Hiya
Headed to Osaka with my elderly mother in about a week and a half. A very last minute decision but flights were at a good price and I wanted to bring my mother somewhere fun since my family could not afford to travel when I was a child and I can now finally afford my own holidays.
We will be there for about 9 days, so far the only things I’ve done are book flight tickets and a hotel room. It should be a chill trip, not planning to pack our itinerary full of stuff but I thought I should still check in here for tips and to make sure I’m not going to do anything stupid.
Will pick up the Kansai One pass together with the discounted round trip tickets for the Haruka train. I will also reserve a Kansai area pass for 4 days from the 2nd to 5th day.
Will probably be exhausted on the first day, so first day will be limited to resting and exploring the area immediate around our hotel. Will be staying somewhere near Shinsaibashi station at this hotel called Hotel The Flag, so day one will probably be Shinsaibashi shopping street and Dotonbori. Then the trip will probably go like this:
Day 2, day trip to Kyoto, check out Nijo castle, probably get lunch and Nishiki market, probably Fushimi Inari
Day 3, day trip to Nara, check out Nara park, explore the city
Day 4, day trip to Kobe, explore the city
Day 5, Himeji castle, explore city
The rest of the trip will probably be spent exploring Osaka unless we feel like taking a day trip out to the surrounding cities again.
Obviously I haven’t figured out what to see but I’ll sort that out eventually.
I do have a few questions:
1. Where can I pick up a SIM card and could I possibly reserve one online? Which SIM card to go for? I
2. We will probably hit up only one temple in Kyoto. Thoughts on where we should go? Considering that it’s autumn now, a temple with views would be amazing.
3. Might be a strange question but I have to get a new pair of glasses and would be grateful for suggestions on any interesting local brands (that isn’t Owndays or Zoff) or shops I should check out. Won’t need lenses, I can have them made when I go home.
4. Reliable websites and sources for research please?
I will want to do some research as well but if anyone has suggestions on where to go (or where NOT to go), would be very grateful!
EDIT: OK I’ve found an online travel agency where I can reserve a Sakura Mobile 4G sim card with unlimited data for about 4,000ish yen yay! So got that sorted.
6 comments
1. You can reserve a SIM Card or an e-SIM (depending on your phone) on-line. You should use the company that makes most sense for you, based on data patterns.
2. I would probably go for a major temple complex with different vibes in subtemples (gardens, zen gardens etc.), so probably Nanzen-ji as it is a place, where you can spend most of the day at your own pace. Daitoku-ji is also an option (with slight benefit that if you really want to get that Kinkaku-ji – it’s an option). Myoshin-ji is also an option if you are looking for place, which not a lot people visit. I would generally avoid Kiyomizu-dera, because of the crowds and fairly steep and crowding streets leading into it. Also: first decade of November is not an autumn foliage time (yet) in Kansai and this season appears to be a fairly late one.
Research-wise: see resources in a sidebar (start with Japan-Guide.com and JNTO).
I have doubts about Kansai area pass. Yes for Himeji, but the other are likely not expensive enough to justify and/or a non JR train might be better, like direct route to a more interesting area. For example, going to Nara you should consider using Kintetsu as their station is closer to Nara park.
Even for the train from the airport, compare cost with the Nankai limited express train, I think that Namba is closer to the hotel than Osaka station.
Kyoto likely Higadhiyama or Arashiyama. I would probably go to the first.
I use Japan-guide.com quite often.
I have heard the aquarium in Osaka is pretty good.
You may need 2 days in Kyoto. There are many interesting places. I’d recommend Kiyomizudera, Gion, Arashiyama.
I’ve been to Kobe and I wasn’t sure there’s anything interesting there. Others might disagree.
Please buy Express Pass if you plan to go to Universal Studio. You don’t want to miss Super Nintendo World there. And the line for popular rides could be really long and tiring.
No way one day is enough for Kyoto and logistic in it
is your elderly mother mobile enough to cope with this itinerary? you are planning to walk at least 5k a day by my reckoning. that’s not what i would call a “chill” trip!
Could you DM me the agency selling the Sim card?