Day 10: Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan - CosmoTower - Umeda Sky Building - Kani Doraku - Dotonbori

We checked out early and bullet it to Osaka. No matter how many times we saw the bullet and got to ride on one we were always in awe of it. It was fast, punctual, cheaper and more comfortable in terms of space than flying. Plus there was no need to check in your luggage.

We were both excited to be back in the big city!! On top of that, we were even more delighted to discover our hotel had an excellent location. That is, less than a minute walk to the famous crab restaurant (Kani Doraku) and the takoyaki stand where we often saw queues for.

Our first stop for the day was Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan - one of the biggest aquariums in the world. My friend really enjoyed it here as it was her first time visiting an aquarium. The aquarium felt a bit like a spiral maze, it had sections dedicated to animals or fish found in that particular region like penguins for Antarctica and colourful reef fishes for the Great Barrier Reef. It was funny seeing all these reef fishes because I couldn't help thinking, "It wasn't this colourful when I was snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef!"

The CosmoTower was nearby, so we decided to check that out too. It was really quiet on this side of town. The views from the observation deck just reinforced Osaka as a port city because we could see PLENTY of container ships here.

Next was the Umeda Sky Building. By this time the sun had already set and finding it was a bit of an adventure. It was a 15 minute walk from the Umeda station and at this point any type of walking was a real big effort for us. The building itself was a formidable sight, you didn't have to be an architecture buff to gloss over the coolness of it. What was really memorable was the awesome looking escalators and the panoramic views of Osaka City.

We had already made dinner reservations for the crab restaurant for 8 that night. This was probably one of the best meals I had on the entire japan trip and a highlight of osaka!! It was an 8 course meal. The first crap dish to come out was cold crab, this was followed by sashimi crab, and then it was time to grill our own crab. In my opinion, and my friend would agree, this was by far the best way to enjoy these crabs. OISHII!! 

We really could have stopped there, but then more dishes kept rolling out like crab soup and crab sushi. All this was finished by a simple dessert of vanilla ice-cream with green tea matcha, which would be the Japanese version of affogato. 

After dinner, we decided to explore our neighbourhood. And what a neighbourhood Dotonbori made!! The place just came to life at night and was really buzzing. Being the red light district part of the town, there was really nothing unsafe about it. Instead, we found it really entertaining just people-watching and seeing all these interesting characters go about their nightly business.

Day 11: Kyoto - Toji Temple - Kyoto Costume Museum - Nijo Castle - Kyoto International Manga Museum - Kinkaku-ji (the Gold Pavilion) - Osaka

Typical things you'll see when you first arrive at Kyoto Station are The Cube, Isetan department store, Kyoto Tower and signage that tells you this is the home of Astroboy.

There's no doubt that Kyoto is the city of temples. With so many temples and museums scattered around the city, the best way to reach them was via the Kyoto City Bus. 

Our first stop was the Toji Temple. This 5 storey pagoda temple is the tallest wooden tower in Japan hence why it was on our shortlist. It was beautiful to see it framed by cherry blossoms. We didn't stay long here and decided to find our next destination, the Kyoto Costume Museum.

For some reason, I was expecting the Kyoto Costume Museum to be a museum with all these fabulous haute couture gowns by famous fashion designers. Boy, was I wrong! It actually turned out to be a scale model of a part of a mansion where a nobleman Genji lived. 

My friend had a real good laugh at me here. I had talked it up so much that even she became slightly interested in attending this museum. (Note: if you didn't pick it up already my friend is not a big fan of museums) In hindsight, I had mistaken it for the Kyoto Costume Institute - the one I was suppose to go to!

Next on the list was the Kyoto International Manga Museum and we decided to do the Nijo Castle because it was on the way. I didn't really have any expectations going to this manga museum, but when I got there, it felt more like a manga library. The english manga section was very limited but if you can read japanese you'd probably feel like you're in manga heaven as it was literally floor to ceiling of all different kinds of manga books. There were a few exhibitions on, but nothing overwelming. After leaving this musuem, a part of me wish that I had gone to see Astroboy at the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum instead. 

The Gold Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) which is probably the most popular temple in Kyoto was our last stop for the day. We travelled so far on the bus to get there and we ended up staying there very briefly. It would have been nice to explore more of the temple grounds but we had both reached our limit. Our hectic schedule had really taken it's toll on us here.

As we left Kyoto and bullet it back to Osaka, I was feeling guttered. I had just discovered my 3 day kansai pass, which I'd bought that morning was missing and also that I hadn't really enjoyed Kyoto as much as I would of liked. There were still so many things I was hoping to do like try their famous green tea ice-cream, walk the streets of Gion at night and see the iconic Fushimi Inari Taisha.

Coming back to Osaka was like coming back to an old friend, I could feel my spirits lifted after the disappointing and tiring day in Kyoto. That night for dinner, we decided to give Osaka's famous okonomiyaki (a pancake-like dish) a go. When there's a line up at a restaurant, it's always a good sign that the okonomiyaki there must be good. The okonomiyaki I ordered had prawns and noodles in it. The first two slices we tucked into tasted really good, but as my friend pointed out, by the time you go in for the third and fourth slices, the taste just wasn't as good as the first two. Nonetheless, it was an interesting meal that I would probably share the next time I have it. 

Day 12:  Nara - Todaji Temple - Port of Kobe - Kobe Chinatown - Dotonbori

The chill crept back into the weather this morning as we headed out to Nara. The scenery that unfolded before me was slightly surreal with deers carelessly wandering in the parks and onto the sidewalks in an otherwise normal looking neighbourhood. There were little vendors selling deer crackers to tourists along the way and it was so funny watching the deers mob people with crackers.

After a gruelling day in Kyoto, it was nice to take a leisurely stroll from the station to the Todaji Temple - home to Japan's largest bronze Buddha statue. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom here. We didn't stay too long in Todaji Temple or Nara and decided to head back to Osaka to take the bullet to Kobe.

Arriving at Sannomiya Station, I really wanted my friend to try the famous Kobe beef, but after looking at the prices... the idea soon lost its appeal. The thing I remembered most about Kobe was strangely the SOGO department store (my favourite department store in Japan) and its salivating gourmet food hall which reminded me of the one David Jones has in Bondi Westfield but better! Plus it was here I got to try and buy some gorgeous tasting green tea.

We could of easily killed some time at SOGO, but the day was escaping away so we decided to head off in the direction of Kobe Port. When we arrived at the port it was far from that hustling and bustling port city that had been described to me. In reality, we were the only lone tourists on site, the area looked completely deserted.

After this, we decided to head to Motomachi, where Kobe's Chinatown is, hoping it would be livelier. It was a little better, but when my friend experiences bad pork bun here...at two different places, we both decided that we had had enough of Kobe and so we took the bullet back to Osaka. 

It was here, we decided to put the bullet train to the test. We timed its arrival and departure time. And what can I say, it delivered on its promise. The bullet arrived exactly on the minute it said it would arrive and brought us back to Osaka on the exact minute our feet touch the platform. AMAZING! I really can't praise the staff enough. They must be so chuff with themselves! I would be too if I worked on the bullet train.

We decided to extend our test further by timing how long it took for the local train station to get from shin-osaka to our namba station. The funny thing was it took longer to get around the different suburbs in Osaka than it was to bullet from Kobe to Osaka. 

That night, we finally decided to try Osaka's famous takoyaki (octopus balls) which we had been putting off. You can only purchase then in lots of 6 and 10, but we were really only after two! When it comes to takoyaki, there are some people who absolutely love it and there are others who don't. My friend and I are in the second camp.

Nightwalking was always interesting in Dotonbori. You can't help but notice all the wacky hairdos of the hosts and hostesses. It's like they are trying to outdo each other with who has the most outrageous hairstyle. The "most outrageous hairstyle" award for us went to a guy sporting a fascinator on his head and as a sidenote, he was also carrying a silver metallic "handbag".  My friend and I got a few giggles out of this and it was those kinds of moments I wish I had taken a photo of.

With tomorrow being our last full day in Osaka, we decided to scout our neighbourhood for shops that would be worth checking out. On our walk, we notice a pattern where each host group seemed to be designated to their own block from which they could carry out their hustling. How fascinating! But I think if you really wanted to see the heart of the action the best vantage point would be to wedge yourself on or near Ebisubashi bridge. I didn't do this, but what I did do a few years back was watch a documentary called The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief. This documentary is definitely worth checking out if you want an insight into the whole host business scene.

Day 14: Osaka - Kansai Airport

I had been up all night deciding what to throw out and keep. You don't realise how much paper (or junk) you've accumulated over the past two weeks until you have to repack everything.

Our flight was departing from Kansai Airport early that morning. We ended up catching a taxi to the airport (not something you want to do too often in Japan because of its price tag). It was an amusing experience seeing our taxi driver all decked out in his military-like uniform and white gloves. Plus, how often do you get to sit in a taxi that has white doilies covering the headrests? ....Ironically, it took my last day in Japan to finally have my first taxi ride experience. 

As we speeded towards Kansai Airport, the last few imageries I'm left with were of these koi fish kites dancing in the wind and there's a bittersweet feeling. I am ready to go home, but at the same time I know I'll miss all this. I'm not sure when I'll be back again, but I know I'll be counting down the days and years.....Sayonara Japan.