We’re currently living in Korea, and we will be making a trip to Osaka next week with the kids (6 and 8 y/o boys) for the first time. Really excited but nervous because Ive never been to Japan before!
Currently what I have loosely planned so far is:
Sunday:
-Arrive at the hotel (Park Front Hotel) around lunch time
-Leave our luggage at the front desk
-Grab a bite to eat either at the hotel or somewhere nearby
-Take a train or taxi to Dontombori to walk around and explore (if there are any kid friendly attractions, i would love some recs!)
-Grab dinner and dessert in Dontombori, and then head back to hotel
Monday:
-Breakfast at hotel
-Universal Studios all day!
Tuesday:
-Breakfast
-Aquarium
-Lunch somewhere near the aquarium (recs please!)
-Head over to see Osaka castle?
-???
Wednesday:
-We leave at 2pm, so we probably wont have too much time to do much.
Im kind of lost on what to do on Tuesday. Is there anything else to see near the aquarium and Osaka Castle? Would love to see as much as we can while we are in each area.
I would appreciate any recommendations! 🙏🏻
11 comments
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Right next to the aquarium is Lego land and a giant Ferris wheel. Do not get the see through bottom. It offers nothing and that line is slow as balls.
There’s lots of cool shrines to go and see. As well. Shitenoji is one of the oldest and namba has aka has a giant shisha dog head. Both were cool to see and buy the little knickknacks from.
Dontonburi is great but make sure you check out the side alleys for the better food. Most of the main strip and where running man are all clothing stores among other things. Take your time with Osaka castle. It’s a rather long walk however the weather should be perfect this time of year.
We are staying at the park front hotel Friday-Sunday! 😁 Your kids might be too old, but maybe check out the Kids Plaza!! Otherwise I would almost suggest going to Kyoto for that day and shifting the aquarium to your travel day.
I would do the aquarium, then the santa maria, lego land and the giant ferris wheel. Everything but the aquarium is included in the osaka amazing pass. Which also includes free metro rides. Also Osaka amazing is cheaper than just the legoland ticket.
If you do Lego land book a time asap. They only do timed entry. All of these atractions are right next to a giant mall full of food.
Osaka castle is abou 1-2 hours max so you can do it on the last day. My tip here is at the south enterance of osaka castle there are free guides. It was very informative.
Personally I found Dottonburi to be meh. The food is expensive and low kwality compared to the other posibilities.
I was just in Osaka two days ago.
Kuma Cafe is super close to the Aquarium/Ferris wheel, and it’s one of the best lunches I’ve ever had in my life. Very affordable, and generous portions of excellent food. In a sea of 3.5 star rates restaurants all over Osaka, this one popped up at a 5 star on Yelp, and it’s very well deserved.
Osaka Castle was okay, but with the crowds I’d pass unless you’re very into the history. The views at the top aren’t that noteworthy. The surrounding park area is probably the best part of going there, but I’d save the money on actually paying to go inside the castle.
With kids, I’d consider the Tenojii Zoo area (which is also a close walk to Shinsekai). Personally, Shinsekai felt like a cleaner and less crowded Dontonburi. Also, if you’re night is free, you’re a few stops away from Team Labs Botanical Garden. Very cool night experience.
We just left Osaka today. My kids (12 & 10), liked Dotonbori for the Ferris wheel ride on top of Don Quixote and the Pink Kawaii cafe. We also did karaoke at Pasala resort which was very kid friendly.
They could not car less about Osaka Castle but it’s a nice park to walk around.
My eldest liked the America Mura area for fashion (incl Big Step mall) but everything there was out of her price range. Both liked the mini pig cafe (mipig) nearby.
Aquarium is fantastic. My 6 year old loved it. Get your tickets online so you know your entry time ASAP.
There is a mall next door and the food court is great. Legoland is in there. My kid again had fun there but it is seriously boring as hell for adults.
Osaka castle…wasn’t a hit for my kid. The adults loved it though. Beautiful park, beautiful castle. Only thing my kid liked there was that he got a toy sword from the ninja store in the shop nearby.
Mino oh park, day trip to Kobe , day trip to nara. If you can try to visit kanazawa but the traveling to and from osaka is lengthy so I would recommend at least 2 days to make it worth it
>Take a train or taxi to Dontombori
Take the train, it’s not too hard. There’s only one train change. Although you do have to leave the station and enter a different station, if you follow google maps you’ll be ok.
Namba station has so much food choices, if you can’t find anything in Dotonburi. I think the hardest part is knowing that you can’t possibly eat everything you see, but it’s all good.
Kids Plaza Osaka (in the Kita district) is a great place for kids to explore- and a nice *backup plan* for any rainy days. This is a great family friendly museum with so many interactive fun exhibits. There’s a science section… a cultural section… a TV studio… and *Kids Town Playground* (on the 4th floor) designed by artist – Friedensreich Hundertwasser… there are colorful, fun bridges, walls and slides. Oh… and there is a wonderful playground at Ogimachi Park located right behind Kids Plaza Osaka, if the weather is nice. 🫶🏿
Takoyaki