We’d planned quite a busy day to visit several major attractions. But, as it usually happens when travelling, plans change and you don’t need to stress yourself out over this. Travel should always be about discovery, and that means being able to make adjustments when any unexpected situations happen.
Osaka Castle
In the morning, we set off for the iconic Osaka Castle. I honestly thought it would be a quick trip to just go up and look around the museum, take photos and be off to our next destination. But the Osaka Museum’s exhibit was interesting enough, even if you’re not into samurais and ninjas. They certainly have creative ways of telling history, with the use of technology. By the time we finished at the castle, it was way past lunch time.
Kobe
We then took a train ride to Kobe, because lunch was going to be: Kobe beef! This is one thing I can tick off my Life List, so I was really looking forward to eating. In Kobe, you’ll have a lot of choices of restaurants to get your fill of meat. We went into one of the restaurants where we were asked if we wanted regular beef or Kobe beef. And by “regular”, they actually meant wagyu beef. We had both, because why not, right?
It was prepared in the simplest way, just heat, with minimal salt and pepper. I’m not a meat expert, but Kobe beef really does taste different than any other kind of beef. It’s buttery, soft and just DELICIOUS! I can understand why it’s expensive. That was probably one of the best meals I’ve had in a long while.
After our meal, the original plan was to proceed to Nara to see the Deer Park. But the sun was going down (at almost 4 in the afternoon), we decided we won’t be able to appreciate the park at night, so we ditched the plan and tried to visit the Kobe Hanshin Earthquake Museum. But again, our plan failed because the museum was closed by the time we got there. Oh well.
Umeda Building
Undefeated, we proceeded to go to the Umeda Building, another landmark in Osaka. On the way up, don’t miss out on reading how the building was made, quite a fascinating story. The view of the city from the top is gorgeous!
The day ended with a meal at the local Mcdonald’s. The Ebi burger was good, but the Sankaku Pie was not for my taste (I ate it anyway).
Another happy day done. The next morning, we explore some more.
