Hiii everyone. longtime lurker, first time poster . I’m planning a 10 day Japan trip for 2 people this fall. We’re doing a modified golden route and we’re excited to have a mostly laid back itinerary but the part i’m concerned about is Osaka because we definitely don’t have enough time allocated there :(. I’m hoping to strike a balance between seeing a lot but also enjoying it/ not overwhelming ourselves. Any advice is appreciated!
Some notes:
-This is the first leg of our trip— we will also be stopping in Koyasan, Kyoto, Tokyo & Hakone
-The days following this itinerary will be less packed so I’m not too worried about being busier in Osaka, but I don’t want to cram this weekend to the point that it becomes stressful
-We’re mid20s & pretty active so walking is fine and often preferred, but I want to be efficient in deciding routes since our time is so limited
-Our main interests are: art, live music (especially local art/music scenes),
,temples&shrines, pop culture (mostly anime & movies) historic sites, just walking around. we’re not really into shopping so we aren’t planning on dedicating serious time to it, but we will def pick up souvenirs and maybe some records/cds/ anime merch lol
Friday
-Arrive in the evening
-Check in to hotel (staying in Dotonbori area)
-Dinner
-Drinks if we’re up for it (possibly Misono building?)
-Visit Hozen-ji temple (or other quick/nearby night sights- suggestions appreciated!)
Saturday
-Senko-ji temple
-Osaka castle (outside only)
-Kamigata Ukiyoe museum
-Record shopping/walking around Dotonbori
-Hopefully finding live music at night
Sunday
-Namba Yasaka Shrine
-check out of hotel
-Namba Station by midday to catch a train to Koyasan
My main questions:
-The attractions we planned for Saturday seem all over the city. Is it going to be hard/exhausting going between them all? What route is most efficient?
-Shin-Sekai and Shitenno-Ji are excluded. Will we regret that? If so, how could we fit it in?
-Is it worth going to Osaka castle if we won’t have time for the museum itself? We won’t be going to Himeji on this trip and def want to see a castle at some point
-Any other interesting sites we’re missing?
by Neat-Expression-5475