Day 8: Saturday, July 8, 2023
We checked out of Onyado Nono Natural Hot Springs hotel at 11 and walked to Kyoto Station. I bought 2 local (yellow) JR line tickets from Kyoto to Osaka for ¥1,160, which I paid with my Suica card. Then we walked to platform 5 to board the local train. We didn't have to wait long before the train arrived. It wasn't crowded at that time, and the train was clean and mildly-air conditioned. We passed many big and traditional Japanese houses between Kyoto and Osaka. The neighborhoods seemed nice and safe. As we got closer to the city, I saw more high-rises instead of houses. Half an hour later, we arrived at Osaka Station at around 12:15 p.m. After exiting the central gates, we descended to Basement 1 and walked in the direction of Umeda (metro) Station. The underground mall had many food shops, so we decided to stop at Bagel & Bagel to grab a quick bite to eat. Two bagel sandwiches cost ¥1,070. Mine was filling though the taste was wanting. Further down, I got a luncheon meat and egg rice ball to try for ¥260 at Boo's Kitchen. Then we boarded the red Midosuji line toward Yodoyabashi Station.
From there, we walked about 10 minutes (800 m) to Hotel Brighton City Osaka Kitahama. As check-in time was 3 p.m., we left our luggage at the reception and went to Osaka Castle (Hours: 9-5 daily). It took about 15 minutes to get there (with one transfer) from Kitahama Station to Morinomiya Station. We were unprepared for the blazing sun and crowds of people at the castle park, which was free to enter. We found an information rest stop where we bought a chilled beverage from a vending machine and rested. Turned out, it was also a train stop, so we bought 2 adult tickets for ¥800 and rode it to take us to the center of the park where Osaka Castle was located. Along the ride, I saw plum trees, interior and exterior moats, and a lake. The park was popular with locals on a weekend - many were jogging, walking briskly, or cycling. Osaka Castle is Japan's biggest, and its exterior was impressive. The massive rock walls at its base reminded me of the ancient Inca civilization's stone masonry of interlocking rocks. I skipped the visit inside the castle to avoid long lines and a crowded interior of what was essentially a historical museum. The train ride back to Morinoniya Station exit cost ¥600 (senior fare for Mom).
Day 9: Sunday, July 9, 2023
I felt so refreshed after a good night's rest! This hotel's bed seemed the most comfortable of the three - or perhaps, I was just plain old tired. After breakfast of a soft-boiled egg each, a cup of coffee, and half a spam egg rice ball each, we took the metro to Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Street - a 600 m long covered shopping arcade with a wide range of goods from high-end to fast fashion/discounted. There were also street foods, restaurants, pachinko slot/gaming centers, capsule toy shops, and grocery stores along the street. We started from Shinsaibashi Station and walked down to Ebisubashi Bridge (just north of Dotonbori). Before crossing into Dotonbori, we had an early lunch of kushikatsu (deep-fried sticks of meat/seafood/vegetable; a common dish in Osaka) at Daruma (¥2,299). In Dotonbori, we were greeted with loud, ostentatious, and over-the-top shop signs. There, we tried takoyaki (Japanese octopus balls street food that originated from Osaka). There were too many takoyaki shops to choose from, so we randomly picked one. I ordered 8 balls with extra green onions for ¥650, and we stood next to the store to eat. They were piping hot and savory - chewy on the outside and creamy hot on the inside. There was a piece of octopus inside each ball. Next, we bought a freshly-made whole cheese cake from Uncle Rikuro's Namba main store for ¥965 and then rested at Tully's Coffee where we people-watched for a bit. Two drinks cost ¥855. Like people in Singapore, the Japanese tacitly reserve their seats/tables by placing a personal belonging on them. In California, I was once called out for being obnoxious when I did just that at a coffee shop. National cultures, go figure! We meandered the many alleyways and did some light shopping as our luggage was almost full: 2 packs of matcha milk dark tea (¥858); 2 Japanese tea cups, 3 chopsticks holder, and a long bamboo tea spoon (~¥1,350); 3 Moca T-shirts and a long black dress (¥3,454); Mom bought me a bag for work/school for ¥3,289.
Before heading back to the hotel, we went to a 7-Eleven across the hotel and got 2 tuna mayo onigiris (¥280), premium mixed vegetable fruit juice (¥178), egg salad sandwich (¥280), and ham sandwich (¥290) for a total cost of ¥1,110. We retired for the day and had some cheese cake from Uncle Rikuro. It was fluffy-soft, spongey, and delicious. At night, we watched Japanese karaoke competitions on T.V. - it was interesting how the contestants were judged/rated by AI instead of human judges.
Day 10: Monday, July 10, 2023
This was our last full day in Japan. At 8-ish, we took the metro to Kuromon Ichiba Market for fresh food from all over Japan; it's the most popular market in Osaka with over 100 stores, and they're celebrating their 200th anniversary in 2023. Typical hours are 8-6, but they vary by stores; they are closed on Wednesdays. We went early for the freshest buys. I had fresh soy milk for ¥250 per bottle, a plate of fresh tuna for ¥500, 5 pieces of wagyu beef skewered and cooked on an iron plate for ¥1,000; mom bought a fresh, humongous apple for ¥214 - we ate it later in the room, and it was so sweet and juicy!
We walked a few minutes back toward Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street and Dotonburi for more sightseeing since we didn't see everything the day before. It was much more pleasant today as it was a Monday and far less crowded. Besides more ostentatious shop signs, we found Kuidaore Taro dolls - a clown mascot for many restaurants. We walked up Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Street and did some window-shopping. I've never seen such a long and covered shopping street in all my travels. There was so much to see, and the shopping arcade seemed endless. I bought a long navy blue dress for just ¥1,100. That was the only thing we got today since our luggage was packed to the rim. We had lunch at Tsurumaru Udon where I had kitsune udon and tempura, while Mom had pork cutlet katsudon and tempura. Total was just ¥1,950 - great value for so much food; no wonder it was crowded with local office workers during lunch hour. There was a long waiting line outside when we left the restaurant. Thank goodness we went there early.
We walked a further distance and returned to the hotel to rest. At 5 p.m., we had an eel, rice, and soup set meal at Yayoi teishoku restaurant near our hotel. Total was ¥2,200. The self-ordering process was automated and swift: I ordered from a ticket machine to the left of the entrance, paid for the food, collected the tickets, and handed them to a server before we sat down. Tea, water, ice, extra rice, and pickles were self-served at a counter by a wall. The eel was soft, sweet, and buttery. After dinner, we walked a few minutes to the Tosahori River. We crossed the Naniwabashi Bridge and saw colorful roses at the outdoor Nakanoshima Rose Garden. We strolled back to the hotel after taking some photos. This was a serene end to our summer vacation to Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. Thanks be to God.
Day 11: Tuesday, July 11, 2023
At 8-ish a.m., I mailed out the pocket WiFi at a postbox inside Lawson, which was diagonally across from the hotel. We checked out at 11 and made our way to the airport by trains. The metro Sakaisuji line took about 13 minutes or 6 stops from Kitahama Station to Tengachaya Station. Then we transferred to the Nankai (Limited Express) Airport Line from Tengachaya Station to Kansai-Airport Station, which cost ¥930 per adult. Total travel time was about an hour.
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