Blogs from Osaka, Osaka, Japan, Asia

Advertisement

Asia » Japan » Osaka » Osaka February 18th 2024

I could have taken the “Panoramic Osaka” Shore Excursion the next day but wanted to see Osaka at night. Tour Day 132, Cruise Day 30 – “Panoramic Osaka” Shore Excursion – Osaka is the largest merchant city in western Japan. The town is divided into two areas -- Kita and Minami, literally translating as North and South. These areas have very different characteristics, which you will discover on a panoramic drive through lively Osaka. Head to Osaka North, whose downtown area is called Kita or Umeda. This is a business and shopping district surrounding Osaka station. You will see the Umeda Sky building -- an arch-shaped architecture which consists of two towers with a sky garden and atrium on the top. The garden is actually an observatory and, when the building was constructed, it was lifted ... read more
“Panoramic Osaka” Shore Excursion – Osaka, Japan
“Panoramic Osaka” Shore Excursion – Osaka, Japan
“Panoramic Osaka” Shore Excursion – Osaka, Japan

Asia » Japan » Osaka » Osaka September 7th 2023

The Hikari Tokaido Shinkansen is the bullet train that we’re getting on. We are headed for Osaka, with many stops along the way. I don't know how many stops there are going to be because quite frankly, I haven’t looked it up, nor do I intend to. Who cares really, we’re not in a hurry, we are in vacay mode. Before we checked out of our hotel room at noon we took the opportunity to go to the Pokemon Center retail shop and perhaps get a table at the Pokemon Cafe Tokyo for lunch. The place was just around the corner from our hotel, in the Nihonbashi district’s huge Takashimaya department store, in a tall building across the street from where the two original Takashimaya shopping centers with its magnificent early twentieth century architecture are located. ... read more
Osaka Station
Train stop
Mochi

Asia » Japan » Osaka » Osaka September 2nd 2023

After six wonderful nights in Tokyo we packed up our hotel room and headed to the train station to start the journey to our next stop, Osaka. We caught the metro train to Tokyo station, bought some lunch and then purchased tickets for the shinkansen to Osaka. The trip to Osaka was uneventful, particularly for Elodie who had a nap. Once we arrived we transferred to another local train and after a short ride we arrived at our AirBNB. I had booked a cute three bedroom place for us in Umeda, Osaka. As soon as we opened the front door I think Scott and I thought 'oh no' because of the very steep stairs! We turned on the aircon, checked out the (lovely) rooms and then headed out to a nearby playground. Elodie enjoyed having the ... read more
Osaka aquarium
Osaka aquarium
Osaka aquarium

Asia » Japan » Osaka » Osaka August 6th 2023

I like visiting shrines and temples. They are often cool and quiet, and have beautiful art. Many are little visited except on feast days or holy days, and can be a great place to sit in quiet contemplation. One of the shrines that stuck with me was the Tsuyu-no-Tenjinja Shrine, also known as Ohatsu Tenjin, located in a very busy area by the Osaka train station, dominated by office buildings. I had a hard time finding this place; I could see it on my paper map and on my ever-so-smart phone app, but I walked past it a couple of times. It wasn’t until I looked closely at the “Konban” (police station) that I notice the stylized concrete tori gate next to it, and thought this must be it. This shrine has a couple of sad ... read more
glimpse from the street
scroll depicting the lovers
The Lovers

Asia » Japan » Osaka » Osaka June 26th 2023

Heute gab es zum Frühstück endlich einmal wieder Pancakes mit Ahornsirup und zusätzlich aß ich wieder wie üblich Spiegelei mit Speck. Danach startete ich meine Tour durch die Stadt. Hauptattraktion ist m.E. die Burg, aber die scheint irgendwann komplett neu aufgebaut worden zu sein mit Beton und Aufzug. Also nicht so altertümlich wie in Kumamoto oder Himeji, wobei ich in ersterer auch moderne Stahlstreben nach dem Erdbeben entdeckte. Es gab sehr viele Besucher und eine gewisse Schlange vor dem Ticketverkauf (nur drei Automaten für normale Eintrittskarten) und dann nochmals vor dem Aufzug in die 5. Etage (insgesamt gab es acht davon und die restlichen drei musste jeder die Treppe laufen). Oben angekommen hatte ich eine schöne Aussicht in alle Richtungen. Auch diese Festung ist inmitten einer großen Grünanlage mit aber größeren Wassergräben und mehr Fläche als ... read more
Burg Osaka.
Burg Osaka.
Burg Osaka.

Asia » Japan » Osaka » Osaka June 25th 2023

Da ich in Himeji nur in einem 3-Sterne-Hotel war, war das Frühstück etwas einfacher, aber immer noch im Rahmen. Es hätte noch japanische Speisen dazu gegeben, wie auch Fisch, aber mir war nicht danach. Vor allem war ich im vollen Speisesaal der einzige Europäer, was vielleicht die mangelnden Englischkenntnisse gestern im Restaurant und in der Unterkunft erklärt. Ich konnte zu Fuß zum Bahnhof laufen und bestieg kurz danach den Schnellzug nach Shin-osaka. Also das ist wie Kassel Wilhelmshöhe ein neuer Bahnhof extra für den Shinkansen und mit 4 U-Bahnstationen war ich in der Nähe meines Hotels. Vorher besorgte ich mir aber noch eine Reservierung für den Zug nach Tokyo in drei Tagen. Mein Hotel liegt ziemlich zentral und in der Nähe einer oder mehrerer U-Bahnstationen, die ich in den nächsten Tagen noch brauchen werde. Dort angekommen ... read more
Besuch des Schreins Tsuyunoten Jinja in Osaka.
Besuch des Schreins Tsuyunoten Jinja in Osaka.
Besuch des Schreins Tsuyunoten Jinja in Osaka.

Asia » Japan » Osaka » Osaka June 12th 2023

There were a couple of things I definitely wanted to see in Osaka – one was the oval Ferris wheel by the Dotonburi River, and the other was the ukiyoe(pronounced you-kee-oh-way) museum. You have undoubtedly seen ukiyo-e (literally “the floating world”) prints. Perhaps one of the more famous is “Under the Wave off Kanagawa” from the series “36 Views of Mt Fuji” by the artist Hokusai. These woodblock prints are a style of print and painting from the Edo period depicting famous theater actors, beautiful courtesans, city life, travel in romantic landscapes, and erotic scenes. Think of think of them as the 17th century equivalent of movie magazines, postcards, men’s’ magazines, and advertising posters. Since these were woodblock prints, a lot of them could be made quickly and fairly inexpensively. The Kamigata Ukiyoe is ... read more
Kamigata Museum
Shinsaibashi Shopping Street
Osaka Ukiyeo Museum

Asia » Japan » Osaka » Osaka April 11th 2023

2023_Blog 18_Japan April 7 Port of Call: Osaka, Japan (Day 1) – Weather: 66°F/19°C – Heavy rain - Wind: 6.9 mph. We docked in Osaka today and will remain in port until 4:00 pm tomorrow giving guests the opportunity to enjoy full day excursions and some of Osaka’s night life. Once again rain poured down on us and we are beginning to think that we are no longer human but are transforming into waterfowl with webbed feet. Today was dedicated to touring religious sites: two Buddhist Temples and one Shinto Shrine. Our first stop was at Horyuji Temple noted for having some of the world’s oldest surviving wooden structures. The temple buildings have existed for more than 1,300 years. In 1993, since the temple was a unique center for Buddhist culture, UNESCO recognized it as part ... read more
Horyuji Temple - outer precinct.
Horyuji Temple - traditional wooden construction.
Todaiji - main building.

Asia » Japan » Osaka » Osaka April 11th 2023

2023_Blog 19_Japan April 8 Port of Call: Osaka, Japan (Day 2) – Partly cloudy in the morning – sunny in the afternoon – Wind: 13 mph. This morning no one was permitted to go ashore until the ship was cleared by Japanese Quarantine Officials. The ship’s doctor had reported three cases of COVID-19 aboard and an inspection had to be conducted. As the officials were not available until 8:00 am no one, including those on shore excursions, could leave the ship while the officials conducted their inspection. As our departure from Osaka is scheduled for 4:00 pm this afternoon the excursions were noticeably shortened. Our outing this morning consisted of a two-hour drive around the city where the tour guide pointed out both historical and contemporary architecture. A brief rest stop was provided near the castle ... read more
Osaka - Aquarium.
Osaka - dockside performance.
Osaka - modern architecture.

Asia » Japan » Osaka » Osaka January 2nd 2023

My guess, since both India and China are the two most populous countries in the world, would be rice. Other choices would be pasta, burgers, tacos (wraps), hot dogs, or bread (naan). But the winner is the ubiquitous American invention, pizza!! Pizza is the undisputed king of the culinary world, beloved by people of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds. Although it may have originated in Italy (not really), pizza is now popular throughout the globe, offering countless varieties to suit every palette. Delicious combinations of doughy crusts piled high with savory cheeses, sauces and toppings create a truly unique meal that can be enjoyed as a snack or a full dinner. In fact, pizza has become such an integral part of life that classic phrases like “pizza and movie night” are shared among family members and ... read more
Some kaki ramen
Tokyo beef cutlet




Tot: 0.138s; Tpl: 0.007s; cc: 13; qc: 68; dbt: 0.0682s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.3mb