Yay, another Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka trip report. Coming back and going straight into holiday mode delayed this write up, but here we go.
**Background**: Me + 1 friend. This is trip 5 to Japan. 4th time in Tokyo, 1st time in Kyoto somehow. Not going with anyone else new so there are a few places where we don’t have to go to for touristy reasons. Yes! I’m a wanderer/explorer and look for food products to bring back home to play with in the kitchen. I also want a good meal or two per day! Friend wants all the models. Trust is made that I don’t run us into a crappy restaurant.
Japanese is not good. I’m pretty good at reading and then translating to words I know (food), but a lot of it is super broken Japanese with the vocabulary of a 4-year old. We get by.
**Food plan:** A few spots that I zeroed in on, but really this was going to be wandering around and finding something, or using Google Maps on the spot to find something in the area. I find it’s way too difficult looking for places to eat from home, months in advance. Plus in a country like Japan, it’s hard to go wrong.
**Trip**: Flew into Tokyo, 3 nights in Tokyo, 2 nights in Kyoto, 4 nights in Osaka, flew from KIX->HND->Home (with a 1:15 layover at HND thanks to the return flight being moved up 2 hours; thanks JAL!). Flight was booked in January (!) which is way earlier than I’m comfortable with, but the price was good and thankfully (for us) the exchange rate stayed in the tank.
**Hotels:** Motivation for the hotels was proximity to the major train stations. We’ve dragged suitcases through Tokyo train stations before and would prefer not to relive that experience if we don’t have to. This did work out.
**Day 1/Arrival into Narita**: Pleasant JAL flight, but the food was awful. Even by airline standards. No cup instant udon! Arrived at 4pm and we were on the platform waiting for the NRT Express by 5pm. We did to the VisitJapanWeb prior to arrival. It probably cost us more time. It definitely saved 0 time at immigration. At customs we stood in one of the dual Paper/QR code lines, then someone sent us to the far end of the area for the QR people and instead of a line of 7, it was a line of 70. Friend had time to go to the bathroom and come back. Into the hotel room before 6:30pm. Out to Roppongi Hills to meetup with a couple of friends for some yuzu ramen at Afuri. Wandered around the area and tried to checkout the illuminations. Too many IG influencers and Tiktokers. It was hard to dodge people and their phones. Found a crepe stall at Takeshita-dori that was still open past 9pm. Adrenaline wearing off. Need…sleep…
**\*Hotel\*** Hotel was the [Mitsui Garden Hotel Kyobashi](https://www.gardenhotels.co.jp/kyobashi/eng/), a 4-star hotel within minutes of Tokyo Station and Kyobashi Station. The area around the hotel is quiet, which we like. This was 70,000 yen for the 3 nights. A little pricier than we’d like but location, location, location. Exchange rate softens the blow. Hotel is nice, larger than your standard Japan hotel room. There was even a couch, table and a desk! There’s a lounge/cafe area that has free coffee and tea in the afternoons. Check-in done through a kiosk. No complaints.
**Day 2/Kappabashi, Ueno, Ameyayokocho, Akihabara, Shinjuku:** Jet leg always hits and so up at 7am with no real place to go (why don’t you open earlier Japan!). Headed over to Kappabashi “Kitchen” Street which was much more interesting than I originally thought. Spent over an hour here looking at all the various kitchen items, tableware etc.
Over to Ueno and Ameyayokocho for the first time. Honestly was way too crowded to really look at a lot of the things. Found a few things to bring home that I had been on the eye for and quickly left for the walk to Akihabara. Found a Uniqlo on the way, across from Okachimachi station so we wandered in. And up. There’s always food. I didn’t really have anything planned but we came across a few restaurants on the top floor of the Uniqlo building.
**\*Lunch\*** We settled for tantan ramen at [Enishi Stand](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g14134274-d23979146-Reviews-Enishi_Stand_Okachimachi-Ueno_Taito_Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html) (\~1100yen/$7.43USD). Tablet ordering is the greatest invention ever. Solid bowl of noodles and as a spicy food lover, Japan isn’t great but this hits the spot. 8/10.
Over to Akiba, walking through the collection of artisan shops at [2k540](https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/shopping/2k540-aki-oka-artisan). I think Tokyo’s been missing this kind of thing and it was good to walk through this area. Also, it was covered so it warmer than the outside. Spent a few hours at Akiba. Friend was planning his Yodobashi purchases for later in the trip. Jetlag…lack of sleep…hotel….
After a rest stop at the hotel it was off to Shinjuku
**\*Dinner\*** was Tonkatsu [Katsukura Shinjuku Takashimaya](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Katsukura+Shinjuku+Takashimaya/@35.6908358,139.6957463,16z/data=!3m1!5s0x60188cc5494439c7:0x187c72f9079b852b!4m10!1m2!2m1!1sshinjuku+tonkatsu!3m6!1s0x60188cdab191eac5:0xbc589cf5d3bca9cb!8m2!3d35.6876313!4d139.7021224!15sChFzaGluanVrdSB0b25rYXRzdVoTIhFzaGluanVrdSB0b25rYXRzdZIBE3RvbmthdHN1X3Jlc3RhdXJhbnSaASRDaGREU1VoTk1HOW5TMFZKUTBGblNVUm9NSFJMUlhKQlJSQULgAQA!16s%2Fg%2F11cn0xklsz?entry=ttu). A wait of about 15 people only took 10-15 minutes. Order before you get in the door, get seated, get your food, eat it and get out. English menu available. Opted for the Tonkatsu + Yuba katsu roll with the cutest yuzu sorbet served in a ceramic yuzu. 8.5/10 how do they get this stuff so crunchy and light…
Wandered around Shinjuku for a few hours after and into the new Kabukicho Tower, which honestly looked a lot bigger in videos. The izakayas on the bottom floor were pretty empty and the crane game section on the next floor were also pretty empty.
Had the interest experience of walking through the plaza with the girls bar girls out with signs trying to get you to come in. Friend and I were the only ones walking through that area. That was…an experience. *Don’t make eye contact, don’t make eye contact…oh look english sign…oh crap….walk faster.*
**Day 3/Pokemon Cafe, Yokohama:** Friend found a loose 11:45 reservation at the Pokemon Cafe down the street so that’s lunch. It was okay. Food was better than I expected but not the hottest thing ever. It was also stupidly expensive USD$70 for two people! A Gengar came out, lights flashed, it glowed, things happened. It was one of those only-in-Japan experiences that I’m now good with not needing to do again.
Walked over to Ginza for a bit, stopping at Ginza Akebono for mochi, the Belgian Waffle place next door and Blue Bottle Coffee.
Off to Yokohama. First stop Gundam. So I really don’t get the big deal here, but it was cool to see this larger than life thing moving, “walking”, bending down. Interesting progression from Odaiba Unicorn Gundam to this. We watched the show from the side, for free. We then walked over to the Red Brick Warehouse and browsed around inside. The line to get into the Christmas Market was crazy long so we opted to go back to Tokyo instead.
**\*Dinner\*** was a standing sushi place tucked into a corner of Tokyo Station, [Sushi Hinatomaru](https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/restaurants/sushi-hinatomaru-tokyo-station). But, there were tables and it wasn’t that busy, so table it is. Great, affordable sushi. Staff were friendly. There was an english menu where you marked down what you wanted to order. A couple of full sushi plates cost less than the Pokemon Cafe!!!
Last day in Tokyo so friend wanted to pickup Tokyo Banana, although we later saw them in Osaka. I opted to stand in a small line at the TruffleBakery stand that was across the way. Fantastic croissant and their #1 Truffle Salted Butter Roll. 10/10. 13/10. 20/10.
Went over to Shibuya, mainly to checkout Miyashita Park. Longest line at the food court was for the Panda Express. Another neat, new area of Tokyo that I appreciated. The park up top was cool to walk through. There’s a skate park and a beach volleyball court up there too.
**Day 4/Travel to Kyoto, Ninnenzaka, Sannenzaka, Kiyomizu-dera, Higashiyama, Gion:**
Okay, I didn’t realize it was that much in one day. Don’t do this if you can avoid it.
First time in Kyoto and a place that I was really looking forward too. I’m not a big Tokyo fan, but Kyoto seemed like it’d be up my alley. The advantage of having a hotel near Tokyo Station was that the jetlag induced 6am wakeup call meant we could check the Nozomi Shinkansen trains schedule and plan accordingly. By 7am we were on the platform and on the train. Tried the JR Coffee Vending Machine on the platform which wasn’t terrible.
**\*Hotel\*** Stayed 2 nights at the [Hotel Keihan Kyoto Ekiminami](https://kyotoekiminami.hotelkeihan.co.jp/), a 4-star hotel located across the street on the south side of Kyoto Station. 30,000 yen/USD$206 for 2 nights is a steal, I think. Smaller than the Tokyo hotel room, slightly larger than average. It had space for a desk and a table, no couch. This is my standard unit of measurement. Breakfast was included and could be eaten at the restaurant or taken to go. You could also opt for a collection of snacks and a beer if you missed breakfast.
Dropped bags off at the hotel, got right back on the train and out to Kiyomizu-dera. Followed the signs, and the people and we were up at the top by 10:45, less than 3.5 hours from takeoff from Tokyo station. It made my little planner heart smile. The views from kiyomizu-dera are truly breathtaking. There are a lot people around and some school field trips. You can find soft, quiet places to look around and take some pictures. We moved off to the left of the temples and found areas where nobody was around, then started are descent.
I’ll be honest, I don’t know if we were on Ninnenzaka, Sannenzaka or both. I know we missed the Starbucks. We were just wandering from store to store and turning when our gut told us to turn. Found a really nice warabi mochi place that had samples turned into purchases. There was a wagyu croquette place that I couldn’t tell you where it was. There were a few coffee places. Stopped into Kyoto Coffee Company which was too acidic for me. It was just a really fun area to get lost and wander around. We had tons of time to do so.
We had a lunch reservation at 2pm in Gion, so over Hagashiyama to walk along the shopping street there. Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous place for the wallet. Spent a few hours there. We were still way too early for our reservation and ended up just wandering along the Kamo river. Recommended.
**\*Lunch\*** was at [Gion Ichiho](https://gionichiho.com/) a small, affordable omakase place serving canape sushi. It’s tucked away in a residential kind of area, so it can be hard to find. Reservations are readily available. The salad was made in front of us, but the sushi themselves were already prepared. It was a different combination of sushi and a different style. Very appealing to the eye too. The most expensive set is 2900 yen. Cheaper than the Pokemon Cafe. Not the most filling lunch ever, but an experience and they were super nice. 9/10. Would go back.
The newly opened Nintendo Store was near by so we went there and wandered around. Went up to the roof thinking it was something and it’s only a photo opp. We ducked out and headed to check-in.
The plan was to go to Senbon Torii and Fushimi-Inari that night, but as you can see above we were exhausted, so that very much did not happen. Always got to leave something for the next trip, right?
**\*Dinner\*** was at [Yakiniku Yaruki](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Yakiniku+Yaruki+Kyoto+station/@34.9838495,135.7585627,20.29z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x600109285f6e1d45:0x2d1caf8063682c7c!2sIchiho!8m2!3d35.0013727!4d135.7720022!16s%2Fg%2F11s5chldbr!3m5!1s0x6001098be2fc53ef:0x4da2d2eea14d4c11!8m2!3d34.983801!4d135.7591208!16s%2Fg%2F11h6m85l0y?entry=ttu) which was down the street from the hotel. Little bit of at wait at 6pm. Not a bad place. Order on the tablet, food comes quick and you cook it at your table. Nothing to write home about though. If we’re being honest, this was a miss, but in the end its grilled meat, it’s hard to really wrong. 6.5/10. We snacked on the limited edition gracoro burger from McDonalds later anyway.
**Day 5/Arashimaya, Nishiki Market:** Okay, this day was doable.
Over to the Bamboo Forest by 9:30am. I’m sure it got more and more crowded later. More IGers and TikTokers. The deeper you get the fewer people there are. Not sure how far we got, but the bamboo stopped at some point and there was a fork in the road. We went left at the fork, I think there was a tea place to the right. We ended up out of the bamboo and into an area along the river. The fall colors were still in effect so that made for a really pleasant walk with barely anyone around. The follow the path along the river back to the shopping street. Just an absolutely gorgeous area to walk around in. I thought the Bamboo Forest would be a let down. It wasn’t, as long as you keep walking.
I swear, half the people in the area were lined up at Arabica Coffee. It was crazy.
**\*Lunch\*** Killed time at the shopping street, another dangerous area for the wallet. We lined up at 10:45am for Soba at Arashimaya Yoshimura, overlooking the river. At 11am the line moved and when you got to the front, they told when you a time to come back. 11:45. Not bad. We got a seat at the counter over looking the street, river and mountainside. Lucky. Lunch was a soba and tendon set for \~2,200yen(?)/USD$15. Cheaper than the Pokemon Cafe.
Because when in Japan, you have to get gelato…went to award winning gelato at [Gelato Shinpachi Chaya](https://maps.app.goo.gl/my5M7GfJXwGjeEYFA). Asian flavors like black sesame and soy milk in gelato form. Very solid. Yes, it was cold outside too.
Over to Nishiki Market where there were a couple of things I had my eye on like a furikake stall in there. We found it and a some black sesame dressing from another store specializing in sesame seeds. And a Snoopy/Peanuts store. I would’ve liked to come here in the morning when it would’ve been less people. It was a very tight squeeze in most places. Back to hotel; gotta pack.
**\*Dinner\*** was close to the station. Kyoto station has a Ramen area called [Kyoto-Ramen Koji](https://www.kyoto-ramen-koji.com/english/index.html). We opted for Tokushima style ramen at Ramen Todai. Order at the kiosk outside, spits out a ticket, hand the ticket over, get seated, get food, eat and get out. I had the sukiyaki ramen which was rich and delicious. 7.5/10. The ramen area will lead you to the skyway above Kyoto station for some nice views of Kyoto Tower.
Wandered around Kyoto Station, found an elevated area where a student had taken over a piano and was playing a medley of Disney songs. Went into Yodobashi for more scouting.
**Day 6 (Saturday)/Travel Day, Uji, Osaka.**
Highlight of the trip really. Checked out of the hotel and left the bags with them.
Half-day trip to Uji. I like japanese teas, so Uji seemed like the place to go. It’s about a 30 minute ride from Kyoto station and the train gets pretty empty past Fushimi-Iniari. Most stores don’t open until 10am. We were there a little after 9:30am. Took a left out of the station and walked along the street along the Uji Bridge, over the Uji River. Immediate right down a residential street until we came to the Asagiribashi Bridge. There’s the Uji shrine to the left and the bridge to the right. Over the bridge to Tachibana Island and over another bridge back to the original side of the Uji River. Just absolutely gorgeous views here. It’s quiet, especially at this “early” hour. There were next to no tourists around, just a lot of locals doing morning walks and jogs. Also the most dogs I’ve seen in Japan. Always a plus.
Back North, past the Starbucks, the street is just lined with tea shops. Some have been there for decades. They’re all trying to get you into their shop, offering free samples of sencha. Not my favorite, but whatever. Bought a few things from a few stores and then went down Ujibashi Street towards the station.
**\*Lunch\*** Because when in Japan, you have to get…pizza? Over to [Antica Pizzeria L’Asinello](https://www.instagram.com/antica_pizzeria_lasinello/). So I’m not a pizza expert, never been to Italy but this was bonafide just good. Got their Margherita and the L’asinello which has porchetta on it. They were quick and even threw in a few free bomboloni for us. 10/10. Yes, you can go get their strange matcha creations like matcha gyoza, matcha curry, matcha ramen, matcha beer…but…pizza. Made the right choice here.
Also recommend [Hoho Hojicha](https://maps.app.goo.gl/g1CAarqJXR3uAHzKA) for, well, hojicha. The place smells of hojicha and they have the tea for sale as well as drinks.
Everyone goes to Nakamura Tokichi Honten for their tea souvenirs. They do a tea tasing there as well. They have the benefit of having a large store and being right across from the JR Uji Station. There are samples there as well and an overwhelming tea selection.
Back to Kyoto to pickup the bags and onto the Limited Express THUNDERBIRD from Kyoto Station to Osaka-Umeda Station. Shinkansen goes to Shin Osaka and with bags, a transfer was not exactly what we wanted. Also, THUNDERBIRD.
Quick 30 minute ride to Osaka-Umeda Station, which is a city in and of itself. The great thing about the hotel was it had an exit connected directly to the underground mall. One of the underground malls. Why are there like six of these things here? 15 minutes and a few wrong turns later and realizing we should’ve just walked the streets instead, we arrived.
**\*Hotel\*** stay was at the [Ibis Osaka Umeda](https://all.accor.com/hotel/A5U8/index.en.shtml), a 3-star hotel, directly connected by Whity Mall Exit 7-72 to Osaka Umeda. Sure. Now THIS was a Japanese sized room. This clocked in at 62,000 yen for 4 nights, or USD$422. There was barely room for an extra chair and the two beds. Bathroom actually felt larger than normal. Anyway, nice hotel, nice location, no complaints. If you stay here, navigating the streets is better than navigating the underground, but, if you’re on the hunt for food, stay underground, there’s so much of it. The Osaka Umeda area is so massive with shops and restaurants that if that’s your thing, look no further. Don Qujiote is a minute away along with an Ippudo, Matsuya, Round 1. Yodobashi is 8 minutes away. There’s a Uniqlo. Or 4. We did not see all of it. There’s just no way.
I wandered around/got lost in the maze of underground malls. Friend went to get [his ears cleaned](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Baa_Db8RfxM).
**\*Dinner\*** was [Gyukatsu Motomura](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gyukatsu+Motomura/@34.7034745,135.4964894,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xffd30602a56500c9?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiIqNXTi66DAxXGJDQIHcqsDp8Q_BJ6BAgQEAA) on top of the Lucua Mall at Osaka-Umeda. Seen this place mentioned several times here and I’ve been to the one in Shibuya before. One of those things that I don’t see outside of Japan. Line was about 30 people, mostly foreigners. Wait was about 25 minutes.
It’s fried steak, hard to go wrong here. Also cheaper than the Pokemon Cafe. 8/10.
Wandered around the Osaka Umeda area. Yodobashi for more scouting. It’s all a blur. That area is overwhelming.
**Day 7 (Sunday)/Namba:** Throttling down for the most part. A lot of go! go! go!, especially in Kyoto. With no more hotel movement, time to just wander around wherever. Especially in Japan’s Kitchen. We headed over to Namba for a few food shops and a Bic Camera.
**\*Lunch\*** was [Oretachino](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Oretachino-curry+Ramen+Koji+Labo+Osaka-namba/@34.6632685,135.503521,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x6000e76bd72a31b9:0x83b9d8d114f5310d!8m2!3d34.6632685!4d135.503521!16s%2Fg%2F1wfcp0qc?hl=en-US&entry=ttu) for curry, a small 10-seater with kiosk ordering. They serve curry over rice and curry ramen. I went for the chicken katsu curry with an onsen egg. Delicious. Highly recommend. 9.5/10. 1,100 yen/USD$6.75, or 1/5th of a Pokemon Cafe lunch.
Back to the Osaka-Umeda area just to wander around some more.
**\*Dinner\*** was this [Okonomiyaki Place](https://www.google.com/maps/place/%E3%81%8A%E5%A5%BD%E3%81%BF%E7%84%BC%E3%81%8D%E9%85%92%E5%A0%B4+%E7%B2%89%E3%82%82%E3%82%93%E5%A4%AA%E9%83%8E+%E5%A4%A7%E9%98%AA%E6%A2%85%E7%94%B0%E5%BA%97/@34.7038603,135.5005783,17z/data=!3m1!5s0x6000e693759fa8f1:0x4ceb5b051d27f988!4m17!1m10!3m9!1s0x6000e7d7db7b3735:0xbc06b68ed3a39998!2z44GK5aW944G_54S844GN6YWS5aC0IOeyieOCguOCk-WkqumDjiDlpKfpmKrmooXnlLDlupc!8m2!3d34.7038649!4d135.5005779!10e5!14m1!1BCgIYIg!16s%2Fg%2F11vbt3cnl7!3m5!1s0x6000e7d7db7b3735:0xbc06b68ed3a39998!8m2!3d34.7038649!4d135.5005779!16s%2Fg%2F11vbt3cnl7?hl=en-US&entry=ttu). Lots of locals here so that’s a good check. Ordering off of your phone via QR code (if you don’t have wifi, steal it from the coffee chain next door). Food was delicious and didn’t require standing in line at some of the more popular places. Each okonimyaki was in the 800-900 yen range. If you’re not sure you’re in the right place, look inside to the right and see the giant NIPPON in lights
**Day 8/Kuromon Market/DenDenTown**. There’s a few shops in Kuromon Market that we visited the last time, 5 years ago. We wanted to see if they were still there. One was a shop selling various character towels. Friend wanted some Totoro ones. Sadly the tea shop across the street had closed.
The owners retired. Earlier you go at Kuromon the better.
Friend wanted to go to Mandarake at DenDenTown and it was a little bit of a walk. Didn’t realize that they didn’t open until Noon. We found some shops to kill a lot of time in, but the choices for food in the area were sparse. Opted back to the hotel area and had
**\*Lunch\*** at Onyasai, a shabu chain with an AYCE option. If you’re going here, the name is not written out in romanized letter. The logo is easily recognizable, so study. We’ve been to Nabezo, another shabu chain, but this one offered other hot foods than the typical shabu stuff. Everything is ordered to the table via tablet. I think it was about 3900 yen, or $26 USD for the AYCE option. There was no one in the restaurant at 2pm on a Monday so service was quick. They give you a guide on how to initially order what kind of setup you want for your shabu, but then from there the tablet has a language option. Why the whole thing doesn’t have a language option from the start is a mystery. 8/10. AYCE…cheaper than Gengar glow in the dark show.
And then there was more wandering around Osaka Umeda and more getting lost. Still didn’t see everything.
**\*Dinner\*** having stuffed ourselves at an AYCE place in the early afternoon, dinner came in the form of the [Osaka Takoyaki Market](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Osaka+Takoyaki+Market/@34.7037666,135.5001033,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xfb2f601c474ba20b?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjo3Lu1ka6DAxX7PkQIHZDeDhQQ_BJ6BAhDEAA) which is near the above Okonomiyaki place and the Onyasai, behind the Ippudo and across from the Don Quijote/Round 1. Five takoyaki places all in one without the massive crowds of Dotobori. Cheapest set of 8 ball is 500 yen here, ranging up to 1,000yen+ for more of the fancier topped ones. Tables inside and out for you eat at. Kiosks for you to order at. Tried a few. They’re takoyaki. They still all burn the same. 8/10 for the experience. I’m not thinking about how many takoyaki you can get vs an Eevee variety plate. Nope.
**Day 9/Shinsekai/Run around**
Last day is always reserved to do any shopping and last minute pickup of things. Also allows time to see how much space and weight you have in your suitcase.
Off to Shinsekai, which, I thought said most of the places open at 10am. They do not. Some guides will also tell you that night time is a no go here. I can imagine that there’s a sweet spot, but it’s not 10am. Most of the places were not open. There were some cool retro arcades and a few shops open. There was also a Pringles store underneath the Tsutenkaku tower. Otherwise, ghost town at this hour. There’s a mega donki with a pachinko parlor underneath that made us go briefly deaf.
**\*Lunch\*** after some shopping stops, it was off to [Bikkuri Donkey](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bikkuri+Donkey+Dotonbori/@34.6590888,135.48504,15z/data=!3m1!5s0x6000e714807123b7:0x9d76306cd8ab1ee!4m6!3m5!1s0x6000e714e5fc413f:0xd25be6fcb6bd2093!8m2!3d34.6688446!4d135.5017298!16s%2Fg%2F1tjfgqyw?entry=ttu), a chain of mining/log cabin (?) themed hamburg steak restaurants. I’d seen it in YT videos before and it popped up as being nearby and so at risk of eating at a bust restaurant, we visited the Donkey. It was actually good! Ordering off a tablet. They had an anniversary special which included a 150g hamburg steak, salad, miso soup, fries or parfait, coffee or OJ for roughly 1100 yen give or take your hamburg steak toppings. The amount of fries were huge, enough for two people to share. It’s even a self-serve check out. Scan your QR receipt and pay. Brilliant. 7.5/10. 9/10 for the theme.
One of my other friend’s requests was that I try the crab ice cream next door to the Bikkuri Donkey at Dotobori. At 300 yen, sure. This was exactly what it says it is, although the lady looked at me weird when I said I wanted ice cream when it was 50 degrees F outside. It was rock solid and remained rock solid until we got back to the hotel. It’s vanilla ice cream topped with crab. It’s salty, slightly sweet and crabby. You make of that what you will. It was not awful. incomplete/10. I still don’t know what I’m supposed to think of it.
Packing, reconfiguring, reallocating, repacking later…
**\*Dinner\*** Final dinner over at Hakodate Kantaro, a higher end conveyor belt sushi restaurant on top of the Grand Front Osaka. You can pull off the conveyor belt or hit up the tablet to order and the sushi chefs will bring it right to you. Good, different selection of stuff. 9/10. Friend got sick from eating at a cheap kaitenzushi place last time and that didn’t happen here so that’s a plus. Also. Cheaper than Pokemon Cafe.
We totally forgot about the Lobster sauce and Truffle Steak Sauce for the McDonalds Chicken McNuggets. Gotta get those. We did. There was much regret. Lobster sauce tasted like a fish market. Truffle Steak Sauce tasted like A1 + Worcestershire. At least the fries and nuggets are of better quality than the ones in the US.
**Day 10/Travel**
Back home with a KIX->HND flight to start. Flight wasn’t until 3pm, but with checkout at 11am, we felt it was best to just leave for the airport, but not before I found a Truffle Bakery 15 minutes away. I got there before they opened and grabbed my allotment of truffle salted butter rolls and croissants for home. They didn’t make it in tact, but still tasted good.
Did I mention this hotel is connected to Osaka-Umeda, but it’s still rather far?! There is the [JR Haruka Limited Express](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgl9BzDZgMc&t=166s&pp=ygUNSlIgSGFydWthIEtJWA%3D%3D) to KIX airport which is quite the walk from the hotel. There’s a YT video telling you how to get there, it was very helpful. We were very early to the platform and that’s fine. We had bought our tickets the night before. It’s an hour to KIX on the Hello Kitty train. Seriously cute.
Off at KIX, no line to check-in. They checked our bags through to the final destination, because we have only at 75 minute layover at HND with terminal transfer. We were slightly anxious. Okay, very anxious. No one at the security line for the domestic terminal so it was easy to walk on through.
**\*Lunch\*** was at the Botejyu 1946 in the Domestic Terminal at KIX, post-security. I have Priority Pass with Chase Sapphire Reserve so I get 6,800yen worth of food for the two of us. One main, one side and a drink and we only had to pay 400 yen. Chirashi Don and Karaage for my friend, braised pork and gyoza for me. Does the job. Probably would’ve eaten at one of the other restaurants outside of security had it not been for Priority Pass. 7.5/10.
**\*HND Transfer\*** To transfer from T1 to T3 at HND you have two options. The free shuttle bus outside or the public Keikyu railway, one stop, departing every 5 minutes. Friend went through (over)meticulous planning to find the most optimized route through the airport and the most efficient mode of transfer. We went on the public train, but first you have to stop at the information desk, show them your transfer ticket and your passport, they give you a paper voucher, which you had to the station attendant. They change the paper into a normal train ticket that goes through the fare gate. After 1 stop, you’re at the terminal.
The moment of truth was going to be the security and immigration lines at HND. If they were long, we were going to have to sumimasen and excuse me, MY FLIGHT LEAVES SOON, kind of deal. We crested the hill over the escalator and…the terminal was empty. It was like a covid-era ghost town. Flew through security and immigration with no issues.
First plane arrived at the gate at 4:15pm, we were in the international terminal by 4:45pm for a 5:30 flight. Enough to go to the 7-11 and stock up one last time.
Flight home was delayed leaving HND. The meals were again, terrible, even for airline food. JAL has this meal by MUJI that they serve you as a light meal. It’s edible but looks like gelatinous, gooey mess. It’s just terrible. I remember JAL being better.
If you have Global Entry/Trusted Traveler in the US, that process is so much simpler now. Face scan at the kiosk, get in line, get called to the person at the window. Do you have anything to declare? No. Okay have a good day. Didn’t even take out my passport.
**Things we passed on:**
* Christmas at Disneyland/DisneySea. Not the biggest Disney fans, but been to both of these parks before and the people watching and experience is unique, but with a limited time in Tokyo this wasn’t going to work. Thought about doing the late night pass, but would rather see the city instead. Tokyo is decked out in Christmas lights anway.
* Tokyo or Yokohama Christmas Market. There are other free entry Christmas Markets, but these two were the biggest. Opted for Yokohama over Tokyo but the line was so long that we didn’t bother and because we ran out of time we also didn’t make it to Tokyo. Mug looked good the food, I heard, was horrible. I saw someone on YT crunch into a churro.
* USJ. This would’ve really been for Super Nintendo World, but we didn’t make a move on the Express Pass in time and weren’t interested in spending our limited time standing in line for a few rides. Next time.
* Senbon Torii/Fushimi Inari. Plan was to go early or go late. Itinerary was pushing it so we opted out of this one. Next time.
**Things that did not work:**
* I think I’d reverse the order. Go out to Osaka first, then make the way back and fly out of Tokyo. There were a lot of things that could go wrong on that domestic flight. There were a few times in the past two weeks where that flight was so late, we would’ve missed our flight home. Undue stress. I’ve seen folks suggest that here too. Going far out and working your way back.
* That Osaka hotel was cheap, clean, did the trick. But, if we’re talking proximity to station, this was not it. I think the area was great, there were a few hotels closer. Objects on Google Map are farther than they appear.
* Pokem…nevermind you already know.
**Must Repeat:**
* Uji for sure, Kyoto by extension. That pizza was marvelous. There were a few dessert/drink places that we didn’t get to like Matcha Republic and Tadanari Pudding
* Ninnenzaka, Sannenzaka, Kiyomizu-dera. Really liked that area.
* Truffle Bakery
by ChoAyo8