Osaka is trendy, has a strong coffee culture, and lots of slot machines.
Shinkansen to Osaka
Whilst travelling from Tokyo on the Shinkansen was painful, it was far easier when using our SUICA card in Hiroshima! We hesitated due to the trauma of what happened in Tokyo but once we tapped on we were in and ready to board. Part of the trick was to use the app to connect the SUICA to the Shinkansen tickets. After that, it was easy.
The thing with IC cards (e.g. SUICA) is that you can pay for goods and services with it as well. Japan seems to have a lot of different payment options available instead of just cash or debit/credit card. We’ve noticed people paying at food stalls or restaurants tapping in an app, then the store person scanning a code on their phone to confirm payment. We’re not sure what this is yet but will find out. While waiting for the shinkansen to Osaka, Chris paid for a small bottle of water with his SUICA card which was as easy as tapping with you credit card in Australia or New Zealand.
The trip to Osaka was seamless and uneventful as you’d expect and want from a train ride.
Dotonbori
Dotonbori is a district in Osaka, where there are shops, stalls, hawkers, bars and restaurants, and entertainment venues. Something that surprised us was how much Dotonbori reminded us of an amusement park. There are flashing lights, music, crowds with clear plastic bags filled to the brim with novelty Kit-Kat flavours, and slot machines.
There are heaps of restaurants, with many places requiring a queue. We tended to avoid these tourist traps, opting instead for exploring the many side streets to find something local and just as oishii (delicious).
It struck us how many more locals seemed to be trendy. This wasn’t just observed in Dotonbori street – we noticed this near our hotel as well. Even the salary men seemed to be more casual with brown shoes and without neckties, something uncommon in Tokyo.
There are also many cafes that boast they roast their own coffee beans, and the local coffee here is quite good. Overall, Osaka has a trendy, shopping-centric vibe, with lots to see, do and eat.
Eating Bread, and Hedgehogging
Chantal had a meeting with her PhD supervisors around lunch time, so we did a brief visit to the Osaka Castle to check it out beforehand. The grounds were beautiful and the main building was gilded with green and gold. Although we didn’t dare venture into the museum for fear that we would spend most of the day in there, it was still an enjoyable walk around the castle grounds, admiring the feudal Japan architecture.
Both on the way to and after the Osaka Castle, we found two separate bakeries. One was “Boulangerie Lien” and the other was “Bread, Espresso, and Sakaisuji Club” which was in an old bank. The baked goods were incredible and the coffee at the Bread, Espresso, and Sakaisuji Club could easily compete with Auckland coffee.
After Chantal had her meeting, we then ventured back to the Dotonbori district to find the hedgehog cafe we saw the day before. The concept of having a “cafe” experience based around an animal sounds bizarre but is very fun. Rather than basing the experience around the hot drink with the animal, here in Japan our experiences have been more focused on enjoying animal company, then have a drink. This was what it was like meeting “Wasabi” the girl hedgehog. We got to have her sit in our laps whilst we fed this tiny little spiny thing mealworms. It was one of the best animal experiences!
Chris and Chantal 