My second day involved a trip to Osaka, which is only a short distance by train from the main Kyoto station. I decided to walk to the station, which was a reasonable walk, but it was another good day; so always great to take a walk and see more of the area.
Osaka is on the Japanese island of Honshu and is a large commercial centre and port city. It is famous for its nightlife, street food, and 16th century castle.
Kyoto station is quite a large station and perfect for getting to most destinations from Kyoto. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait too long for a train and so arrived in Osaka at a reasonable time in the morning. Close to Osaka station is the Umeda Sky Building that is 173 metre high and consists of two towers that are connected to one another by the Floating Garden Observatory which is on the 39th floor. This was well worth a trip and offered great views across the city, and it has an impressive glass escalator and bridges. There is also an open-air deck so that you can get to see the views from outside as well. There is a café at the top of the building, too, so if it’s not too busy you will hopefully be able to get a table by the window and admire the views while having your refreshments. The Sky Building is also part of the Umeda City area that is home to a number of cafes, bars, hotels and shops.
My next visit was to Dotonbori, which is a short train ride away from the Umeda area. Dotonbori is famous for its bright lights – a little like the Vegas of Japan! This entertainment district is Osaka’s biggest tourist attraction, where the streets are literally bustling with people and tourist boats run trips down the canal. The Ebisu Bridge that can be seen from the canal connects both the Shinsaibashi and Ebisubashi shopping districts. The Dotonbori area is also famous for its street food and in particular sampling some of the local delicacies, such as Takoyaki, which is large balls of octopus fried in batter and accompanied by sauces and/or pickled red ginger. Even though Dotonbori is an experience in the daylight hours, it is even more of an experience by night when the whole place comes alive with neon signs and bright, colourful flashing lights.
So, another busy, but enjoyable day was spent in Osaka. I would have liked to have visited the castle as well, but there are never enough hours in the day when you are on holiday and have so many things you want to see and do!
