TRIP TO JAPAN - OSAKA

I'm very happy to write a blog about Japan this time, I really love this country very much, I hope I can get back there as soon as possible.

In this post I want to share about the preparation before going to Japan, what should be prepared and brought to Japan and also of course about my trip with my friends to Japan!​

On with the preparation!

Passport

Passport is the most important thing, making the passport is very easy and can be done alone especially now there are online passport facilities. You can also use the service of tour & travels.

Visa

VISA is an official document which you need to enter a specific country for a period of time. Although most countries in Asia are VOA or VISA free, Japan is one of the countries that still needs VISA unless you are an e-Passport holder which means you are VISA free aka VOA. Because my passport is not e-Passport, so I still need a visa to go to Japan. For the making of this Japan Visa, I used a tour & travel service called Golden Rama Tours & Travel. Making this visa takes approximately two weeks. You can see the terms of making and price of Japan Visa here : https://www.goldenrama.com/visa/japan

Flight Ticket

Flight Ticket is also an important thing other than passport and VISA. From my experience, the tickets that I bought 3 months before departure was not cheap, about 6.5 million rupiah by using Cathay Pacific. Besides Cathay Pacific, you can also search Garuda, ANA (All Nippon Airways), JAL, AirAsia, Singapore Airlines, and several other airlines.

Electric plugs

Please note that electric plugs in Japan are different from Indonesia. Japan uses 2 metal conductors same as Indonesia but the metal are flat. Instead of buying it in Japan, it's better if you have already prepared it.

Clothing / Outfit / Shoes

Before packing of course you have to decide when and what season you will visit the country, will it be spring, summer autumn or winter.

Do not bring the wrong outfit and keep it light, at least your bag / suitcase should not be heavy before the fight (before buying souvenir) hahaha. Also bring shoes that you believe will be comfortable to wear for long walks.

Drugs

This must be brought (no, not that kind of drugs haha), because we never know whether we will be sick or not there. From my experience, I am very lucky to bring medicine because every night I have a fever (between tired and the weather is also super cold) :') and trying to ask for a simple heartburn medicine in a local drug store could become a little battle on it's own due to language barrier and unable to read the instructions.

Lodging

2 until 3 months before departure I think is the best time to book lodging. Many websites can be used as a reference to book lodging in Japan such as booking.com, agoda, airbnb and others. I suggest to stay in the apartment (if you go with some people), because I think it's cheaper, you can share the price, comfortable, clean, and washing machine & kitchen are available. The website to book the apartment that I recommend is airbnb.

Internet

I'm sure this is an important part too especially for social media lovers. Always appearing in social media is almost can not be separated from most people (Indonesia), including me hahaha. There are many options to connect to the internet in Japan, one of them is using pocket wi-fi. You can rent pocket wi-fi here (Indonesia) or in Japan. I prefer to rent pocket wi-fi from here (Jakarta), you can rent pocket wi-fi at HIS Tour & Travel. They also have offices in Japan :D Most apartments in Japan also provide their pocket wi-fi, but you better not rely on it because from my experience, the internet is super slow.

There are two types of Pocket wi-fi in His Tour & Travel, Light Plan and Unlimited Plan. Light Plan, the maximum internet usage is 7GB and can be connected up to 5 devices. Unlimited Plan, has unlimited internet usage and can connect up to 10 devices. I prefer to use the unlimited plan, happy to have internet without any limit :D There will be a deposit of 1 million when you rent this pocket wi-fi and will be returned when you return the pocket wi-fi.

Google / Maps

Google is my best traveling friend, anything I ask, will be answered there. I mostly use Google to find referenced places to eat and tourism. I use Google Maps to provide accurate and detailed road and transportation directions. The information is very detailed and accurate. You can decide your origin and destination station in Japan then Google Map will provide information ranging from route options, prices, and duration of the option trips.

From this point on is my travel story to Japan. My writing is going to be long and maybe a bit boring but just be patient, who knows there might be informations you need here:

Day 1

We went with Cathay Pacific from Jakarta to Kansai International Airport. In this trip, because we planned to go Jakarta - Osaka - Tokyo - Jakarta, we only took the shinkansen 1 time so we did not buy JR Pass because it's far more expensive than regular tickets.

On my way to Japan, I had to transit to Hong Kong and wait for two hours before the next plane to Osaka, Japan. The facilities in the plane is also really 'waahhh'. You can watch movies, listen to music and more with monitor that shaped like the iPad (touch screen, of course) plus additional charger facility. The food was quite tasty.

Food on The Plane from Jakarta to Hong Kong

Hong Kong International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport

Waiting for The Next Departure to Osaka, We Use Free Wifi at This Airport: D

Food on The Plane from Hong Kong to Osaka

Finally arrived in Osaka, after traveling about 12 hours, super happy and can't wait to explore this country.

Kansai Internasional Airport

Arrived at Kansai International Airport around 9 pm, then after taking the luggage, my friends and I immediately bought train tickets to our apartment in Ebisunomachi area.

From Kansai International Airport, we ride rapid train to Shin Imamiya Station. For those who do not have a JR Pass it's better buy one of the commuter card such as in the picture below.

ICOCA card is a smart card that serves as a ticket. You can ride any train (except Shinkansen) in Kansai area without needing to buy tickets every time you take the train. The usage is very easy, just by tapping the ICOCA card onto the card readers that exist in every station gate. Not just the train, with ICOCA card you can also use it for bus fares, pay at the convenient stores or automatic vending machine. The advantages of course your trip becomes very practical and save a lot of time. ICOCA card can be purchased at any train station in Kansai area. When buying ICOCA ‎¥500 will deducted from the first money you put into it as a deposit money. But do not worry because you can get the ‎¥500 deposit money back by returning this ICOCA card to the JR office in Kansai area along with the remaining amount, but there is also a commission fee of ¥220 deducted from that remaining amount so if there is less than ¥220 in the card you will only get the ¥500. Maximum charge card is ‎¥20,000.

Arriving from the Shin Imamiya Station, we had to walk about 650m to the apartment, a long and exhausting trip having to carry a suitcase hahaha.

Welcome Greeting from The Owner of The Apartment

This apartment address : 1 chome-8-13 Ebisunomachi Naniwa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka-fu 556-001

The apartment is close to two stations, Shin Imamiya Station and Daikokucho Station.

The size of the apartment is not too big, but enough to accommodate about 6 people. Available AC, bathroom, washing machine and kitchen for cooking. I stayed in this apartment for 2 days 3 nights.

Day 2

Morning, Across the Apartment

You Can Buy a Drink Here With Just Put Money into this Machine, Practically!

Osaka Castle

On The Way To Osaka Castle

From the apartment I walk around 230m to Daikokucho Station, took a train to Osaka Business Park Station and walk again around 1.2km to Osaka Castle.

Outside Area of Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle is the icon of Osaka city and here we can see the very nice view of Osaka city. If we just go around and take pictures in front of Osaka Castle it's free, but if we want to go inside the Palace and see the view, we have to buy tickets around ¥600‎.

Entrance Ticket to Osaka Castle

Although this is a museum, the presentation is not old-fashioned and boring. I was even touched and impressed by some of the story and the details.

One of The Collections at Osaka Castle

Besides the collections there is one more thing that is quite interesting is the Observation Deck on the 8th floor that offers beautiful views around the city of Osaka. From this place we can see the whole complex of Osaka Castle, the modern buildings around it as well as the mountains and hills in the distance. On the 8th floor there is also a museum shop selling souvenirs.

Observation Deck Osaka Castle and View from above

Around Osaka Castle there is also are some snack merchants, ranging from soft serve ice cream, Takoyaki, and many more.

In closing the visit to Osaka Castle we stopped by the place that sells various souvernirs in the castle area.

Universal City Walk Osaka

The train route from Osaka Castle to Universal City Walk Osaka can be seen in the description below :

• From Osaka Castle walk about 1.4km to Morinomiya Station

• At Morinomiya Station platform 1 ride JR Osaka Loop Line train direction to Kamo and get off at Nishikujo Station

• At Nishikujo Station ride JR Sakurajima Line train Sakurajima direction and get off at Universal City Station

Universal City Walk is actually the name given to shopping complexes around theme parks of Universal Parks & Resorts. Serving as a shopping and dining center, Universal City Walk also serves as a place of entertainment and an entrance plaza before entering its theme parks. Here we can take pictures with the Universal globe even though we didn't go into the theme parks.

The main gate flanked by two statues of the mascot is also highly recommended to take photos for memories.

For those who like shopping and culinary, from exiting the train station along the road to Universal Studios, we will find a variety of shops, restaurants and cafes scattered with a very interesting designs. Almost all shops and restaurants have unique designs with interesting shapes and sizes of statues, such as giant shoe statues, boats, and so on. This area is also interesting for taking pictures.

Umeda Sky Building

After satisfied exploring Universal Citywalk Osaka, we continue our journey to Umeda Sky Building with the following train routes :

• From Universal City Station ride JR Sakurajima Line train to Nishikujo Station

• At Nishikujo Station (stay in train) this train will turn into JR Osaka Loop Line and ride up to Osaka Station

• Arrived at Osaka Station walk around 850m to Umeda Sky Building.

Floating Garden is an open garden that connects the two towers of the building. Being at an altitude of 173 meters we can certainly imagine how beautiful is the scenery above. Coming inside Umeda Sky Building, we searched for directions to the "Floating Garden Observatory" located on the 39th floor. After finding the direction, we took the elevator up to the 39th floor and then up the escalator to the other tower. The unique escalator that we ride has glass walls around it so we can see sparkling city of Osaka. Very amazing! Upstairs if you want to go out into the open garden, we have to pay about ¥700.

At the Floating Garden Observatory, we can get a picture of what Osaka looks like. From a height of 173 meters, I think I can see all of Osaka. The sheer number of tall buildings, as well as the bustle of the railway line, illustrates that Osaka is a big, modern, and busy city.

In one corner of the 40th floor (outdoor observatory), there is a place to put a lock of love that can be purchased from a padlock store at the Indoor Observatory (cost about ¥1000), of course the name of the couple can be engraved in the padlock like this picture :

Once satisfied seeing the scene above, we went back down, but this time we went further down to the basement. In the basement of Umeda Sky Building there is a kind of restaurant area (food court). What is unique about this food court is the restaurant design is made similar to the atmosphere of Osaka traditional times. Below is an example of the dish we ate there.

Minambi (Namba)

Out of Shinsaibashi Station we arrived in Minami (Namba) area which is one of the two downtown of Osaka. Minami is famous for its shopping arcade located along the Dotonbori Canal. For food lovers, this area is also one of the must-visit areas because it is filled with food shops where we can enjoy the typical food of Osaka like takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and udon.

The walking tour in this area of Minami started from:

Shin Sai Bashi Suji

This is a paradise of shopping where many boutiques and shops are here, from well known brand such as Uniqlo and H&M to the less known ones. Shinsaibashi is a street market that is the best shopping place in Osaka. You can find many items of all ages in this place.

Dotonbori

Go straight through Shinsaibashi Suji, we arrive at Ebisubashi Bridge right at the end of this Shopping Arcade. This bridge is so famous because just in front there is the most popular landmark of Dotonbori named Mr. Glico Man. Dotonbori itself is arguably the Osaka food hub, where around this canal there are many restaurants and shopping centers with unique neon signs, colors that can be a spectacle of its own.

The second landmark is none other than the giant crab signboard Kani Doraku Crab that perched above the restaurant Kani Doraku.

Besides tasting street food and seeing the unique neon sign, in Dotonbori I also stop by at Pablo, a famous bakery in Dotonbori area, it's located in the center of Dotonbori. Everytime passing this shop, it's always packed, that's why it caught my attention.

My impression of Osaka in overall is not so profound, probably because my interests are more inclined to the old-fashioned things so that a modern city like Osaka is less prone to the heart. Another factor is the timing of the visit is too short here so I can not explore in more deep However for the lovers of modern city, culinary and shopping, Osaka is the right choice.

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