Day 11 - Arrival in Osaka

Our journey from Kyoto to Osaka is extremely short compared to other location changes. Only 30 minutes by Shinkansen. We sit down, put in our headphones and we're already there. We tried to find a central apartment, which we didn't quite succeed in because we didn't pay attention to where the apartment actually is and rather focused on the price.

Therefore, we still have to take a normal train for 40 minutes from Shin-Osaka station. However, for us, Osaka is the city with the most complex train network, so we will probably only be reasonably well orientated after two days.

So we have to search first for where we have to go. We only stand at the wrong platform twice, which has never happened to us in previous vacations.

When we get off the train, we immediately notice that Osaka lives up to its reputation as the 'kitchen of the country'.

All sorts of different smells tickle my nostrils from every direction and my stomach growls. But we are in a hurry and I want to get rid of my luggage first.

After we have done that, we head to the sights of Osaka. The first thing on our list is Osaka Castle. On the way there, we pass through the associated park on a Sunday.... We could have guessed that it would be very crowded here. But I have never experienced anything like this. There must be some kind of event by a boy group or something similar. We see hundreds of teenagers in cosplay, with suitcases full of trading cards or other merchandise to exchange. I will never understand where this extreme enthusiasm comes from. But it seems that everyone is having fun here and enjoying their free time together. It seems like everyone can express themselves however they want.

To visit the castle, we decide to each put on our headphones and let the music guide us. We have plenty of time to talk anyway. So it's time to turn on the music, turn off our thoughts, and enjoy the moment.

A bit off the center, in front of the castle, I discover a small, abandoned pond. Tour groups and individual travelers often go straight to their destination without looking around to see what the place has to offer. So I get my best picture of this vacation.

This place is magical to me, and I would love to sit here all day and enjoy the light breeze in my hair. But eventually it's enough, and we look for something to eat. So we head to the center of Osaka. Here, I hope to find some delicacies.

First, there's a Dango, then a Taiyaki for dessert, and an Eggtart in the late evening.

For dinner, we decide to eat Okonomiyaki, probably my favorite dish of this vacation. We go to a small restaurant in a side street and sit with six Japanese people right in front of the chef. We can watch him prepare the Okonomiyaki with his robot-like movements. Okonomiyaki are Japanese pancakes made from cabbage, eggs, and whatever else you want to have with it.

At the end of the day, we treat ourselves to a mochi with a strawberry, which is incredibly delicious 😍 With the many different flavors, it never gets boring.

We end the day with a few beers across from the huge Don Quijote store on the central river of Osaka before we embark on our long train ride.