We Fell in Love with the REAL Osaka Japan!

We Fell in Love with the REAL Osaka Japan!

Every country we visit 
becomes a piece of our story. And this—this was our first time in Japan.
We came to Osaka not really knowing what to expect, but within a few days, we were 
saying, “Yeah, we could live here.” We’ve been traveling for more than a year now.
We don’t have a home base or any possessions other than what we carry with us.
We’re trying to experience the world in a way that feels sustainable.
Not just the tourist spots, but real daily life. In Osaka, that meant riding clean, easy-to-use 
trains, eating simple, healthy meals like rice balls, and marveling at the beautiful 
nature and gardens and architecture in Japan. And surprise, we met up with our 
good friends that we met in Albania. Hi. I’m Noelle.
And I’m Jonathan. We’re on a mission to live in 100 countries!
Ever wonder what would happen if you got rid of all your stuff and traveled around?
A few years ago, we would have said that was crazy or irresponsible.
But there’s more than one way to travel. Whether it’s months in Colombia or months in 
Romania, weeks crossing oceans, slowly traveling the world, we’re writing our own story.
Everywhere we go, we meet amazing people. This channel may not be for you, but we’re 
inviting you to come along with us because we’re not just traveling.
Subscribe for free. As soon as we arrived in Japan, we immediately 
figured out the public transportation. And it is awesome.
It really is. Of course, we thought their cars were cute.
They kind of look like a box. The front is all flat.
And we love all the bicycles, too. Did you see that?
An umbrella holder for the bike. Wow.
But we really love the system of trains that connects everything.
Yes, it is really convenient. In our last video, we bought a reloadable 
ICOCA card and it’s been working really well. We just got the regular one that the locals use, 
and you can even attach it to your Apple Wallet. You don’t even need to 
unlock your phone to use it. Just tap your phone to get in, and the fare is deducted when you 
exit based on how far you’ve traveled. It’s not super cheap, but it is reasonable. It cost us a few dollars to 
ride each time per person. And we just navigate using Google Maps 
and by reading the signs which are in English as well as in Japanese.
It’s pretty simple, really. We use the trains to get everywhere and even to 
meet up with our friends that we met in Albania. We all took the train to go see the Osaka Castle.
And this is not just some ruins or something. We were surprised to find a real castle.
And it’s one of the top attractions in all of Japan.
It really does feel like a castle. It has these massive stone 
walls, wide moats with boats. That looks really fun.
It’s pretty formidable. Everything about this place was 
built to impress and defend. The moats are still here, so you walk over 
these bridges and it kind of hits you. This place was meant to be impenetrable.
The main tower, five stories tall, covered in gold trim.
It’s bold and dramatic from every angle. Inside, there’s actually a full museum.
We didn’t go in, but you’ll find samurai armor, old maps, weapons, digital exhibits, and I 
hear the top floor has a nice view of Osaka. One, three, two,
Make some noise. Woo! The whole place is very big.
There are over 600 cherry blossom trees here, which I bet would be incredible in the spring.
An interesting coincidence is right on the grounds is a time capsule that was 
sealed during the Expo in 1970. It’s supposed to stay sealed for 5,000 years.
Yeah, 5,000 years. So, if you’re watching this in the year 6970, um… 
hello… and don’t forget to open this time capsule. It’s quite the coincidence since the World Expo 
is being held here in Osaka again this year, 2025, 55 years after the time capsule 
was buried during the 1970 Expo. By the way, we made a video about our 
experience at the World Expo Osaka 2025. We also saw the Shitennoji Temple.
We’re walking into—what is this place called? Shitennoji Temple. We came here expecting just another quiet temple.
But Shitennoji is stunning and peaceful. It feels like you’ve stepped into another 
world right in the middle of Osaka. Okay.
Actually, it turned into a video. Yeah.
This is one of the prettiest temple grounds we’ve walked through.
It’s not flashy or crowded, and I just love the raked rocks.
Isn’t that beautiful? Is this what a Zen garden is?
Wow. One of the first things you 
notice is the five-story pagoda. It’s tall and perfectly symmetrical.
And unlike a lot of pagodas in Japan, you can actually go inside this one.
We climbed all the way to the top. The steps are pretty steep and 
narrow, but it was fun to climb up. It’s a bit of a tight squeeze since the steps are 
steep and narrow, but it’s part of the experience. Definitely not something you 
get to do at most temples. Even though this is a top spot in 
Osaka, it doesn’t feel touristy. Locals still come here to 
pray or just sit quietly. We’re walking to IKEA and, um, we have 
to cross this bridge over the river. Forgot what the river is called.
Kizu River. And look at the loop-de-loop.
It has a loop on the circle. I mean, oops.
It has a circle on the map. Like a loop and then over the 
bridge and then a loop down. So you look at it in person.
Look at it. We’re here and it goes double loop.
Look at that. So we’ll see.
We’ll see. This is amazing.
A double spiral bridge. I can’t believe it’s a double loop-de-loop! What a nice view!
You can see the skyline in the distance. Oh, look.
People are practicing baseball inside the spiral. Baseball is actually the 
most popular sport in Japan. It’s funny because every time I’ve chatted with 
locals, the conversation has gone to baseball. And you should see the look on their faces 
when I tell them I don’t follow baseball. You’d think I committed a crime 
for not watching baseball. It’s so funny.
Baseball is a huge part of the culture here. We’re coming up on IKEA.
We came here for lunch. Yum.
The menu is slightly different here. They have Swedish meatballs, of course, with the 
lingonberry sauce, but also I see lots of people getting this curry, so I got it.
And it’s really good, too. Across the street from IKEA is 
a Japanese home goods store. It was fun to walk around and see 
the Japanese home furnishings. You may think of Japan as one 
big crowded city, but it’s not. And it doesn’t feel like it either.
We’re here at Namba Parks Mall, and it has a garden built on top.
It’s so pretty. The plants have been carefully selected 
and organized into different climate zones. They have sumo wrestling at this mall.
I think I prefer baseball. Take a look at these backpacks.
We’ve seen so many kids wearing these backpacks. They are hundreds of dollars.
I wonder what makes them so special. Remember how we said that Japan 
isn’t just one big crowded city? Well, today we are hiking up 
a popular trail to Minoh Falls. It’s about 30 minutes from downtown 
and easily accessible by train. It’s not a hard hike. The whole thing is paved with bathrooms.
It’s a gentle walk along a river. Is it beautiful?
Yeah, there’s all these little waterfalls along the way.
It’s already so cute. The waterfall is very peaceful 
and beautiful as well. We saw a man walking his owl. An owl.
It’s a horned owl sitting on top of that guy’s head.
It looks like the owl is walking him. In Japan, you can find lots of 
small restaurants, often family-run. It’s a cute little ramen shop.
What’s its name? Mennoya.
Cool. This one has maybe 10 seats 
and one guy cooking ramen. You order these tickets and it costs about 1,000 yen per bowl, which is like $7 US dollars.
Yeah, this was really good ramen. Tastes like chili? Yeah, it tastes like chili.
The canned chili you get in the US. Not spicy. Doesn’t taste like the vegetables 
or like the beans of chili. It tastes like that flavor of chili.
Like almost like the sauce in a chili, but not spicy.
Not like tomato sauce, not like anything like that.
Like a beef chili flavor. Very delicious.
It’s my favorite. Uh-oh.
I’m going to try it. Mmm, yummy. We’re going to Sushiro, the 
conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Sushiro is a popular chain that does sushi, but 
instead of having a waiter or waitress, they have a conveyor belt that delivers the food to you.
Mozzarella tempura—that’s just like fried cheese. Nakatsu fried chicken.
You just press the button on the tablet and wow. I wasn’t expecting it to come from up there.
Everything we got here was delicious and it gave us some good practice using chopsticks.
It like cramps with my hand. Wha-woa. Haha! Some of the sushi has cheese on it.
I also got this melon sorbet. Of course, you don’t have to eat out 
for every meal when you’re traveling. You can go to the grocery store, too.
We don’t mean 7-Eleven. Yes, you can buy food at the 7-Eleven, but 
they have grocery stores that are even better. And in our next video, we are going to be 
taking you with us to the grocery store. We’ll also be trying some of 
the many things they sell there. So, click like and subscribe so you don’t 
miss out on our next videos in Japan. See you later!
What does it taste like? It’s like a lot of cream.
The outside is like uncooked dough.

It’s about two weeks in Japan exploring Osaka—and it surprised us in all the best ways.

We didn’t know exactly what to expect before arriving, but within a few days, we were already saying, “Yeah, we could live here.” The clean, easy-to-use train system, the healthy meals, and the balance between urban life and natural beauty instantly made us feel at home. In this video, we bring you along for our first-time experiences in Osaka—our walks, our favorite finds, and a few unexpected discoveries.

This Osaka travel vlog kicks off with us reconnecting with friends we met in Albania. Together, we visit the Osaka Castle—not just some ruins, but a real, massive, fully restored fortress with stone walls, dramatic gold trim, wide moats with boats, and a five-story main tower that’s actually a full museum inside.

We also stumbled into Shitennoji Temple, expecting a quiet little stop. But it turned out to be one of the most peaceful, beautiful temple grounds we’ve ever seen. And yes, we climbed to the top (even though the steep stairs made it feel like a workout!).

Next, we cross the double spiral bridge over the Kizu River on our way to IKEA (for lunch!). We escape the city for a day hike to Minoh Falls, just 30 minutes by train. It’s a gentle, scenic walk past mini waterfalls and lush greenery. And yes, we saw a man walking his owl. An owl. On his head.

Of course, no Japan vlog would be complete without ramen. We found a tiny ramen shop with just 10 seats and one guy cooking everything. You order via vending machine.

And finally, we tried Sushiro, a conveyor belt sushi chain where you order on a tablet and your sushi zooms right to your seat. Cheese sushi? Mozzarella tempura? Melon sorbet? Check, check, check. Also, great chopstick practice!

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LINKS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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🏯 Osaka Castle
• It is free to wander the grounds and is easy to get to via the metro.
🔗 https://osakacastle.org/

🛕 Shitennoji Temple
• Founded in 593, it has great historical significance. Walk around and it’s 500 JPY to enter central area.
🔗 https://en.osaka-info.jp/spot/shitennoji/

🌊 Minoh (Mino-o) Falls & Hiking Trail
• Beautiful and peaceful free walking trail to a waterfall. Monkeys and wildlife living in the area.
🔗 https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/1080/

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