1 DAY OSAKA ITINERARY 🐙 Japan Travel Guide 🇯🇵

1 DAY OSAKA ITINERARY 🐙 Japan Travel Guide 🇯🇵

Oscar is a fantastic city with so many things to do. But if I only had one day to spend here, here’s what I would do. Today, I’m going to take you on a jam-packed route from the dazzling north to downtown in the south to give you a taste of the diverse atmospheres that shape this lively city. Not everyone has the same interests, so there will be options and side quests you can choose from to customize your itinerary, as well as seasonal recommendations. Let’s go. We’re starting at Blue Bottle for breakfast and a coffee. It’s located in Umeda in an area called Chayamachi, right next to Osaka Station. Blue Bottle is a coffee roaster originally from the US, but it’s become very popular in Japan, too. It’s great because it opens at 8:00 a.m. and it offers a range of coffee options and an easy breakfast. You can obviously skip this part if you don’t need breakfast or a coffee, but I mean even if you’re coming for a day trip from say Kyoto, you’re going to be arriving in Osaka station anyway. So it just kind of makes sense to start in Uma in the center of the city. Now if you are starting in Umeda, you’ll most likely be using Osaka station, which let me warn you is a huge maze of a station. And you might be thinking like I’ve already been to Tokyo. I’ve experienced a Shinjuku station. It can’t be that bad. No, I’m not going to act like I still don’t get lost here, but let me give you a few tips to help you navigate the station. This whole area here is called Osaka Station City, and it’s actually made up of a number of train stations. This big one here that we are at is Osaka station on the JR line. And then from JR Osaka station over there, you’ve got the Osaka Umed or just Umemeda station on the Hunky line. And then you’ve also got Osaka station on the Hunchin line as well as a whole lot of metro subway lines underground. All the lines are color coordinated and honestly Google Maps gives you all the information you need to get from point A to point B. So that’s probably the best information I can give you. Also, if you turn on wheelchair accessible in Google Maps, it’ll take you to the routes that have elevator access because there are a lot of stairs. So yeah, when I’m having a bit of a panic or I’m feeling lost, I like to come up here to get a bit of a visual sense of where I am and like which building I’m trying to head towards because it’s just very confusing on ground level. So the first thing I do is go to Uma Sky Building. It’s about a 10-minute walk from Osaka Station, and it’s open from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every day. I try to come here as soon as it opens just because I find that the line gets longer and longer as the day goes on. It’s also extremely popular at sunset time and for good reason. The top of this building is an observatory with panoramic views of the Osaka cityscape. It costs 2,000 yen per person, but for those interested, there is a way to get a discounted pass to most of the attractions we’re going to cover in Osaka today. And I’ll go into the details on that later. I think it’s hard to comprehend the size of this city until you’re seeing it from a place like this. So, I’d highly recommend checking out at least one observatory while you’re in Osaka. Afterwards, if you want, you can chill in the cafe here or buy some cute souvenirs. And then after the observatory, we’re going to head to this side of the building, go up to the 27th floor to the Corgji Kinotani Tenku Art Museum. This is such a cool exhibition. The artist Kji Kimutani uses bright colors and old Japanese mythology to make these super cool pieces that literally jump off the wall. The special exhibitions change periodically, so some of the pieces will be different to when I filmed this, but there will also be new pieces to enjoy. It costs 1,300 yen per person, and it’ll take you maybe an hour to view. Okay, time for lunch. The easiest option is to just go downstairs into the basement of the sky building to a place called Takimi Ki. So all of these down here are restaurants, but I really love how everything’s designed in like this Shaw West style architecture. So kind of feels like you’re picking lunch in the 1950s. Any of these will be a good choice for lunch here. This here is a famous okonamyaki restaurant called Kiji. There’s normally a line to get in, but if you’re up for it, you won’t be disappointed. The okonomyaki, which is a savory pancake that Osaki is famous for, is grilled right in front of you. And if you like yakisoba, the yakisoba here is amazing. Oh, and also this place only takes cash. [Music] If you don’t want to line up for kiji, just over there you might find some ridiculously cheap bento boxes that you can get takeaway. If it’s a nice day, check out the grand green. The Grand Green is a new addition to the Uma landscape and it’s honestly so nice having a large patch of green grass to relax on in the middle of this concrete jungle. We were up there this morning. Grab some food from the basement of either the Hungue or Hunchin department stores and then take a break on the grass. You deserve it. The only thing to be aware of, there’s a lot of maintenance days here. So, just double check the schedule before you commit to this option. But if you’re coming to Osaka during cherry blossom season, rather than having lunch in Umed, I’ve got a better recommendation. Jump on the JR or sucker loop and hop off at Sakuranomia station. Here you’ll find a park called KMA Sakuranomia Park with Sakura trees lining all the way down the riverbank. You can grab some food at one of the food stalls or have a picnic along here under the Sakura trees. It’s so nice. [Music] And then after that, walk down through the park along the riverbank all the way to Osaka Castle. Cherry blossom season is handsdown the best time to view Osaka Castle just because of the beautiful way that the cherry blossoms frame the castle in the grounds. There’s also a museum within the castle itself for anyone interested. But the grounds are very big and they will take up a huge chunk of your day. Though personally, if you’re only in Osaka for one day outside of cherry blossom season, I’d say skip this castle for another one in Japan because Osaka has other things to offer that you can’t find elsewhere in Japan. Or extend your trip and then you can fit everything in. If you’d like to go shopping, I’d suggest hopping on the Midsoji subway line and heading to Honachi for lunch followed by some retail therapy and thrifting. This place is called Warea, which offers a modern, healthy Japanese style brunch/ lunch. The food feels really light with lots of colors which I appreciate. After lunch, walk about 50 m to what is my favorite coffee shop in Osaka, Alma Coffee. I went on a little cafe hopping adventure in Osaka last year to find my favorite cafe and spoiler alert, this place took the cake. They’ve got a range of beans you can choose from and you can get a drip coffee, espresso, latte, whatever. And they offer oat milk. [Music] From here, we’re going to walk south to Shinsaiashi, which is full of thrift shops and shopping malls and the American Village or Amura, famous for its US inspired street fashion. As you head further south, you’ll notice that the vibe changes and the streets get livelier and livelier. There is so much to do and eat here. [Music] In Sai Bashuji is the main arcade here, but it gets crazy busy here. So, unless I’ve got a specific store in mind that I want to visit, I try to explore the adjacent streets. One cool thing you can do here is make your own customizable Unilo shirt or bag. This service is called You T Me, and it’s a great souvenir idea, but it’s limited to only a few specific Unilo stores. Just to be confusing, Shinsaiashi Suji Arcade has more than one Unilo store. You want to go to the one closest to Shinsashi station, the one with the flowers out the front and up to the fourth floor. And then 1 hour later, it was already done. This is how it turned out. We kept it super simple with just a little lounge here. He’s so cute. Oh, another super fun shop to check out is this flea market in Amura. It’s literally overflowing with antiques and knickknacks, but the staff make this place such a vibe. They go around encourage you to touch everything and giving you vintage cameras to play with. It’s super fun. Oh my god, look at the Tamagotchis. [Laughter] If you’re taking this route, you’ll keep walking south until you hit Namba, the centerpiece of Osaka’s famous downtown district. But if you’re not taking the shopping route, then we’re going to go from Umea or wherever you had lunch and head to Shinsseekai before we come to Namba. This area around the tower is called Shinsseekai, which means new world. And when it was developed in the 1920s, it was to emulate a new world vibe. But then it didn’t really get modernized after that. So now it gives this like super unique futuristic yet retro vibe with the neon lights and the restaurant decorations. Walking these streets feels like taking a step back in time. And while you’re here, check out some of the arcades, play some games like archery. Yeah. And this incredibly retro pinball game my husband introduced me to. And then head to Tsutenku for the tower slider. This is literally what it sounds like, a slide on the outside of the tower. I was not keen to do this initially, but let’s go. Now I’m obsessed. There’s also an observatory here with this cool area that you can access for an extra 300 yen that lets you climb out onto this terrifying platform and take a sick photo. It is a different view from Umea Sky Building as this looks over downtown, but you have to line up separately for both the tower cider and the observatory and they’re a minimum 30 minute wait each. So it’s up to you if you want to do this. If you like to, you can stay in this area for dinner and have the famous Osaka dish called Kushi Katu. There are a variety of deep fried meat or veggies or other stuff on skewers. And it’s said that this dish actually originated in Shinskai. Kushi Kata Dama is one of the most famous Kushikata restaurants in Osaka. And there’s a store located right next to Tsuenko as well as another one in the back streets. [Music] If you’re visiting during winter, take a detour to the Christmas market in Tenoji Park, just a short walk away. [Music] So, this is probably not mold wine. Let’s get it. They have hot beer. The German influence is heavy, but it’s interesting to see how it’s adapted here. We’ll get this one. Nikki number one. 10 sausages. Yum. Is it Is it 10? Do some The event generally runs through December, but check the details closer to the date. But my recommendation, head to Namba. Number is the entertainment district of Osaka. And in the center of Namba is the famous Donburi, a melting pot of great food, giant 3D decorations, neon lights, and just general good vibes. [Music] [Applause] If you’ve arrived and it’s too early for dinner, but you could eat something, you have to have takoyaki. Takayoyaki are these balls of dough with octopus in them, and they’re one of the most famous Osaka street foods. They’re cheap, delicious, but watch out, they are hot as hell, so just give them a couple minutes to cool down before you take a bite. There’s heaps of takoyaki stores to choose from here. And you can’t really go wrong with any of them. But wherever you do see a huge queue of people lining up for some, there’s normally a good reason for that. Let me show you a secret spot. It’s just down this alleyway here, just off the busy Doburi street. You crawl through this alleyway and find yourself in a completely different world. So this place is called Horenji Yokoto and it’s just like bunch of alleyways that have been for here for ages that are full of fancy restaurants and they kind of surround the Horenji temple which is what we’re going to go check out now. This area used to be much bigger but it was destroyed in a raid during World War II. Only one statue survived. This one of a Buddhist priest called Fom. It’s become accustomed to throw water on the statue as a way to pay your respects. When I came here once, a kind volunteer taught me how to do it properly. So, let me pass on that knowledge. First, you wash your hands, but don’t let the dirty water back in with the clean water. Right, left, and then wash the ladle. Then you light some incense and pour water over the main statue three times. And then once on each of the little statues on either side. Then you go over to this other section. I forgot what it was called. Bow. And then you line up your hands with your left slightly above your right and clap twice before ending with another bow. [Music] Okay. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Number comes to life at nighttime. And if you’re looking for that quintessential Isizakai experience in Osaka, this is a great area to do it. It can be a bit intimidating picking a restaurant in a foreign country with so much variety to choose from and a language barrier to add to it. There’s a lot of great choices here, but to help you pick, here’s one option. [Music] This place is called Sake Tossakana, which translates to sake and snacks. When I first came to Japan, my idea of an izakaya was beer and chicken skewers. But the longer I live here, I’ve realized that raw fish at an izakaya is not only normal, but incredibly popular. In hindsight, I don’t know where this false idea came from. Maybe it says more about the variety of raw fish or the menus at the izakaya adaptations back home, but I always thought my husband Kay was a bit unconventional when ordering sashimi at an isizakaya until I moved here and realized how common it was. That’s why I think places like this offer a great experience and insight into the wonderful world of Japanese isakayas. We’ve got the store specialty which is this sushimi boat which looks freaking insane. It’s got all different kinds of sashimi. Got tuna, salmon. We’ve got some uni and these prawns and ikura as well. And then we’ve got the shrimp tempura seafood bowl. We’ve got their specialty potato salad that they make in store. And this very, very cute unagi and egg omelette, which looks delicious. [Music] This is Kushi Katsu. It is a famous Osaka food. So if you come to Osaka, highly recommend trying this. It’s so good. This is combo. This is my favorite thing. I always get it every [Music] If you drink alcohol, consider pairing your meal with some Japanese sake. It’s like over. In terms of price, a typical mid-range isizakaya with a couple of drinks will come to around $10,000 yen or about $70 for two people, but it’s obviously going to vary depending on what you order, the type of isizakaya, and the number of drinks. A big thank you to this gorgeous place for inviting us to try their food. And now for dessert, my first choice is this tayyaki place. Tayyaki means grilled seabbream. Although it’s obviously not a real seabbream. It’s just in the shape of one. This is a super popular Japanese sweet snack. Most commonly filled with red bean paste or anko. But this sweet potato flavor is so good. It’s the perfect sweet treat. Now, if you’re staying the night in Osaka, staying in or around Namba is obviously super convenient if you’re ending your night here. And as such, it’s a very popular hotel location. The obvious downsides being that it’s a bit noisy and books out pretty fast. My other recommendation on where to stay would be Umed. It’s so conveniently located. You can go anywhere within Osaka or out of Osaka from there so easily. I think Hanky Respire Osaka is a good choice. Not sponsored because it’s literally two steps away from the station. Actually, it’s pretty much built right on top of the station. My parents stayed here recently and it was so convenient. They could swing by the hotel in the middle of the day and just drop things off so easily. For a slightly cheaper option, check out around Tenoji station. This is another pretty well-connected station, technically still in downtown Osaka and super close to Shinskai, which is where we visited today. Now, we’ve covered a lot of attractions in one day, but have no fear. You can enter Umbra Sky Building, the Tenku Art Museum, Sutenkagu’s Tower Slider, and the Observatory, and more than 20 other attractions for free with something called an Osaka e- pass. It’s a 1-day pass, costs 2,400 yen, or just under $17. So, even with just the Umeda Sky Building and the Art Museum, you’ve already saved money with it. There’s also something called an Osaka Amazing Pass, which gives you access to even more spots and transport passes that you can pair them with. You can browse all these on Cook and find whichever one suits you best. And you can use my code sunny Japan for a cheeky little discount. And after I’ve secured my pass, I would take a moment to catch my breath. And then I’d extend my stay here because one day at Osaka is not enough and use one of these guides by Sunny and Japan here to continue exploring this amazing city. Thank you so much for watching. I hope you found this useful and I’ll catch you in the next one.

If you’re only in Osaka for 1 day (this is criminal, you should stay longer), then here are the *best things to do and see in Osaka* 🇯🇵 In this itinerary, we explore the range of unique neighbourhoods and attractions that capture the essence of Osaka, eat famous Osaka foods including takoyaki, okonomiyaki and kushikatsu, go through a few seasonal highlights to include, and take a few fun side quests, for a jam-packed day.

Not everyone has the same interests, so the itinerary has been designed to be customisable, to allow you to choose where you want to eat, what you want to see, what you want to skip, and where you could book accomodation.

However you choose to design your itinerary, with this guide, you’ll have an unforgettable day 🐙

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0:00 1-DAY OSAKA ITINERARY
0:29 Blue Bottle for breakfast and coffee
1:09 Osaka Station 101
2:30 Umeda Sky Building
3:27 Koji Kinutani Tenku Art Museum
4:00 Lunch Option 1: Takimikoji
4:35 Lunch Option 2: TO on the Grand Green
5:38 Spring Lunch Option
6:42 Shopping Lunch Option: WAREWAREWA & aoma coffee
7:30 Things to do in Shinsaibashi & American Village
9:19 Shinsekai
11:11 Christmas Market
11:48 Namba & Dotonbori
14:33 Downtown izakaya
17:30 accomodation recommendations
18:20 How to save money in Osaka

If you would like to make a reservation at the izakaya we visited:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/uDCi52Gtcu4xiVf18?g_st=ipc

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Get up to 10% OFF on Osaka Passes and Attractions on KLOOK! 🇯🇵
⭐️ Use the code SUNNYINJAPAN
Osaka e-Pass: https://www.klook.com/activity/53087-osaka-1-day-e-pass-osaka/
Osaka Amazing Pass: https://www.klook.com/activity/82312-amazing-pass-osaka/
Things to do in Osaka: https://www.klook.com/city/29-osaka-things-to-do/?spm=Home.TopDestination%3Aany%3A%3ATopDestination%3ACard_LIST&clickId=f2d594ec70
*10% discount for new customers, 3% discount for existing customers

📹 My filming gear: https://amzn.to/3XojX7U