Osaka 大阪 is undoubtedly one of the most popular destination in Japan after Tokyo. You might wonder, what to do in Osaka? where to eat in Osaka? what’s the popular restaurant/ street food in Osaka that you must try? what are the must see and must visit in Osaka? Well, AnakJajan got you covered, here you are, OSAKA TRAVEL GUIDE.
JAPAN OSAKA VLOG ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
Known as Japan’s second largest metropolitan area, Osaka has so many things to offer, for sightseeing, shopping, or even eating. After visiting Osaka for 3times, for AnakJajan personally, one of the most memorable things in Osaka would be the FOOD, especially the local food like Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki, Kushikatsu, etc.
Writing Osaka Travel Guide makes us excited because we’re going to bring you to a virtual tour to Osaka to see what’s interesting in the city.
HOW TO GO TO OSAKA?
There are 2 airports in Osaka: Osaka Itami Airport and Kansai International Airport (KIX). If you’re looking to find flight ticket to Osaka, simply search for Kansai International Airport (KIX).
From KIX to Osaka city center, there are many options of transportation, but AnakJajan personally love to use Airport Limousine Bus since it’s very convenient. It takes approximately around 1hour of bus ride from airport to city center. Airport Limousine Bus fare varies JPY 1,550 to JPY 2,050 depends on the destination (Osaka city area to/from KIX).
From Tokyo, you can take domestic flight or shinkansen ride from Tokyo/ Shinagawa Stations (approximately 3hours for shinkansen ride).
WHERE TO STAY?
There are tons of hotel options to choose, for AnakJajan personally, we highly recommend you to find hotel near Dotonbori or Umeda area since there are many interesting shops and restaurants around.
On our last visit to Japan (Feb 2018), we stayed at VIA INN Umeda ヴィアイン梅田 in Umeda area, it’s convenient to get around since there are many shops and restaurant nearby with Osaka & Umeda Station within walking distance.
Osaka Castle 大阪城
One of the most important landmarks in Osaka has gotta be Osaka Castle. You can walk around Osaka Castle to appreciate the beauty but do you know that you can enter the castle as well, inside you will find museum to learn more about it, on top of the castle there’s also an observatory where you can see and enjoy the city views.
Osaka Castle is surrounded by vast area of green space with many cherry blossom trees, on spring time (usually early April), it becomes Osaka’s most popular spot for Cherry Blossom.
Besides Osaka Castle, Osaka also has many MUST VISIT spots to see Cherry Blossom/ Sakura, you can check following links to read more about it:
❥ 2018 CHERRY BLOSSOM FORECAST
❥ BEST SPOTS TO SEE CHERRY BLOSSOM IN OSAKA
Dotonbori 道頓堀
For food and shopping, Dotonbori is a MUST VISIT! It’s a lively district filled with many shops & restaurants. This area is so iconic, we can say that your visit to Osaka is not complete before visiting Dotonbori.
During the night, you can see hundreds of neon lights and pop-up 3D signs making it a popular photo background. If you visit this area, don’t forget to take picture with the famous Glico Running Man sign.
Our main reason to visit Dotonbori is 100% because of the FOOD, so there you go, some of our recommendation on WHAT TO EAT in Dotonbori:
Acchichi Honpo – Dotonbori
Takoyaki is one of the most popular local food in Osaka and in Dotonbori area itself, there are countless number of stalls selling takoyaki but one of the most popular one with the longest queue is Acchichi Honpo Dotonbori. Since we were curious, we decided to queue and it was worth the wait, the takoyaki was tasty, nice consistency of batter with generous chunks of tako or octopus.
お好み焼「美津の」Mizuno Okonomiyaki
Awarded with Michelin Bib Gourmand, Mizuno is one of the oldest Okonomiyaki restaurants in Osaka and it’s another MUST VISIT! As the name suggests, Okonomiyaki is their signature item and it’s also one of Osaka’s famous local food.
Out of many options, we highly recommend you to try their Yam Okonomoyaki for unique texture. The taste of their okonomiyaki is soooo amazing, so so soooo good with just the right consistency and texture, it will blow your mind. (seriously why there are no tasty okonomiyaki like this in Jakarta?!)
Chibo – Dotonbori
Another good option for Okonomiyaki is Chibo, a large chain restaurant originated from Osaka with more than 60 outlets across Japan. Aaside from Okonomiyaki, they serve panfried items like steak as well.
Pablo Cafe – Dotonbori
For sweet cafe break, Pablo has their own cafe in Dotonbori area where you can get their signature Cheese Tart in small dine-in portion. Full review on following link https://anakjajan.com/2016/09/14/pablo-cheese-tart/
Melonpan Icecream – Dotonbori
Soft fluffy bread with crunchy crust filled with ice cream, nuff said!
Kinryu Ramen – Dotonbori
For something soupy and warm, you can get quick ramen fix in Kinkyu Ramen specializes in Kyushu Tonkotsu Ramen. You can easily find the from their gigantic green dragon sign.
Kani Doraku – Dotonbori
Abeno Harukas あべのハルカス
When in Osaka, don’t miss the chance to visit the TALLEST BUILDING IN JAPAN, Abeno Harukas. The tall skycraper houses department store, art museum, hotel and an observation deck.
The observation deck with floor-to-ceiling glass panels all around offers picturesque 360 degree views of Osaka. We highly recommend you to visit in the afternoon to get the sunset and night views.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfqaVKGD_0w/
America Mura
Home for hundreds of small boutiques, America Mura is known as center of youth fashion. Here in this area you can find many quirky fashion items too.
Kushikatsu Tanaka – America Mura
Another option for Kushikatsu is Kushikatsu Tanaka. The restaurant offer wide variety of ingredients from JPY100 to JPY200 per skewer, we got a lunch set which was tasteful. The skewers are crunchy on the outside but not greasy at all, remember to dip the skewer into their signature dipping sauce for extra tangy flavor kick, oishi!
Kura Sushi – 100YEN Sushi
Kura Zushi 無添くら寿司 is one of the popular Kaiten or Conveyor Belt (train) sushi restaurants available widely in Japan such as in Osaka, Tokyo, Kyoto, etc, the restaurant is famous for their 100JPY ONE-PRICE-SUSHI. During our visit to Osaka, AnakJajan stumbled upon Kura Suzhi and we decided to give it a try. Full review on following link https://anakjajan.com/2016/09/19/japan-kura-zushi-%C2%A5100-kaiten-sushi/
Shinsekai 新世界
Filled with many restaurants, Shinsekai can be called as Kushikatsu area since there are countless number or Kushikatsu restaurants that open 24hours a day. In the district’s center stands Tsutenkaku Tower, the nostalgia evoking symbol of Shinsekai.
Kushikatsu Daruma – Shinsekai
Kushikatsu is another popular local food in Osaka that we personally love. It’s basically deep fried skewered meat and vegetable. It looks very simple but it tastes amazing. The popular restaurant for Kushikatsu is Kushikatsu Daruma, they have many outlets in Dotonbori and Shinsekai, simply look for the angry looking uncle mascot to find the restaurant.
HEP FIVE
With more than 300 shops, restaurants, department store, and cafes. HEP FIVE s a large shopping and entertainment complex. On top of it, there’s catchy red-colored Ferris wheel that visitors can ride to enjoy the city view.
Gudetama Cafe – HEP FIVE
Inside HEP FIVE, there’s GUDETAMA CAFE!! The cafe sells many kawaii Gudetama merchandises as well as Gudetama-shaped food and beverages. Full review on following link https://anakjajan.com/2016/07/29/japan-gudetama-cafe-hep-five-osaka/
Takamura Coffee Roasters
For coffee lovers, there’s a beautifully decorated huge space in Edobori area called Takamura Coffee Roasters. The shop serves great coffee with large selection of wine too.
Universal Studio Japan
Another main reason to visit Osaka is the famous Universal Studio Japan. In the movie-themed amusement park, the most popular area is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a themed area based on the blockbuster Harry Potter film series, it attract many visitors both Japan and overseas.
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan 海遊館
Osaka also happens to have the most spectacular aquarium in Japan, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. It’s located in Osaka’s bay area.
Thank you for reading, hopefully you can plan your trip to Osaka easily from our recommendations.
The trip is sponsored by Japan National Tourism Organization.
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