A few days in Osaka (Japan)
After Kyoto, we’re spending a few days in Osaka before our trip to Vietnam. I would have loved to take a special train (the one with a mini Japanese garden), but unfortunately it’s only available on holidays and weekends. We try our best not to bother the locals with our luggage, so the shinkansen remains the best option (rather than the crowded local train).
When you want to take any shinkansen, just buy a ticket at the gate for your destination station, and get on any shinkansen that allows “unreserved seats.” Generally, cars 1-2-3 are for those without assigned seats.
Arriving in Osaka, we’re surprised to see young people smoking anywhere on the street, talking super loudly… behaviors that are not at all tolerated by the Japanese. We’re in a young neighborhood with vintage and second-hand shops, a bit grungy. But just a few minutes from downtown. Our hotel also has an onsen, and a small room filled with cosmetic machines reserved only for women (foot massage, skin massage, steam, etc.).
Last time, we stayed in Osaka for a month, so this time it’s more relaxed; we don’t have the pressure to visit anything. Our efforts focus on shopping because I need to stock up on my favorite creams, which are very expensive in Japan but triple the price abroad.
Anti-stain creams in Japan are excellent because Japanese women don’t have wrinkles, just spots. Last time, I bought the brand HAKU and really liked it.
But this time, I want to try the brand POLA and their bestseller White Shot. I understand why it’s so loved from the first use: the skin calms down immediately, and after a night, the spots seem to lighten. I no longer know exactly which ingredient they use; it’s written in Japanese, but I know it’s effective and expensive. Expect to pay €80 for a 20ml tube, to apply only on spots, massaging in.
At Daimaru, they have a building reserved only for tourists, where you get 5% off just by showing your passport, and they have a tax-free counter (where you get about 8% back). However, our bank cards don’t work at all, and the salesladies are so arrogant (so different from Japanese salesladies) that even JB is embarrassed and suggests we run away.
At Takashimaya, the welcome is friendlier, and we still get 5% off (it seems to be the case only in Osaka because in Tokyo, no one mentioned it). And we also get tax-free, so I stock up on SK-II creams and serums, hoping they’ll last me a long time.
We will visit two markets.
The first being Osaka Kizu Market, a B2B market but well-frequented by Chinese tourists. They come with their suitcases, ready to head to the airport but stop here for one last fresh sashimi. You need to come before 11am, otherwise there’s nothing left. There’s a standing table and benches, that’s it. But the sashimi is excellent and cheap. The few restaurants on site are swamped, and there’s a long queue from early morning.
The Kuromon Market is touristy and open almost all day, but everything will be much more expensive and less friendly. I find it really average.
Here are some restaurants in Osaka that I think are good:
- Gyoza Daikichi : small restaurant in a little-frequented alley, the gyozas are small but delicious. They offer delicious pickled vegetables. Cheap, good, cash only.
- Miyako Sushi : their omakase sushi sets are delicious, but when ordering à la carte, it’s 1000yen/sushi, so stick with the sets (3500 to 4500yen for 10), family-run, card accepted.
- Sakae Sushi : à la carte sushi, with one chef for 4 people. You need to queue 15 minutes before opening. The sushi is delicious and cheap, you can be indulgent without breaking the bank.
- Ichiran Ramen Dotonburi – Main Building : you eat ramen in individual booths, with a small opening where you only see the servers’ hands. The experience is quite fun; you fill out a form to indicate what you want to eat.
- Kobe Beef “Steakhouse Kozai” : a chef cooks Kobe beef in front of us. The lunch menu is cheaper. Go book the day before.
More restaurant and shopping addresses in Osaka are available here , and here.
Nara
Huge fans of Nara’s mochi, JB and I make the round trip (Nara being 1 hour from Osaka). The deer of Nara have become unruly; if you have crackers in your hand, they bite your clothes to be fed. Compared to last time, the effect is much less magical.
The mochi from Nakatanidou – mochi show are still as good and as hot, but the “show” lasts much less time, there are 10 times more people, and it’s no longer authentic. They pound the mochi dough to please tourists, but you can clearly see that the work is already done by machines behind. I think people come mainly for the show, not the mochi. We see a guy with a big camera on his shoulder, we already have time to walk around the block 3 times, and the guy is still there filming the mochi shop from all angles. That’s where you see how social media corrupt people and artisans. This man, whose report was done by National Geographic, now does “mini shows” of one minute regularly even though his dough doesn’t need it anymore.
From Osaka, we take a plane, heading to Hanoi (Vietnam).
