The sweet aroma of umami, still in my mind from the recent adventure into “The Paradise of The Gourmands”—the name that I have for it. The people from there also known as “Latins of Japan” called this amazing place as “Tenka no Daidokoro” or the nation’s kitchen. This place’s real name is…Osaka, it is well known for the delicious food that it contains and not only that, it is also pretty famous for the birthplace for most of Japan’s comedians which raised the idea that the “Latins of Japan” are naturally funny. The mouth-watering umami or the outgoing people there was something that I will always remember in my heart. The pinkish cherry blossoms or the beautiful foliage will completely release all your stress and make you feel happy.

Delicious food, friendly people…what more could you ask for?

But of course traveling in general is expensive, so let me give you some tips so you can make the most out of it.

ATTRACTIONS OF OSAKA

1.Osaka Castle (大阪城)

Osaka Castle is a symbol and one of the main attractions in Osaka. It began its construction in 1583 and was modelled after Azuchi Castle and had a reputation of being unsurpassed in the country.

Opening Hours: 9.00am to 5.00pm

Entrance Fees:  600 yen

2. Dotonbori (道頓堀)

An area that is one of the most renowned tourist destinations due to the glowing neon lights, the amount of signage and the huge variety of restaurants and bars. “Kuidaore”, meaning eat till you drop is often associated with Dotonbori as the variety of delicious food goes to the extreme especially the takoyaki and fugu(pufferfish) there.

Opening Hours: 24 hours

Entrance Fees:  Free of Charge

3. Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

This humongous aquarium is one of the largest aquariums in the world. There are about 29000 animals in the aquarium, in the central tank is home to a whale shark which is one of the aquarium’s main attractions. Visitors start the tour on the 8th floor and spiral down floor by floor around the central tank which is a unique design.

Opening Hours: 10.00am to 8.00pm

Entrance Fees:  2300 Yen

4. Sumiyoshi Taisha (住吉大社)

Sumiyoshi Taisha, also known as Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan. It displays a unique style of shrine architecture, known as Sumiyoshi-zukuri, which means it is free of influence from the Asian mainland. It is an amazing place to go to take pictures as it is very beautiful.

Opening Hours: 6.00am to 5.00pn

Entrance Fees:  Free of Charge

5.Osaka Expo ‘70 Park(万博記念公園)

The Expo ’70 Commemorative Park is a very large park which hosted Japan World Exposition in 1970, the first in Asia. It showed off other countries’ wonders but now it has changed into a park where nature can be enjoyed. Around 5000 cherry trees are in the park which turns the park into one of Osaka’s most cherry blossom places. It also has the Tower of Sun which is a 70 meter tower that is also the main attraction and acts as the icon of the park.

Opening Hours: 9.30am to 5.00pm

Entrance Fees:  260 Yen(Additional is required for the museum)

Food of Osaka

1. Sushi and Sashimi

Sushi and sashimi is one of the most renowned and important foods in Japan, although almost every country has it but the freshness and the quality of the sushi in Japan is unparalleled amongst all. Osaka is home to the largest fish market in Japan with frequent tuna fish auctions.

Stores To Buy Sushi and Sashimi

1.Tokisushi (ときすし)

Tokisushi is a small and friendly sushi bar where they sell mouth-watering delicious sushi. There is a 12-piece set of nigiri sushi that was changed daily which probably depends on the availability of fish and seafood everyday. Along with the sushi, the service was great and the staffs were friendly and helpful as well

Opening Hours: 11 am – 2 pm for lunch at 5 pm – 10 pm for dinner on Tuesday – Sunday (closed on Monday)

Average Price: 1,050 JPY ($8.70) for the 12-piece set

Address: 4-２１ Nanbasennichimae, Chuo Ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 542-0075, Japan

2.Harukoma Sushi (春駒 支店)

Harukoma Sushi is not a place to find extreme quality sushi but to get generous cuts of sushi that will make you full. It’s a restaurant to get a meal that will make you full with great quality food. The staff there were great and friendly as well although the store is a bit crowded.

Opening Hours: Around 11 am – 9:30 am daily

Average Price: 1,000 JPY for one person

Address: 5-5-2 Tenjinbashi, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan

2. Ramen

Ramen is a traditional and delicious food in Japan, it is also popular and has many types of broth to complement it. My favourites are shoyu, a salty-based soy sauce based broth and also the tonkotsu broth which is heavy as it is cooked using pork bones. Both of these broths give extreme umami in my opinion. Toppings are also placed on top of the ramen, notably spring onion, thick slices of chashu and half boiled eggs. In Osaka, they take their ramens pretty seriously as it is a traditional food in Japan.

Stores That Sell Ramen 

1.Ramen Yashichi (らーめん弥七)

This ramen restaurant is quite small but it is filled with small food bombs that will explode in your mouth and release umami. The signature of the restaurant is a bowl of shoyu based broth ramen with vegetables and thick slices of chashu and with the springy ramen. 

Opening Hours: 11 am – 4 pm on weekdays only (closed on Saturday and Sunday)

Average Price: 990 JPY ($8.24)

Address: 3-4-8 Toyosaki, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka

2.Hakata Ippudo Ramen (一風堂 池田店)

Ippudo Ramen is one of the most famous ramen restaurants in the world with countless branches all over the whole world. The ramen in this restaurant is very much delicious and has a spot in my heart. It also sells udon, which is another main noodle in Japan.

Opening Hours: Lunch and Dinner

Average Price: Approximately $13 for a bowl of ramen

Address: 2-10 Masumicho, Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture 563-0041, Japan

3.Takoyaki

Takoyakis are one of the iconic foods of Osaka, they are basically ball-shaped batter filled with many toppings. One of the most interesting things for takoyakis is to watch how they are made. Firstly, batter is poured into the grid, then toppings such as octopus cheese, spring onions and much more. Lastly, they are taken out and bonito flakes are poured on them. When you bite into them, it’s like an explosion happening inside you and the crispy outside will make loud noises as you bite into them.

Average Price: 400-500 Yen

4.Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki is also another iconic food in Osaka and its popularity in Osaka reached the same level as takoyakis. Watching how it is made is also enjoyable, similar to takoyakis. It involves using batter, eggs, vegetables and octopus as well. Then it is cut into pizza-like cuts which you then eat. It is a great snack to eat while exploring the wonders of Osaka and it is practically an essential experience in Osaka.

Average Price: 600 Yen, 1500 Yen for higher quality ones

Currency in Osaka

The budget on Osaka is a bit high but it is all worth it as everything there is worth for the price such as the food, accomodations and transportations. There are also many nice attractions that are free to go so the budget is lower if you’re planning to go more to these types of attractions.

1MYR = 26.49 Japanese Yen

Best Time to Visit Japan, Osaka

The best time to visit Osaka is in Spring which is from March to May, it is the best time as it isn’t hot and isn’t too cold as well. It’s warm with a bit of coolness. At the end of March, you also get to see the cherry blossoms which means a newfound spring life for the whole of Japan. The temperature there is about 10ºC to 20ºC.

Language

Osakans normally use Japanese as their main language to communicate, English is also commonly used to communicate with foreigners. You should know how to at least speak the basic words you need to communicate with Osakans. Here are some Japanese words that I learnt and frequently use in “The Land of The Gourmand’s Paradise”.

Ohayou Gozaimasu (おはようございます) – Good Morning

Konnichiwa (こんにちは) – Hello

Konbanwa (こんばんは) – Good Evening

Arigatou Gozaimasu (ありがとうございます) – Thank You

~ wa Doko Desuka? (～はどこですか？) – Where is ~?

Ue, Shita, Migi, Hidari (うえ、した、みぎ、ひだり) – Up, Down, Right, Left

~ wo Kudasai. (～をください。) – May I have ~

Ikura Desuka? (いくらですか？) – How much is it?

Wi-fi Arimasuka? (Wi-fiありますか？) – Do you have Wi-fi?

Mou Ikkai. (もういっかい。) – One more time.

Guai Ga Warui Desu (ぐあいがわるいです。) – I don’t feel well.

Access to Internet/WiFi

Internet/Wifi is a very hard thing to find in countries especially when you’re travelling, it is very important when you are lost or trying to find some good restaurants that sell delicious food. Even going to Japan, a country that is so advanced in technology, Wifi isnt found everywhere, here are some trips to prepare for it. Before going to Osaka, or arriving at the airport of Osaka, there are many hotspots rental that allows you to rent unlimited hotspot for how many days you want depending on how much you pay for it. Normally it costs 1100 Yen to rent a hotspot for 7 days.

How To Get Around

Getting around Osaka might be troublesome as cars are not often seen as Japanese prefer using public transport or even walking to work but certain times they would use cars to travel further around their country for vacations or work that are in other states.Trains are one of the most commonly used transportation.So it is recommended to use trains to travel around Osaka and walking as well. The fares for the train tickets in Osaka are different for both children and adults. The fares ranges between 180-370 Yen for adults and ranges between 90-190 Yen for children. The subways in Osaka are also a great way to get around Osaka. The trains in Osaka operate from 5.00am till midnight and have reduced services on weekends and holidays. Getting a prepaid icoca, suica or pasmo card is muchly suggested for travellers as it is one of the best and convenient ways to pay for trains and subways in Osaka. Icoca cards are available to purchase at JR stations from vending machines, they are also able to be used in convenience stores.

Osaka’s taxis are also a great way to get around the city as they are everywhere in the city. It is very convenient if you wanna get to places that are unable to get to using trains or subways unless using cars. The general fare is 660 Yen for the first 2 km and 80 Yen for every additional 296 meters. All the taxis accept cash and some do accept credit cards as well.

For more information please use this website:https://www.westjr.co.jp/global/en/timetable/pdf/map_osaka.pdf

Places To Stay in Osaka

For the places to stay in Osaka I would recommend Hotels or Inns as its quite a lot around Osaka.I would recommend trivago to book your hotels as it has good prices and discounts(if there is one).As enjoying yourself is the most necessary thing during a vacation or a trip with your family.Some of the example for the hotels are:

1. InterContinental Osaka

One of the best places to stay if you can afford it as it is quite expensive, but it is absolutely worth it as it has many facilities and good services.

Rating: 5 Stars

Price: 1352-1728(Malaysia Ringgit)

2.Rihga Royal Osaka

This hotel is a middle range if you want a comfortable and affordable accomodation yet with good rating.

Rating: 5 Stars

Price: 306-1342(Malaysia Ringgit)

3.Dormy Inn Shinsaibashi 

This hotel is quite cheap yet with good ratings if you are looking for a budget stay when you’re short on money or in need of a quick stay this is the place.

Rating: 3 Stars

Price: 227-325(Malaysia Ringgit) 

An Enjoyable Trip To Osaka

In my opinion Osaka is one of the greatest places to visit if you’re a first timer in Japan since if offers the traditions of Japan yet still shows the high technology they have.Beautiful sceneries are not to be wasted as Osaka offers it very well.With all that said I hope that anyone reads this will have an enjoyable trip to Osaka even though I’m not a expert on these, I hope this blog will help you on your glorious journey to Osaka.