land.

Spot the free roaming deers just crossing the roads nonchanlantly. The deers near to the Nandaimon Gate and the train station can’t be bothered with humans though. I assume they had too much attention from the huge tourist crowds. They refuse to accept your biscuits after they are full and sleep the rest of the day away.

Address: Nara, Japan

• Kofukuji Temple

This five-storied pagoda is Japan’s second tallest wooden pagoda. The special thing about pagodas are that they are built without nails or glue, and are earthquake-resistant!

Address: 48 Noboriojicho, Nara, 630-8213, Japan

• Higashimuki Shopping Street

A shopping arcade close to Nara Park with various restaurants and souvenir shops, right beside Kintetsu Nara Station.

Address: 5 Higashimuki Minamimachi, Nara, 630-8216, Japan

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Ah, I miss Japan.