Osaka is an amazing place to visit. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say that I may like it more than Tokyo. Not to say that I don’t love Tokyo, just that Osaka has a different charm.
This wasn’t our first trip to Osaka, and it’s far from our last, but every time we visit Japan (or anywhere else for that matter), we always look for ways to have a unique experience and make this trip different from the last. This is why we usually like to mix a bit of the touristy stuff with the local stuff. Also, we tend plan out pieces of our trip, leaving room for us to simply explore and get lost for a bit.
Tokisushi
Like with most of our trips, we travel in a very food centric way. Which is why our first stop of the day was at a popular local sushi restaurant, Tokisushi. Ironically, of all the times we’ve been to Japan, we never once had sushi there… and I LOVE sushi! So, needless to say, we were quite thrilled to be kicking off our trip with some authentic Japanese sushi.
The restaurant is quite small and can get very busy, but luckily we only had to wait about 10 minutes before being seated. They provided us with English menus with large pictures, which made ordering oh so easy. So, we eagerly ordered the “Standard Sushi” which came with 12 pieces for 1,200 Yen along with the “Sushiyaki” which came with 8 pieces of lightly grilled sushi for 1,200 Yen.
I can’t say it was the best sushi in Osaka, because honestly I have no idea, but it was definitely better than anything I’ve had outside Japan. The fish was so fresh, tender and surprisingly filling! We both left happy with full bellies. It was totally worth the price and certainly worth a revisit.
Ebisu Tower Ferris Wheel
The great part about visiting a country in Asia is that there is usually a lot of walking involved. Making it easy to walk off your food baby until you come across your next foodie find. So, it was not long before we found ourselves once again in the very popular Dōtonbori. The last time we had seen it was at night, so I was a bit surprised to see it had a completely different aesthetic during the day.
After snacking on some kashiwa-mochi and purchasing some cute Japanese clothes for my doggo, we decided to try something new and a bit touristy.
The Ebisu Tower Ferris Wheel was built back in 2005 in the front of Don Quijote, a 24 hour discount mall. After only 3 years, it was shutdown due to a mechanical fault. Now, after a 10 year hiatus, the wheel is finally up and running and we decided to give it a shot.
It costs costs 600 Yen per person and takes about 15 minutes to do a full cycle around, which felt like and eternity for my hubby who has a deathly fear of heights. Oh, did I mention that it stands at over 77 meters high? Surprisingly enough, it was his idea to ride it in the first place. He though it would be a great way to get a full view of Osaka and what an amazing view it was. We may just have to try it out again at night.
Alice on Wednesday
I am a HUGE Alice in Wonderland fan and I had been wanting to visit this novelty shop in Osaka for a while now, but never got around to it. This time, we decided to make some time to check it out. Apparently, they only let in a certain amount of people in at a time, so there was already a line outside the store. But, after waiting in line for about 20 min, I finally got to check out Alice on Wednesday!
The store is super small, but filled to the brim with all sorts of lovely Alice themed accessories and knick-knacks. As you might have guessed, I was more interested in their adorable snacks. Books filled with cake, small soda bottles that said “drink me,” Cute decorative boxes with chocolates. There was just so much to choose from! I was beginning to see why it took people so long to come out of the store.
It was all too much and I was having a cuteness overload. In the end I was able to pull it together and show some spending restraint. I walked out with a cute bottle of blue mystery drink (everything was in Japanese) and a lovely little box of chocolate covered… something. Despite my lack of knowledge in the Japanese language I really enjoyed browsing through this small, yet very intricately designed store. This is a must stop for any Wonderland fan out there!
Kotori Cafe
After a bit of shopping and a lot a bit of walking, the day was starting to wear on us, so we decided to stop by a cafe for a little caffeine pick-me-up. Needless to say I certainly wasn’t going to settle for just any cafe. So, I picked Kotori Cafe, the most adorable bird themed cafe you will ever see! Inside, the cafe is filled with adorable little trinkets and souvenirs for purchase, as well as a lovely little bird enclosure in the center.
Of course a cafe like this wouldn’t be complete without adorable little bird themed tarts to go with it. I don’t know, there was just something incredibly relaxing about sipping on some coffee and munching on some tasty tarts while watching adorable little birds play. What’s even better is that you can even pay a bit extra for some one-on-one time with them. I wrote a whole other post on this cafe so be sure to check it out HERE.
Takopa (Takoyaki Park)
After refueling and resting up a bit, we set off for Universal City Walk to check into our hotel. After lugging our baggage with us all day, it was a literal weight off our shoulders to finally get to drop them off. Since our hotel was right on City walk, we spent the rest of our evening checking out the stores and hunting for food.
We ended up finishing our food escapades for the day at Takopa (formerly known as the Takoyaki Museum). We had eaten there the last time we were in Osaka and absolutely fell in love, so it was kind of a no brainer. They had changed it up bit since the last time we were there, but takoyaki was just as amazing as we remembered. If you haven’t tried “cheese black takoyaki,” then you haven’t truly been living. It will change your life! Ok… maybe not life changing, but pretty darn close.
We tried two different shops and even indulged in two glasses of cold Asahi beer. It was the perfect ending to a pretty eventful day. It’s amazing how much you can see in a day with a little bit of planning and a little bit of wanderlust. Now for a day at Universal Studios Japan, but I’ll save that story for later.
Tokisushi (ときすし)
- Hours
- 11:00 am – 11:00 pm, Everyday
- Address
- 4-21 Nanbasennichimae Chuo-ku Osaka Osaka
- 大阪府 大阪市中央区 難波千日前4-21
- Phone
- +81 6-6632-0366
- Website
Ebisu Tower Ferris Wheel
- Hours
- 11:00 am – 11:00 pm, Everyday
- Address
- 〒542-0084 大阪府大阪市中央区宗右衛門町7-13
- 7-13 Soemon-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0084, Osaka Prefecture
- Phone
-
+81 6-6214-6511
-
- Website
Alice on Wednesday
- Hours
- 11:00 am – 7:30 pm, Monday~Friday
- 10:00 am – 7:30 pm, Saturday~Sunday & Holidays
- Address
- 大阪府大阪市中央区西心斎橋2-12-25朝日プラザ心斎橋 1F
- 2-12-25 Nishi-Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi Asahi Plaza Shinsaibashi 1F
- Phone
-
+81 6-6211-6506
-
- Website
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