[Osaka Hoilday] Dotonburi + Shi-Tennoji Temple

March 06, 2017

I took a midnight flight on Saturday to Osaka, and the flying time was about 6-ish hours. I was pretty fatigued after rushing to the airport after work. Luckily, the flight was not full, so we could use the empty seats to stretch and rest our legs! I slept throughout the journey.

We reached Kansai International Airport at around 9am local time. Japan is around an hour ahead in difference from Singapore's time. Prior our departure, we purchased our express train tickets from airport to Namba where we had pre-booked our stay in Osaka online.

The weather was cold, ranging from about 7'C to 5'C, and it dropped even further at night to between 4'C to 1'C! We reached Nankai Namba Station after 35minutes, and we walked less than 5mins to our stay, HOTEL IL CUORE. The location was splendid.

We had our lunch at one of the shopping malls located at Namba shopping area. We had Izumi Curry, and we enjoyed our meal very much! We did some shopping too, and I got my first loot in Osaka from Tokyo Hands! It's a lucky purse from Craftholic which I found very unique.

As dusking was falling, we walked over Dotonburi from our hotel which took us less than 15 minutes of walking. Dotonburi is the centre of food culture in Osaka and is one of most-visited attractions in Osaka. The best time to go there is at night, as the entire area is illuminated with vibrant lights.

Dotonburi is known as a gastronomic street for great reasons.

Baby lined up patiently to try out the famous Takoyaki (despite the freezing weather). The tako balls tasted delicious and it was definitely worth the wait.

We paid 650Yen for 8 servings of tako balls.

We headed up to the canal bridge as it gave the best view of Dotonburi. Do remember to take a photo with the famous Glico Man aka Running Man, as it has been there since 1935. it is an iconic symbol of the city of Osaka!

Baby saw a program about this restaurant and we decided to visit for our dinner. Kani Doraka serves one of the best and freshest crabs in Japanese crab cuisine. It came with a hefty price tag but I felt it was worth every dollar spent! I enjoyed the crab and it is definitely one of the best that I had ever tasted before. Thanks Baby for bringing me to this eatery place for dinner and I will always remember that Baby proposed to me at this very restaurant.

Tip: Do remember to go early to reserve a table at the counter outside the entrance, in order to get a place in this famous restaurant!

It's all about eating in Osaka, and we next went to the themed Final Fantasy Eorzea Café for some light bites and drinks.

Before leaving the eatery place, Baby got me a Moggle purse at the merchandise area. I love it so much! Thanks Baby for getting that for me as I am a lover of the Final Fantasy game series.

The next morning, we went to Shi-Tennoji Temple by train. It was relatively short walk from the station.

Shi-Tennoji Temple is a Buddhist Temple, and it is always the first and oldest Buddhist Temple in the Japan. I love the peaceful and calm surroundings.

I went to do more shopping at Shinsaibashi which is located pretty near to Dotonburi. I picked up 2 plush bag charms from the Disney Store!