After visiting Tokyo and the day after the sumo tournament, we headed for Japan’s second largest city, Osaka. We went on the Shinkansen (bullet train) because on our first trip to Japan we took conventional rail and had a bullet train pass us on a dedicated track like we were sitting still. We just had to try it out! We covered the 515 km (~250 miles) between Tokyo and Osaka in less than 2.5 hours and reached Osaka-shin (the dedicated bullet train station) in no time. Sadly, although we sat on the right side of the train for views of Mount Fuji there was nothing but a cloud bank over the peak.
Most of our time in Osaka was spent visiting family (Osaka is our daughter-in-law’s home town), so we really had just 24 hours to do touristy things. We chose a hotel in the Namba district so that we’d be centrally located and on the main metro line. After settling in to our hotel, we went a couple of metro stations north to the Dotonbori district where according to Japan.travel “An explosion of neon and entertainment awaits at Osaka’s Times Square“. While we have previously posted about the “The Night Lights of Tokyo“, we must have been staying in a neighbourhood of Tokyo too traditional for much in the way of bright lights and shopping streets. Osaka was different!
The most famous of Osaka’s bright lights is the Glico running man (above), celebrating his 90th birthday in 2025. One of the first large neon sign installations, the running man has become a symbol of the city (and of course an obligatory stop on tourists’ Instagram route).
The Glico sign now looks pretty old fashioned next to the animated, 3-D effects of today’s signs:
The Glico sign is at the base of Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Street, a 600 m stretch of shopping nirvana. While shopping is almost certainly the most popular activity in Tokyo, in Osaka eating out might possibly be even more important. Known as “the nation’s kitchen”, Osakans embody the term “kuidaore,” meaning “to eat oneself bankrupt” or “eat till you drop”, reflecting a deep passion for food and spending generously on it. Spending a fortune does not have to be a prerequisite to dining well in Dotonbori with its plethora of street food stalls and high quality fast food places interspersed among the high end wagu beef establishments and the like. We dined on Osaka’s most famous street food, takoyaki, cooked batter-balls stuffed with octopus, and popped in to a ~50-seat long “counter restaurant” for more snacks and a beer.
Our last stop in the area was “America-mura”, a somewhat odd Japanese interpretation of all things American. We must have been there too early since other than a short parade of Caddy Escalades blasting hip-hop at top volume it was pretty quiet.
It is only fair to mention that Dotonbori does cater to visitors’ spiritual needs with the 24-hour Hozenji Temple wedged in between shopping malls. We didn’t queue up to make a wish by splashing water on the Mizukake-Fudo statue within the Buddhist temple, but feel free to make one second hand while watching this YouTube video:
The following day, our only activity was a tour of the Osaka Castle. Despite the fact that the current version of the castle was only rebuilt 1931, it has stood longer than Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s original version from 1583 or any of the several rebuilds in between. The castle was notable for its views and extensive history of Osaka’s favourite son, but perhaps the most intriguing thing was a visit to the the original stone walls of the Toyotomi version only uncovered in 1959. These walls had been buried by the Tokugawa Shogunate 6 m deep to obliterate all memory of the vanquished, while a new castle was built on the foundations of the old.
Our final couple of days in Osaka were spent with family, and naturally, since we were in Osaka, we were treated to some great food both at a restaurant and homemade. Since you’re reading this blog you’ll know that we survived dining on the deadly puffer fish; clearly the specially licensed chef did his job!
Next, off to Australia!
See our Osaka images on Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/100countries/albums/72177720329371324
