Winter in Japan — Osaka — Marie Valencia

Hi everyone and welcome to a new decade! Here’s a relatively small post on Osaka and it’s sights! Osaka is the second largest city in Japan, known for it’s food, architecture and night life. The city is great to wander around in, day or night. I loved strolling the streets, visiting shops and people-watching here! For those looking for shopping experiences, a look into the modern cities of Japan or some great food trips - Osaka is the place to go.

VISIT

To get to Osaka from Tokyo, the fastest way is of course the Shinkansen - only taking 3 hours. In comparison, driving from Tokyo takes roughly 6 hours! Without a JR Pass, a one-way ticket to Osaka from Tokyo is around 14,500¥ (about $200NZD). The cheapest way is by highway bus which range from between NZ$27 to NZ$137, depending on the level of comfort you are happy with. However this will set you back about 6-8 hours. There are night buses too, so if you’re happy with an arrangement like that, $40NZD is the average price for those kinds of trips.

STAY

I used AirBnb for most of my trips in Japan and for Osaka we chose to stay here:

This was a great stay as it was right by the centre of Osaka and about half an hour walk to the Osaka Castle! The apartment is more spacious than a lot of Japanese apartments - complete with a bathtub and balcony. A 7-11 is conveniently located a few blocks down and of course, numerous vending machines for your convenience!

Osaka Castle

No trip to Osaka is complete without visiting the Osaka Castle. Just the park itself is quite beautiful already, complete with a moat and walls. During spring, the park is a popular hanami spot as it is covered in Cherry Blossoms, but it is also surrounded with plum and peach trees!

When you do visit this place, as with most tourist spots, I recommend going for sunrise. Not only will you have the place to yourself but you’ll also get a vignette of Japanese culture — we saw elderly Japanese men and women doing a flow similar to Tai Chi, we heard a man hollering something that sounded like a chant in intervals and you’ll witness a sort of serenity that preludes the dawning of a new day. I cannot recommend it enough. It is so beautiful when the first light hits and the castle is bathed in a pastel glow.

There are so many aspects of the castle that I love. Facing a very extensive history of rebuilding from temples, becoming a centre for a unified Japan and surviving WWII raids and bombings, Osaka Castle is a testament to the Japanese way of preserving their past. The inside of the castle is actually a museum, educating tourists and locals alike of it’s history and important figures of Osaka’s past. The details of such a grand structure don’t go amiss and you can see the golden trimmings and beautiful restoration work on the castle.

Nara

Home to hundreds of free roaming deer, I knew I had to see Nara Park on our visit. These creatures wander freely around the park, sometimes even the streets, and are looked after by the city, who regard them as national treasures and believe they are messengers of the gods. I recall that I was quite teary upon my first time seeing them, they are such beautiful creatures.

Deer biscuits are available to purchase around the park which you can feed the deer with. They have learnt to bow to ask you to feed them however beware as they could get aggressive if they see you’ve got more food on you and might nudge you for more. Remember to treat these animals with respect and don’t tease them with the food.

The park itself is quite beautiful so have a wander and take your time strolling it.

Dōtonbori

If your main purpose fora visit to Japan is gastronomic - Dōtonbori is where you should head for a true culinary experience. Here you’ll engage in squid-grilling riverside stalls, skewered meats, takoyaki and huge animal figures on the storefronts (sometimes they even move). There is pufferfish and crab, deep-fried food, ramen and a heap of restaurants and stalls to choose from. It was quite an intense experience and I couldn’t take my eyes off the whole thing.

*Dotonbori is also famous for it’s big illuminated billboards, neon lights and of course, the Glico Running Man!*

Hirakata T-Site Library

The library with mesmerising shelves of books! We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a photo here - it is also a great place to chill and have a look at the great book selection they have on display.

Tannowa Kō Lighthouse

My favourite part of our Osaka trip - this lighthouse. When I decided to go to Japan, I knew that I had to photograph some of it’s lighthouses. They are so unique and creative and found in such nowhere places that it was a must! I am definitely coming back to Japan to document more lighthouses..

To get here take the Nankai line to Tan-Nowa Station (about an hour and a half away) and walk a further twenty minutes towards Todai and the lighthouse. You’ll pass by these massive breakwater blocks in a cool geometric shape (you can see it on the left of the photo below) - they are great to explore just be careful where you step!

*Sunsets for the train ride home to Osaka*

Winter in Japan — Osaka