Osaka Castle

When someone visits us in Tokyo, they are visiting foreigners in a foreign place. We are still getting used to the city and our surroundings. But transport us, okay... my husband, to Osaka and "we" are experts. 

Today we took my parents to Osaka for a little trip within a trip. We left our house before 8:30 am to get to the Shinkansen station by 9:30. When traveling by Shinkansen, tickets are similar to an airplane ticket. It is for a specific train and seat. You must arrive in time to get on the train, otherwise, it will leave you. We left in plenty of time to catch the train, but almost missed it because the line in the women’s bathroom was long!  Some things are true no matter what country you are in.

Despite having to run for the train, as soon as we boarded we felt relaxed and settled in for a nice, laid back ride. The sky wasn’t totally clear, but we still had great views of Mt. Fuji from the train. When it is visible, it’s always a highlight of the train ride. 

We traveled through Osaka, to the suburb of Yao to go to one of our favorite restaurants. My parents were delighted to eat kushiage at Houzenji. As we walked through the door, the owners face lit up at the sight of my husband. I find it strange how happy it makes me for my husband to have this connection to his hometown. 

After a truly delightful meal, we went to the cemetery to pay our respects to all the family members that have passed on. 

Up next was Osaka Castle - a treasure of Osaka. It is truly majestic sitting up on its pedestal. Every time I see it, I’m amazed by it’s beauty. The excitement of seeing it makes me feel like a kid.  I just want to point and exclaim "look at the castle!!!"  The inside is completely modern with a museum and gift shop. The museum tells the history of the castle and has many interesting artifacts like paintings and dioramas. 

The grounds surrounding the castle are vast. We stopped by the plum garden, even though the plum blossoms are just starting to bloom. They will be in their full glory in probably another week. The air smelled sweet and the bits of color were still very enjoyable. There are pink and white blossoms, as well as red!

Since we were in Osaka, we had to have an Osaka specialty for dinner. My husband made reservations at a popular okonomiyaki restaurant. Boy, were we happy he did when we saw the long line outside the restaurant that we were able to bypass. We enjoyed Osaka style (the original style) okonomiyaki, negiyaki (a green onion pancake), yakisoba, and Hiroshima okonomiyaki.  It was a whole lot of cabbage pancakes, with some noodles too!

On our way to our Airbnb, we wandered through Dotonbori, a bright, vibrant, and interesting part of town. There are many famous sights along the street and you can’t help but stare every which way because there is so much to take in. The city has really cleaned up the area since I lived in Osaka, and I would say it is now a must see part of town. 

Finally, it was time to find our Airbnb and turn in for the night. We were all exhausted from the long day of traveling and sightseeing. Luckily it was a bit easier since we know how to get around Osaka easily and generally know where we are all the time. But after realizing we traveled on 12 different trains today, it doesn’t matter how well we know the area. We were all beat and ready for bed!