I recently returned to Japan after 5 years away (imposed by the pandemic) – I spent a couple of years living in Osaka (part of a working holiday visa, slightly extended) and returned to complete a few bucket list items, catch up with old friends and enjoy a little nostalgia.
I absolutely despised working in Japan, for all the obvious reasons, but man, I just love travelling around and enjoying being free there. It really is one of the best countries for tourism that I've visited
My itinerary involved quite a few less obvious items, so I thought I'd throw them out there for anyone who's interested in a slightly off the beaten path adventure.
Day 1 – arrived on an overnight flight and caught up on sleep. Visited lots of supermarkets and combinis to check out the latest snacks and booze + a catch up with friends at Torikizoku (prices have increased, but still a bargain)
Day 2 – Took a drive into Kyoto, for a peaceful morning walk up the Philosopher's Path, a brilliant nature retreat, which wasn't too hot or crowded on a weekend morning in summer. Passed by Arashiyama on the way, and saw absolute hordes of people, even in the early morning, so was glad to pass that up. One of the souvenir stands there had a lovely chat with us about meeting David Bowie and Iman (who took their honeymoon in Kyoto back in the 90s) and a connection to a friend who gifted the late Princess Diana a 100 million yen kimono. Fascinating stuff. Had lunch at Omen Udon, which appeared to be an extremely popular spot, with a long line for lunch. To be honest, it was so so at best. I prefer a heartier, less delicate, less pretentious Udon experience.
Later, we passed by Uji, the spiritual home of matcha. Had a delightful green tea ice cream at one of the area's oldest tea houses, Tsuen Tea. A short walk across the town bridge gives visitors the chance for look at the building featured on Japan's 10 Yen coin, plus the usual street full of touristy omiyage shops (in Uji featuring matcha everything – gyoza, soba, even takoyaki)
Day 3 – a walk around Osaka Castle Park + a delightful breakfast at R Bakery
Day 4 – exploring my old neighbourhood for a self guided food tour. Sembayashi Shotengai is easy to reach by the Keihan Train Line, or the Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line – it's often referred to as the longest shopping arcade in Osaka (disputable). Much more authentic an experience than Dotonbori, with some really superb and reasonably priced eats. Vendors around here really exhibit the friendly Osakan stereotype. I recommend arriving with an appetite as there's lots of tasty stuff to be had. My top eats would be Curry Daiya, Kadoya Ice Cream, 99 Yen Bakery, A Takoyaki Stand – 200 Yen for 8 pieces, and lastly Ramen Marco, (it opened when I lived there and has now developed a big following)
Day 5 – I booked a bus tour to Nagashima Spa Land with WILLER. I always wanted to go during my spell in Japan, but couldn't seem to find the time. It's now easier to get there directly from Osaka for a day trip. Steel Dragon 2000 and Hakugei are probably the best rollercoasters I've ever ridden. Steel Dragon looks absolutely terrifying, and is the longest rollercoaster track in the world, also the 5th highest. In fact, it's a very fun ride, once you get over the sheer height of it. Hakugei is an insane hybrid coaster, with a wooden base and steel track. It's starting to feature in many best of lists, since it's 2019 opening. Best of all, the park is pretty much dead on a weekday. Each ride had zero queues. They also have a really wonderful onsen for relaxing before or after the park, or if things shut down during rainy spells.
Day 6 – A couple of good friends took us out to a super exclusive Katsu restaurant. Tonkatsu Manger is about a 30 minute train ride from downtown. This one is for the truly dedicated, as it requires customers to arrive in the early morning to write down their names for a lunch booking. Our friend dropped in around 7am, and we ended up being called in to eat around 1.30pm. That aside, it's a truly superb experience for those dedicated to Katsu.
Day 7 – this is a really big insider tip. Gyomu Super is the supermarket beloved by expats in Japan, for it's low prices and huge range of interesting imported products, for those tired of daily Japanese cuisine. This particular branch seems to specialise in supplying yakiniku restaurants. It has obscene deals on rich, juicy, delicious wagyu beef. They're at the very back of the store and priced between 3000 and 7000 yen, depending on weight. Restaurants are likely to slice these hefts of meat into thin grillable pieces. I like to cook the whole thing in a more Western style, and it really is just absolutely delicious. I would come back to Osaka just to do that again. So that last day was spent going shopping, cooking and relaxing with my friends.
The rest of my time was pretty much a blur of wandering around, sampling some of the new crafty beers and chu-his at convenience stores, and a little bit of izakaya hopping around Umeda and Namba.
All in all a great trip. Thanks for reading.
by Mojitomorrow