Exploring Osaka Day 2

Authentic Japanese restaurant

Today we planned to go to central Osaka to do some exploring in the area. Then go back to Dotonbori for dinner and more exploring. The first thing we wanted to do after we got to Osaka station was find food. But we got there at lunch time which means everyone is on lunch. We had a hard time finding a place to eat because all the restaurants were full of people on lunch break. So we just walked around until we found a place. We came across this Japanese restaurant which was basically empty, probably because it was far from the train station.

I ordered the tempura set. OMG it was soooo delicious. With the set I got veggie and shrimp tempura, salad and a noodle bowl. The meal cost 9,000 yen ($9), not bad for all this delicious food.

Maki lunch set

After lunch we went to the Umeda Sky Building. They have a great view of Osaka up there so we wanted to check it out. To get up to the observatory you have to take an elevator, a long escalator and stairs. But the view is very nice. It cost 3,000 yen ($3). There were two floors; the observatory and rooftop garden. The observatory has great 360 degree views of Osaka. There is also a heart shaped frame for couple with a cellphone holder so you can take selfies. 

View from the observation deck

Amazed by the view

The rooftop has 360 degree view of Osaka as well but it is a little obstructed but still a great view. There is also a love lock area as well. ​

This is the Japanese version of love locks. Not really a fan of these, there is only 3 colours to choose from. Also it just didn't look very appealing. 

After an hour at the Umeda building we planned to go to Osaka castle. This castle is one of the most famous in Japan and something that I really wanted to see in Osaka.

Osaka castle

To get to the castle you have to go through a few large stone walls. There is also a bridge you have to get across to get to the castle. The castle walls are very slanted so no one can climb up them.

The castle is very beautiful, I loved the gold accents on the building. We didn't get to go inside the castle because it was closed. Next time I go to Osaka I would love to go inside the castle.

After the castle we went back to our apartment to recharge our phone and WiFi box because we were supposed to meet a co-workers friend from university for dinner and had no way to get in contact. After he was able to get in touch with his friend we went to Dotonbori again. In Dotonbori there are a lot of people hanging around trying to get you to go into restaurants. One guy had like 6 different menu cards for restaurants. We told him we wanted sushi and he took us to a sushi restaurant. I'm not sure of the restaurant name since it was all in Japanese but the places was huge. It also had a great concept; the restaurant has private dining rooms which I loved. We ordered lots of different kinds of sushi. I think there was red snapper, salmon, shrimp, tuna, fish eggs and white fish. Hands down the best sushi I've EVER had. It tasted so fresh and was very delicate. Then we got fish tempura, which I didn't really care for.

We got more sushi which made me happy because it was yummy. We got salmon, red snapper, another type of fish with a really weird name and sea urchin. They were all delicious!

This one is a salmon roll with Japanese mayo and teriyaki sauce. They also used rice paper instead of seaweed. But again delicious. We also got sashimi but we ate it before I could take a picture.

This place was a lot more expensive than I really wanted to pay but I guess when in Osaka. The bill came up to 18,000 yen ($180) very expensive. We also got all you can drink beer for 3,000 ($30) which is a little on the expensive side. But Japan is not a cheap place to visit. After the dinner we went to a club randomly. It was along the Dotonbori canal. I have no recollection of the club name. All I remember was it was fun. For girls it was free to get in and free to drink, but their drinks tasted like juice.

​Guys were $30. We got free light up devil horns and light up rings. Also if girls danced on stage they got free shots of tequila, which tasted like Smirnoff ice lol. There were lots of foreigners there, but the place was quite crowded and tiny. I think we were there for about two hours, then we left to go do karaoke. I love karaoke but I was not feeling it that night i was so tired. I think I did about 2 songs in two hours. The night before we left for Japan I went to bed at 4 am so I didn't get to recover. I thought karaoke in Korea was crazy but Japan is on a whole other level! When I go back for a visit I will talk about it in more depth.