Chapter 7 · Japan

A Day in Osaka

Dotonbori River, takoyaki, a ferris wheel at sunset, and a city that doubles in size after dark

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Just when I thought we were finally getting used to sleeping in, I beat the alarm and woke up at 6:30 a.m.

Lord, I don’t know why — especially after walking nearly 11 and a half miles the day before — but I must have been excited to see Osaka.

First thing that morning, we caught our train bound for our day trip adventure.

Upon arriving in Osaka, our first mission was finding breakfast. Breakfast in Japan is served more like brunch, with many places not opening until around 11 a.m.

We knew we wanted to try one of the popular dishes we had heard so much about while watching countless travel videos leading up to our trip — we just didn’t know where to start.

The gentleman we stopped to ask for directions literally walked us to a restaurant serving exactly what we were looking for. Thankfully, he happened to be heading in the same direction because we had already managed to get ourselves turned around at least once.

I swear, the people in Japan are some of the kindest people I’ve ever met.

After breakfast, it was finally time to explore Osaka.

Our first stops were the Shinsekai district and the Amerikamura district right next door. During the day, both areas are bustling shopping districts. Shinsekai felt more high-end, while Amerikamura reminded me a little of Little Five Points back home in Georgia with its hip, vintage style and creative energy.

From there, we headed over to the Dotonbori River for a riverside walk. This ended up being our favorite area in Osaka.

We tried several popular tourist foods, including takoyaki octopus balls and sushi — and of course, we had to stop for more ice cream too. Osaka is known as a foodie haven, so we did our part and tried as much as our stomachs could possibly handle.

We spent hours walking along the river enjoying the breeze, people-watching, and window shopping.

There seems to be an infinite number of restaurants and retail shops in Japan. One street we wandered down had over a mile of anime stores alone — one right after another.

Just before sunset, we rode the ferris wheel and later took a boat tour along the river as the city transformed for the evening. We literally watched the district come alive from the water.

As the sun disappeared, giant billboards lit up one by one, the neon reflections danced across the river, and the crowds seemed to double almost instantly.

There’s truly so much to see in Osaka, but because there was still so much we wanted to explore in Kyoto, we decided to make Osaka just a day trip.

Many of the tourists we spoke with had spent an entire week there.

Tomorrow, though, it’s back to Kyoto for more adventures.