After our visit to Hiroshima and a stop in Himeji, our next adventure was a few days in Osaka. After seeing so many temples, shrines and palaces in Kyoto, we focused on more modern sights during our time here.

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

Our first stop in Osaka was the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. This aquarium is reputed to be one of the best in the world, and it didn’t disappoint. Even before we bought our tickets to enter we were impressed by the fun aquatic life mosaics on the outside of the main aquarium building.

The aquarium has some very impressive inhabitants. I’m not sure whether whale sharks should be kept in aquariums, but it was a pretty amazing sight to behold.

The enigmatic sunfish was another highlight.

The sea lions drew an admiring crowd to see their playful antics.

The aquarium had lots of other less spectacular but still very interesting exhibits, it took us quite a while to get through them all.

Overall we would definitely recommend a visit to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan if you have a few days in Osaka and have any interest at all in the weird and wonderful creatures of the sea.

Tempozan Ferris Wheel 

Right next to the aquarium is the Tempozan Ferris Wheel, one of the largest ferris wheels in the world.

The wheel provides spectacular views over Osaka city as well as the harbor and the aquarium.

Amerikamura

With a few days in Osaka to fill, we had time for a day of somewhat random wandering through a few different neighborhoods. We started in Amerikamura (“America Village”). While this is a little bit like the equivalent of a Chinatown in a western country, it’s really more of a center for youth culture. As such, it’s a great place to wander through and see some of the weird and wonderful expressions of modern Japanese culture.

Amerikamura is a great place to grab some Japanese street food, including the famous Osaka specialty takoyaki (octopus balls).

Shinsaibashi

After Amerikamura, we headed towards Osaka’s famous covered shopping street, Shinsaibashi. On the way there we passed some whimsical signs for some local businesses.

We made it to Shinsaibashi just in time to get under cover as the rain started. We did a little shopping at Uniqlo, then joined the crowds making the way to our next destination.

Dotonbori

The next stop on or DIY walking tour of Osaka was also our dinner stop. Dotonbori is one of Japan’s famous restaurant districts, and Osakans are known for their love of food and a good time.

Before finding a place to eat dinner, we spent some time exploring the vibrant sights of Dotonbori. As well as food, Dotonbori is also famous for it’s neon signs and crazy (and three dimensional) restaurant signs.

The view of the neon lights on the canal is reminiscent of the sci-fi film classic Bladerunner.

After a couple of hours spent in Dotonbori’s sensory overload, we were ready for dinner. We checked out a few options before deciding to get some sushi from a very traditional sushi restaurant.

After dinner we did a little bit more sightseeing. We checked out the Hozen-ji temple with its moss-covered Buddha. The tradition is for temple visitors to pour water of the Buddha statue for luck. Over the years this has resulted in a thick covering of moss all over the statue.

The paved streets and traditional buildings around the temple, along with the quieter atmosphere away from the busy restaurant streets give a hint of what Dotonbori was like in years gone by.

By this time we were weary from our day’s wandering, so we headed back to our AirBnB apartment about ten minutes walk from Dotonbori.

A Day at Osaka Station

With a few days in Osaka, we had time to include a day trip to Nara for most of our group. However, Lachlan was tired of temples and I had already been to Nara, so we stayed in Osaka to spend some more time enjoying modern Japanese culture. As it turned out, we spent most of the day in and around Osaka Station. Not just a place to catch trains, Osaka Station has all sorts of things to see and do.

Our first stop was an arcade to play some video games. There are video game arcades all around the world, but Japan is pretty much Mecca for gamers, so the arcades there are spectacular.

We were greeted at the arcade entrance by a friendly robot.

Lachlan particularly enjoyed the games that involved repeating patterns and sounds on some sort of keypad. It sounds simple, but they are addictive. It’s also worth watching the local kids play these with astonishing skill and timing. The patterns get incredibly fast as the levels increase.

Our next stop was the Osaka Pokemon Center.

Lunch Time

After this very necessary stop, it was time for lunch. Lachlan’s favorite Japanese food is unagi (grilled freshwater eel). His goal was to eat unagi every day we were in Japan. He only failed in this quest because of one day when he bought a bento box for the train that he thought was unagi, but turned out to be pork. As a special treat we went to a fancy unagi restaurant in one of the department stores in the Osaka Station building. The unagi here was definitely a cut above all the other unagi we tried in Japan. There were also cool views into the Osaka Station building from the restaurant.

Knowledge Capital

Our final stop for the day was Knowledge Capital, in the Grand Front Osaka building next to the station. This space showcases new technologies presented by start-up companies and research institutes. We found it a bit smaller than we thought it would be, and Lachlan was too young to use any of the exhibits that used VR goggles, but it was still interesting. We did get to virtually try on some clothes.

The suit I tried on didn’t quite fit me.

Last Night in Osaka

After our Osaka Station adventures, Lachlan and I went back to our AirBnB apartment and rested for a while, before rejoining the rest of our group in for the last excursion of our few days in Osaka.

Our first stop was actually back at Osaka Station for some ramen, which was very tasty.

After eating our fill, we made our way to the Umeda Sky Building, to take one last look at Osaka from a high vantage point.

The views from the top are good, and the building has an interesting futuristic style. It was a fine finale to our few days in Osaka.

The next day we took our last shinkansen ride to our final destination in Japan – Tokyo.

A Few Days in Osaka – Tips and Logistics

Osaka is a great place to experience both modern and traditional Japan. It’s more of a living, working city than a place like Kyoto, so you can get a taste of how Japanese people live, and especially how they enjoy themselves at the many different restaurants and bars in the city.

Accommodation

AirBnB is a good option in Osaka, with plenty of listings available for different group sizes and in different parts of the city. Our AirBnB apartment was one subway stop away from Dotonbori, which was a great location. You can save money by staying further away from the action, but some of the savings will be offset by transport costs and time spent traveling to sights. If you only have a few days in Osaka I would recommend staying as close to Dotonbori as your budget allows.

If you haven’t tried AirBnB before, you can use this link to get a discount on your first booking (disclosure – we’ll also receive an AirBnB credit to help us continue our travels).

Transport

Osaka has a subway system with two lines (the north/south Midosuji Line and the east.west Chuo Line) that are the most useful for visitors. The Osaka loop line is also useful, especially if you have a JR Pass which is good for travel on this line. See this site for a much more detailed rundown on transport options in Osaka.

Although a few days in Osaka was not enough time to see everything the city has to offer, we had a great time here. It’s one of my favorite places in Japan, and I would definitely recommend including it in your Japan itinerary.