r/OsakaTravel

Hi everyone! Last half of our short 9 day trip will be spent in Osaka. We are flying out of Narita. Instead of heading back to Tokyo etc we were thinking about flying out of Osaka and to Narita instead giving us about 6-7hrs for our flight back home. Curious tho if it is easy to find a taxi/Uber at 4AM 😬. Flight out is 7AM.

こんばんは
( ＾∀＾)

I’m traveling with my teenage son (15) in Japan for six weeks (Tokyo 16d, Osaka 5d, Kyoto 5d, Onomichi 2d, Hiroshima 2d, Nagasaki 4d, Sapporo 3d). We have been planning this trip for several months but we never really nailed down what to do in Osaka. We were under the impression it would be like Tokyo and we could endlessly explore and never run out of stuff to do.

It’s our second day here and we are… underwhelmed? I’m not sure if it is because we are coming off of 14 days in Tokyo (which is one of the best places ever) where we never ran out of things to do and see or if it is just not our vibe.

I’m feeling like we must be missing something. We did go to a delightful cat cafe today, but other than that, mostly things are just… bland. Most places are closed, streets are empty, we obviously aren’t going out drinking, so it seems this just isn’t the place for us?

I love exploring and finding hidden gems, I’m generally easy to please but with so many places closed there’s not much to see or do. Does it only wake up at night? My son loves anime and history, and we both love animals and kawaii things. In Tokyo it was just easy to always find something around the corner. We even had such a hard time finding lunch today that we walked for an hour and settled on a McDonald’s 😹 (due to things being closed or not serving any vegetarian options because my son is vegetarian).

I wanted this to be the most epic trip for us, a once in a lifetime experience. But now all I want is to go back to Tokyo and I’m dreading going to the other places, thinking they may also not be the vibe we are looking for.

We aren’t the type to just check things off a list. We enjoy connecting with local culture and finding off the beaten path restaurants and experiences. (Highlights from Tokyo are going to the Giants game, visiting a pig cafe, the Tama Zoo, and Aqua Park aquarium. In addition to just exploring the streets and walking into random shops with anime figures and kawaii things.)

Please help! Dying for suggestions!!! We want to love it!

ありがとうございます
( ^ω^ )

Edited to Add-
*We are planning on:
—Aquarium
—Minoh Falls
—Mipig Cafe (same one we went to in Tokyo and loved)
—TeamLab Botanical Gardens
—Pokémon Center
—And I have a tattoo appointment 😹

Just really want to spend our days wandering into fun little shops and such. Why is everything closed 😭 Also, I know enough Japanese to get around so I’m not worried about that piece.

Edited again: We looove Pokémon too!

Not necessarily the most expensive thing you bought, but something that’s actually become part of your everyday life. It could be clothing, kitchen items, stationery, skincare, snacks you keep importing, or anything else that was worth bringing home.

I'm kinda having trouble deciding the order in which I do things when I arrive in Osaka (this will be my 2nd trip so far), so please give me recs and stuff (btw, I'll be in Osaka from Jul 17-24).

July 17: Arrive at like 7 pm and just go to a hotel and crash; maybe go to Dotonbori to shop by myself if I can catch the train.

July 18-19: do sum stuff in Osaka (Kuromon Market, Sumiyoshi Taisha, Hozenji Yokocho, etc.)

July 20-21: 2 daytrips in Kyoto (Gion, a few temples, omakase or something [might need some omakase recs])

July 22: Mt. Koyasan (having some real trouble finding food to eat there). [or kobe since ive never been]

July 23: free day, maybe shop around for souvenirs or go somewhere.

July 24: go home

Again kinda loose but I'm not sure where to go in Osaka since I already visited places like Dotonbori, Shinsekai, and the castle. Also, I'm thinking of switching Mt. Koyasan for Kobe. Y'all think that's a good idea?

My daughter and I fly into KIX on Sunday at 1pm. Would you think I need to pre-book seats on the Haruka to Kyoto or do you think it will be quiet enough not to worry about doing it in advance ?

It's our first first time in Japan and we need to out of the airport but also sort out IC cards, collect Pocket Wifi and whilst I don't want to get into a panic if the time is tight I equally don't want to be sitting around for a long time !!

Thanks in advance

7/4 Sat. - Arrive afternoon staying in Namba, get bearings and explore, see Osaka's car scene at night

7/5 Sun. - Osaka Central: Umeda, Castle, Shinsekai, Tsutenkaku, Aquarium?

7/6 Mon. - Kyoto East: Fushimi-Momoyama-jō Castle, Ōiwa Shrine, Kiyomizu-dera, Nanzen-ji, Eikandō Zenrinji

7/7 Tues. - Kyoto West: Giōji Temple, Otagi Nenbutsuji, Kinkaku-ji, Nijo Castle, dinner @ Monk, Takase River stroll

7/8 Wed. - Rest morning, evening trip to Kobe & back? Missed stops from 7/5?

7/9 Thurs. - Day trip to Himeji & Hiroshima via Shinkansen

7/10 Fri. - Nara (Kasugataisha Shrine, Tōdai-ji, Kohfuku-ji), Osaka nightclubs

7/11 Sat. - Flex day, evening Hanshin Tigers game

7/12 Sun. - Flex day until late afternoon flight

Hi everyone!
I was born and raised in Japan, and I currently live in Osaka.
If you’re curious about daily life, culture, food, transportation, language, safety, or anything else about Osaka or Japan, feel free to ask!
I’ll do my best to answer honestly from a local’s perspective🙌
My English isn’t that great, so I use a translation app here and there. Thanks!

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Tuesen takk!

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