[Japan Winter Vacation 2023] 4D3N in Osaka

Osaka was our last stop of this winter holiday to Japan. Upon reaching Namba Station from Kyoto, we headed straight to Swissotel Nankai Osaka which offers the best luxury Japanese hospitality in an unsurpassed location. It is situated right above the Nankai Railway’s Namba Station - It's one of the busiest subway stations that connects to everywhere in Osaka as well as to the rest of Japan. In short, this hotel is incredibly convenient, and convenient is a key thing when travelling with big luggage, because you don't have to worry about taking the local train or walking through narrow walkways to your hotel while rolling your luggage!

We were given a room which is located on the 30th floor that had a good view of downtown Osaka. We have no doubts that, if we were to return to Osaka, we would be staying at the Swissotel Nankai Osaka again!

Upon checking in, we discovered that the hotel had prepared for us some chocolate snacks as an anniversary celebration! Baby had notified them that it was our anniversary, so they had done this special thing for us! Thanks for the kind hospitality!

In the bathroom, the hotel gave the Swiss-made brand 'Purovel' bathroom amenities, and I enjoyed these products very much!

After dropping our bags in the room, we headed down to PARCO Shinsaibashi which was literally 5-7mins walk from our hotel.

Baby gave me a surprise by planning a lunch at the Pokémon Café. Pre-reservation was required to avoid disappointment.

We reserved our limited-edition coasters for the newest Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. We selected Fuecoco and Quaxly!

This Gengar drink came with a take-home cute glass.

 

All diners got a collectible Pokémon card!

 

I took many random photos at the café. Thanks Baby for the wonderful meal!

 

We went to the Fueki Shop to have some soft serve. 

Apart from selling ‘Fueki soft serve’, this place also specializes in animal 'Fueki-kun' products. There were also many limited goods at the shop, such as various collaboration goods, cosmetics, accessories and candies too.

Simply choose your favorite container from the selection of animal containers (dog, rabbit, elephant, matcha fueki-kun) then make the Fueki soft serve ice cream with the soft serve machine. The damage was 500 yen and you can keep the container after you have finished the ice-cream.

As dusk was falling, we walked over to Dotonbori from Parco, which took us less than 5 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.

 

Osaka is known for its delicious okonomiyaki, and we went to Tsuruhashi Fugetsu which is located at Dotonbori Ebisubashi. This eatery place brings us the authentic taste of Osaka okonomiyaki.

 

We cooked our own 'Tako' on the hot plate, and that was really fun!

 

Do not miss out the yakisoba as Tsuruhashi Fugetsu is known for one for the best Yakisoba in Osaka.

Dotonburi is known as a gastronomic street for great reasons. We lined up patiently to try out the famous Butaman from Horai 551 in Osaka. The Butaman and Shumai tasted delicious and it was definitely worth the wait!

 

Osaka is well-known for its delicious comfort food. If you visit this vibrant city, the local food is a big part of the whole experience.

Breakfast at the hotel is served at the hotel's restaurant 'Table36', which is aptly situated on the 36th floor, and the view was splendid!

The sumptuous breakfast consisted of a usual Western breakfast staples, as well as Japanese fare. We could also choose to have our eggs made to order to our own choices!

Most foreign tourists or domestic tourists travelling to Osaka, will definitely spend at least a day at Universal Studios Japan (USJ). We were glad to stay at Swissotel Nankai Osaka, as it helped us to save time when we travelled to the theme park. Apart from the usual rollercoasters and attractions such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Jurassic Park, visitors can now look forward to the new 'SUPER NINTENDO WORLD', where fans of Super Mario were bound to be delighted!

We last visited Universal Studios Japan (USJ) in 2017 and it’s been 6 years since we came back! We’re glad to say that most of our beloved attractions are still around like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Jurassic Park. But we were most looking forward to the Super Nintendo World which we felt like we were inside the arcade game.

The sesame street character - MOPPY is ONLY exclusive at Universal Studios Japan (USJ).

Mario’s & Lugi’s Cap Pancake Sandwich (OMG, it’s too cute to eat).

We planned a full day at the theme park, as the main issue with Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is that it’s EXTREMELY popular with both local Japanese and foreign tourists. To save time, we purchased our USJ tickets prior to our departure from Singapore. Even though you can buy tickets from the front counter on the day itself, I wouldn't recommend it as there are large queues. We bought our tickets from KLOOK as the process is quite simple and the E-tickets were provided instantly. We only needed to scan the QR code from our E-ticket at the automated entrance gantry on the day of our visit, which will attest to how simple it was. When entering the Super Nintendo World, be ready to throw up your arms like Mario and yell 'Here we go!'

Apart from the general admission fee to go in to the park, we also paid a bit extra by buying a pair of USJ Express Passes. This basically gives you guaranteed entry into Super Nintendo Land, as without the pass, there is a risk of not being able to enter as entry is via a lottery system. The only other alternative is to arrive at the park and head straight to Super Nintendo Land at opening hours! The pass also allows you to enter the Wizarding World of Harry Potter guaranteed, and to skip the queue to any rides via a Fast-track line. There are various options for the Express Pass, as it only guarantees you entry to certain areas of the park of your choice.

 

Many of YouTubers recommend getting a timed entry ticket for attractions, as the Super Nintendo World doesn’t allow us to enter unless we have an entry ticket. By getting a timed entry ticket for the attractions that you want to see, especially for Super Nintendo World. Without a express pass, you cannot enter Super Nintendo Land without a lottery ticket which visitors can obtain but must return at a specified timing to see if their numbers were picked. The Express pass gives you a window for you to enter the area, but upon entry you can stay for as long as you want. Do note that no Re-entry is allowed, so once you leave Super Mario Land, you cannot return with your express pass!

The Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge is one of the best attractions that I’ve ever experienced. Riders will put on a Mario cap headset on the ride that will let you experience the augmented reality of Super Mario World!

We were glad that we got a table to dine at Kinopio’s Café. We enjoyed the Super Mushroom Pizza Bowl and a Question Block Tiramisu.

A visit to Universal Studios Japan (USJ) isn’t only about the rides. It’s about the atmosphere and vibe too! It was an amazing experience and was a day well spent at USJ!

The Super Nintendo World is one of the most literally immersive lands at any theme park, as the scenic design of the land was awe-inspiring. Super Nintendo Land was so amazing, and it felt like I was really in the game!

Baby made a reservation at Kano Douraku for lunch to to re-live our memories from when he proposed to me! The restaurant is located a couple of minutes from the hotel from where we stayed.

This restaurant offers oishii crab dishes, made using fresh and high-quality ingredients. Do note that advance reservation is recommended!

The must-try signature dish is the Kani Suki Set, which includes an appetizer,, raw snow crab leg, boiled crab, Japanese pickled vegetables, Crab Meat Tempura, Snow Crab Legs (raw), Steamed Egg Custard with Crab, Kani porridge and dessert of Vanilla ice cream with green tea sauce.

 

This crab hot pot features a homemade Suki broth based on salt water with soy sauce flavor.

We ended off our meal with Vanilla ice cream with green tea sauce.

Kani Doraku is a restaurant you have to check out if you enjoy crabs! It’s an interesting crab meal experience, and I will definitely come back for lunch, as it is more affordable than dinner!

We received a complimentary bottle of Sake upon payment, as they are running a campaign in the month of February. Thanks for the candies too!

On our last day in Osaka, we settled for our simple and quick lunch at Matsunoya and continue our last minute shopping at the Namba area.

We headed down to Naniwa-ku to have some udon for dinner heading to the airport for our overnight flight back to Singapore.

Since our hotel is located right above the Nankai Rapid Train station, it was a breeze to roll our luggage from the hotel to the station, and the journey to Kansai International Airport takes just 35 minutes.

I have come to the last and final post of my Japan holiday. Thanks so much for reading up on my experiences during my winter Japan trip. Time really flies, as it has been almost 3 months since I returned from Japan, but I still find myself missing it very much. We will meet soon, Japan!