Osaka’s Quiet Neighbourhoods | Nakazakicho Cafe Street, Katsuoji Temple & Best Viewpoints

Osaka’s Quiet Neighbourhoods | Nakazakicho Cafe Street, Katsuoji Temple & Best Viewpoints

Hi everyone, we’re off to another summer trip in Japan our first stop will be Osaka and then I have plans to visit a few other cities and we’re off! early summer is kind of my favourite time to visit Japan the heat is still mild but you still get the summer atmosphere it’s also off peak season it took me over an hour to get out of the airport… there were sooo many people at the Kansai airport I’m guessing it’s cause of the Osaka expo I was going to arrive and head out for dinner but it was already around 8 when I checked in and pouring rain think I’ll just buy something to eat at the hotel but found this temple next to the hotel I really hope the rain will stop tomorrow going to get some food at the supermarket if you can find a supermarket near you it’s so much better than a convince store there’s also a lot of good deals after 8 I also just like checking out whats’s new in store and also the snack isle still had to do a mandatory stop at the convenience store the sweets are better at the convenience store had to get a spicy fried chicken the rain cleared up 🙂 for those who don’t know I actually lived in Osaka for a bit so I’m quite familiar with the city I’ll try to take you guys to some of my local spots hopefully they’ll be a little less crowded too this little neighbourhood full of cute stores and coffee shops a lot off them tend to have odd opening hours so I suggest checking before visiting but there we’re so many cafes I wanted to visit and the streets were so cute just walking around you can find fun shop fronts it’s such a charming area there’s something behind every alley this shop was on my coffee list they’re meant to have really good coffee and the baked goods looked amazing especially this salt bread they seem to have all my favourites they were just roasting their beans so the whole shop smelt like fresh coffee beans I got my usual latte and carrot cake the cake wasn’t too sweet and goes so well with the coffee now time for some lunch this restaurant intrigued me the most this interior was so cosy too with little nooks to sit in kind of feels like you walked into someones home with all the retro designs it looks like it’s a restaurant, cafe and bar I ordered the hayashi rice it tasted like a home cooked meal off to our next location we’re headed to a temple that’s about an hour away from Osaka station but time flies when you’re just enjoying the scenery the rest of the way is by bus I’ve been wanting to try this milk tea frappe make sure to press the frappe button I forgot but it’s easier if you crush the ice beforehand it’s quite sweet but you can really taste the tea flavour the temple is quite a bit up in the mountains the temple is already looking so beautiful the temple is famous for these daruma dolls you can find them everywhere scattered around the temple it was fun going around finding them surrounded by green the whole area was so refreshing you can also collect these stamps around the temple now to have a look around the temple the temple is known as the “temple for winner’s luck” people visit to pray for luck in work, studies, sports, etc it’s custom is to bring the dolls back to the temple after one year two eyes painted black means their wish came true so each of these represents a wish that came true there’s still more of the temple to see at the top is the main temple you can also get these daruma fortunes it’s my first omikuji of the year I don’t know what it says so glad the weather cleared up for today time to collect my stamps and you’re left with this post card people found such creative ways to leave their daruma I thought we were done but there was one more stamp this makes more sense and of course you can buy all the daruma shaped souvenirs headed back to the city time for some dinner I was craving some gyukatsu looks so good I was going to go to gyukatsu motomura but there was over an hour wait and I think this place is just as good headed to get my morning coffee we’re in the more retro side of Osaka this is a retro kissaten this kissaten was founded in 1948 and is the birthplace of mixed fruit juice, a staple in these retro cafes you can feel the retro vibe as soon as you walk in it’s like you slipped back in time they serve coffee, desserts and light meals I ordered a fruit sandwich and iced latte the fresh cream and fruit is such a good combination the coffee was quite good too this whole area has it’s own character we’re back in the main dotonbori area I’m actually avoiding the main street… because this is what the crowds looks like and also the main shopping strip if you’re looking for somewhere less crowded to shop this shopping street runs just parallel to Dotonbori and has a mix of fashion boutiques, lifestyle shops and cafés I think you can definitely find more bold styles in Osaka so you might get some unique finds this is a coffee shop and select store fun place to find some souvenirs I love finding new scents when travelling there’s also a few home good/ furniture stores here time for some lunch came to this popular udon place they make all their udon in store I got the mentaiko and butter udon the noodles were so chewy needed another pick me up and a matcha is perfect for that it’s so hard to find good matcha in Korea so i need to make the most of it while I’m in Japan so refreshing there’s one more place I want to visit today hoping to catch the sunset there it was quite a bit of a hike but totally worth it for this view you can see the whole city and also the best place to see the sunset and then it was blue hour decided to head down before it got too dark this cafe is one of my favourites in Osaka the coffee is always good here it’s been unusually chilly for this year but I still choose to sit outside this restaurant is right next to the cafe and I could smell something delicious so I had to try it it already looks so good it was crispy and covered in this tangy sauce definitely want to come back next time it’s meant to rain again today it’s meant to rain today I thought the aquarium would be good place to escape the rain I forgot how huge this place is you can definitely spend a few hours here the otters were so cute! the aquarium is actually really well designed you start at the surface and slowly go under it’s been agers since I’ve been to a aquarium it was kind of peaceful to just walk around it’s a odd feeling to see how huge some of these fish are and lastly you end with a whole jellyfish section it’s my last day in Osaka I’m going to spend the morning editing I’ve been trying to focus more on filming when I travel but it was also nice to have a slow morning just editing headed out to explore around noon inside this tower is this quirky exhibition the museum is called Tree of Life it depicts the evolution process of life from reptiles and dinosaurs to mankind highly recommend if you’re looking for something unique to do honestly the crowds were a bit overwhelming this time I visited so I tried to stick to less crowded areas hope this vlog helped anyone else feeling the same last stop is this bookstore I love getting travel ideas from magazines a hint at my upcoming trips 😉 I think it’s a great way to find some local recommendations but I also just like looking at the photos and illustrations they also had a whole section on cameras I’ve actually really wanted to get this camera key ring yay! got the one I wanted

I spent 4 days in Osaka exploring the quieter areas of the city! Starting with a coffee run in Nakazakicho’s retro cafe street, a visit to the Katsuo-ji Temple in the mountains, and finishing with a stunning city view from one of Osaka’s best scenic spots.

🕒 Timestamps:
0:00 Seoul to Osaka
7:09 Morning walk through Nakazakicho & coffee
15:00 Exploring Katsuoji temple
24:02 Breakfast at retro kissaten
27:07 Shopping at Orange Street
33:43 Best view spot in Osaka (sunset views!)
39:29 Rainy day at Osaka aquarium
45:34 Tower of Sun- favourite exhibition

📍Featured Locations:
Day 1:
Nakazakichō
https://maps.app.goo.gl/AKzvM2Mm3xKkeMPd6
Ourlog coffee 本町店
https://maps.app.goo.gl/k7CRXbow3aq799sv5
Salon de AManTo
https://maps.app.goo.gl/UWCQd4qu2zgVcboU9
Katsuoji
https://maps.app.goo.gl/4TSeacc3ZrRnTYdq6
GYUKATSU KYOTO KATSUGYU
https://maps.app.goo.gl/SYzqSVBwFcReJSXH7

Day 2:
Sennariya Coffee
https://maps.app.goo.gl/vbMWnAYtLUuenTyH7
Orange street
https://g.co/kgs/gk3UDVE
Biotop https://g.co/kgs/jSKRhZh
水滴々 mizu teki•teki https://maps.app.goo.gl/byYLFtkMtxPftsHA8
秀望台 https://maps.app.goo.gl/Fx1D71ZGf2wZso986

Day 3
PARKING Kitahama Fermentation Plant
https://maps.app.goo.gl/BhZ5sWLNkqccvFoQA
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ejGirb6MqbNV6eed6

Day 4
Expo ’70 Commemorative Parkhttps://g.co/kgs/uDwma4g
TSUTAYA BOOKS Umeda Storehttps://g.co/kgs/N7bC2GV

#OsakaTravel #JapanVlog #Nakazakicho #OsakaCafes #KatsuojiTemple #HiddenGemsJapan hidden gem cafe in Nakazakicho a week in osaka, coffee, temples and shopping

» ABOUT ME
Hi there! I’m Sol, I was born in Korea but grew up mostly in Sydney, Australia! After living in Tokyo for 4 years I’ve relocated to Seoul! I love to travel, find cute cafes and document my daily life. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy!

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