Japan was never on my radar back in the day when travelling was my main hobby (before marriage and kids). I’m not really sure why, but it just felt too “foreign” to me. I never did get the fascination with robots, technology, anime, manga, etc. But over the years, in social media, I’ve seen more and more posts about Japan and how people have fallen in love with the place, the food, the people. So I guess when our plans for the Korea trip fell apart, Japan was serendipitously the next best choice.
After a five-day trip, I can honestly say that I understand the hype, and I had many moments where I asked myself “why haven’t I been here before?”. Mind you, we only visited Osaka, and not even the capital, Tokyo (more to see next time), and here I am already singing praises for the country.
This post is not a guide to Osaka, there’s plenty of that going around the Internet already. It’s a recollection of my experiences of this beautiful country. When planning the trip, we just had a basic list of things we want to do and see for a particular day, and just let anything happen from there. This is not the Amazing Race, friends. I just want to walk around and get to know Japan.
Dotonbori
I arrived on a rainy afternoon from the Kansai Airport. I took the train to our hotel and left my luggage in the reception. My sister and her husband were on the train from Tokyo to meet me, so I had a few hours to myself. I decided to explore and look for the famous Glico Man billboard. I got lost wandering the Dotonbori area, but it was an interesting few hours walking around.
Dotonbori reminded me Bugis Street and Sim Lim in Singapore, or Greenhills in Manila, but with better stores, lots of food options, a fun vibe about it. Yes, the tourists congregate here, but who cares? We are tourists after all. This is where you shop for pasalubong and have your fill of Japanese food.
Universal Studios Japan
We devoted a full day at the Universal Studios, because there’s too much to explore and take photos of. Plus we had to consider the number of people in there, and waiting in line to get in the rides and attractions. This place is great for kids and I plan to bring the girls here. My only problem with some of the attractions is that the narrations are in Japanese, so you kind of miss out on the full experience.
Anyone who grew up with Harry Potter would be thrilled to see the Wizarding World. To be able to see and hear the things that you’ve only read about in the books and in the movies, is quite an experience.
Overall, it was a good day. We were tired from walking around, but it was a good kind of tired. And we were ready for the next day.
