**For Travel Tips, Scroll Down**
It was exciting waking up in Osaka after a day of shinkansen travels and finally getting to the cross-country portion of the trip. Scroll down if you want to hear about Dotonbori from the previous video. We started the day back on the shinkansen on a short 20mins hop to the former capital of Japan, Kyoto. It is obviously a very popular destination known for cultural and historic importance and architectures, so I will focus on lesser known tips and my experience at Kyoto. I did go back to Kyoto for another look later on (around when Covid started to emerge) in my Trip so stay tuned for that.
We had a list of the typical “must see” but we only ended up hiking up the trail of red torii gates at the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. The shrine contained of small torii gates and forms a loop course that takes you to the summit of a mountain with a great view of Kyoto. As expected, it was packed with tourists near the base and at the start of the trail. We found the farther up we went, the less “annoying” insta tourists there were and it was a really good hike, lined with vending machines and traditional tea houses! The trail is a loop and it was very scenic and “zen” the whole way. We took a light stroll around the Gion District, filled with traditional houses and shops filled streets, but it got uncomfortable quick with the amount of tourists there were. We walked across the Kamo River for that scenic riverside view and had some lunch at the shopping arcade nearby. We made the decision to head back to Osaka early because the amount of tourists was unbearable.
For me, Kyoto was a great place and I got a chance to see it quiet during early covid 2 wks after this, but I will also say that I had a better experience with traditional Japan at off the path destinations such as Kanazawa and Takayama. (Stay tuned to see more!)
Back in Osaka, we decided to explore the Shinsekai area for dinner. The area was developed after the war, it remained untouched for decades and retained a nostalgic touch. It is filled with vividly lit up post war buildings and the Tsutenkaku tower overlook the area. A place for working class to gather, the food in this area is very unique as headlined by generous potion of stir fried noodles and kushi-katsu; skewers of deep fried meat, veggies, and fish.
The previous night, I visited the Dotonbori area which is the downtown tourist hot spot centered around the canal where the infamous running man sign is. It was busy, loud, and the smell of different foods was something else. There were plenty of stalls selling the signatures: “takoyaki” (batter and octopus pieces made into a fried ball shape with a soft center) and “okonomiyaki” (savory pancake with cabbages and protein), both dishes are served hot with bonito flakes on top!
As a whole, Osaka is an amazing city because of the food culture and a relaxed atmosphere compared to Tokyo. You can’t come to Japan and not having visited Osaka. We’ve got a few more days in Osaka so stay tuned!
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Tips
– For the “Kyoto Torii Gates”, I definitely recommend going there early to avoid the tourists and go all the way up to the summit to avoid the “selfie sticks” tourists. It is a nice hike of step with places to rest and not difficult.
– The Gion district boost a bunch of shrines and temples. You don’t have to pay to go in to every one of them to get a good look, even just being at the steps of them was enough for me. I did not see any geishas but I’ve been told they come out at night.
– Don’t get me wrong, Kyoto is absolutely a great place to check out with so many historical sites in close proximity, especially if your trip is limited to the golden route (Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka). I found that out a few weeks later when I returned to an empty Kyoto after Japan enacted a travel ban from China. (which is a bulk of the visitors) NOW is a great time to see Kyoto if you are in Japan. Going off the beaten path, IMO there are better places to see traditional Japan without the foot traffic, I personally loved Kanazawa.
– There is no point getting a rsvp on the shinkansen for the short hop between Osaka and Kyoto, just show up & hop on the next one (every 15mins). There are local express trains from Osaka Stn that reaches Kyoto. Remember shinkansen stops at Shin Osaka Stn which is a bit further out than the main Osaka Station & the distance to Kyoto is short enough it is comparable. Shinkansen is obviously more comfortable, fun, and with less commuters.
– There are two urban centres in Osaka, one near Osaka Stn and the other near Dotonbori and Namba Stn (most attractions are here). To get from Shin Osaka, you can take the train to Osaka Stn (not far) and then take the JR Loop Train + 2nd transfer to Namba. However, I recommend taking the subway (using IC) from Shin Osaka to your hotel/Dotonbori because it is faster and more direct. I will cover the various subway passes you can get to save $$ in the next videos.
AloJapan.com