Sayonara Tokyo – konnichiwa Osaka!

One last stopover before heading back to my relatives. When we were small, we used to spend some days in Osaka before we continue travelling ‘home’ to my granny & co. Since I discovered crazy Tokyo, I don’t visit Kansai that much anymore (I take a direct flight from Tokyo to Tottori instead). I personally think that Osaka is not that attractive to me anymore since it is over-crowded with Chinese people. At every second shop the staff greets you with nǐ hǎo, which makes me sad and angry at the same time, because we are still in Osaka, right? And Osaka is not declared as China Town, mhm? It just doesn’t feel familiar, the city has changed a lot since (Chinese) tourism grew so super fast the past few years. Anyway, what else can you do in Osaka (than get angry about tourism)? You can visit Kyoto or Nara, both are very beautiful traditional cities and can be reached very easily from Osaka and it is perfect as a day trip. The Shinsaibashi Suji Street next to Osaka Namba is nice for shopping and eating. If you are looking for more fashionable shops and a little Tokyo-like shopping mall, I would recommend to have a look at the HEP FIVE mall in Umeda. There is also a Gudetama Cafe inside and the Pokémon Center is just a short walk from there. A detailed blog post will follow soon!

Btw, did you know that the ‘standing’ side on escalators in Osaka is different from Tokyo? In Osaka you stand on the right side and in Tokyo you stand on the left side :)

We stayed at the Osaka Hotel WBF Namba Inari.
It is quite far away from Dotonbori (15 minutes walk)
If you want a really nice hotel, I recommend you the
Sotetsu Grand Fresa Osaka Namba (ex Hotel Sunroute)!
It is the best hotel I ever stayed so far!

Osaka Dotonbori at night!
Visit the famous Glico man!
Here starts the Shinsaibashi Suji Street My very favourite restaurant in Osaka, if you are
looking for Udon, go and visit: Tsurutontan!

The ‘Mentaiko Cream Udon’ is sooooo goood!
It is a MUST if you like Mentaiko (fish eggs)! Takoyaki is Osaka’s Speciality Home Spa~
I love buying masks & bath bombs and relax at the hotel! Let’s go shopping! My favourite place to be: the Daiso at the Shinsaibashi SujiFried shrimps and fish (and Mentaiko as you can see) The cafe at the corner changes any time I visit Osaka.
This time it was a Ranma Café and the last time,
it was Jurassic Park themed!