Nices the Fusspot: Travel Diary to Japan - Food and Places (Part II Osaka)

OSAKA (大阪)

PLACES WE WENT:

1. Instant Ramen Museum

Streets were pretty quiet en route to the Museum

The illusion of choice - This was my initial thought when I saw this vending machine. All the cup noodles were the same LOL! You can make your own cup noodles for JPY300

Decorated my own cup noodle! ^^

All our decorated cup noodles! As you can see, we are all clearly artistically-inclined hahahaha >.< Right being Chris, Middle being mine and Lastly, Ade (She really loves Pooh Bear a lot!)

After decoration, it is time to choose our ingredients to go into the cup!

My chosen final ingredients!

After choosing ingredients, the cup noodle can be packaged into this airbag for us to bring home. Though it was really cute, we had to deflate it in the end so that we were able to store it in our luggages. The cup noodles expiry date is exactly 1 month from the date you made the cup!

We were directed to the second floor to make the noodles. But apparently, there's another 'workshop' at the basement!

Time for lunch! We chose these cup noodles from the vending machines at the eating area!

We bought other types of cup noodles as well! My favourite is this Milk Seafood flavour and the curry flavour! Although these Nissin cup noodles are sold in dedicated Japanese product stores in Singapore, I haven't been able to find the Milk Seafood flavour yet. Curry is pretty common and Seafood flavour as well. Though not for Milk Seafood and it is really good! My advice is HORDE the Milk Seafood! You won't regret it! (Though it can be tiring to keep pressing the vending machine button and a little embarrassing to spend such a long time getting them as there are others waiting in line as well. BUT! When it comes to getting food you love, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO SHAME! Hahaha...)

Laden with multiple cup noodles hahahaa

Getting here:
From Namba station, take Osaka City Subway Midosuji Line for SENRICHUO to Umeda station then walk to UMEDA(HANKYU).
Take Hankyu Takarazuka Line Local for HIBARIGAOKAHANAYASHIKI to Ikeda(Osaka) station.
The museum is approximately a 5 min. walk from the Masumi-cho Homen Exit. 38,
Min. JPY510

Opening hours:
9am-4pm daily
Last admission is 3:30pm

Advice:

Go early and have lunch over there! Recommended to get the Milk Seafood Nissin cup noodle! Almost all other flavours can be obtained from their local supermarkets. However, don't take my word for it yea~ Grab everything else that you like! (:

2. Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Street

Let's take a moment to admire this really adorable Rilakkuma train~ #random

Here for shopping again! Also because there's a Disney store over here that Ade wishes to visit. Being a Disney Pooh Bear lover, it is definitely a must for her to drop by! All Disney lovers, take note!

Just look at her being all happy >.<

Us waiting patiently while Ade shops her Disney Pooh Bear stuff haha...

Clearly, insane and in love ahahahaa...

How can we possibly forget Sanrio?! Hahahaa My Melody galore! I definitely bought more things at this Sanrio shop than back at Kyoto haahah...

Our loots! Products here in Osaka Sanrio differ from products in Kyoto Sanrio!

LOVESSS~ <33

FOOD WE ATE HERE:

We packed waffles from Maison de Gigi for our picnic trip to Yoshinoyama the next day.

Happy us with the cheese tarts!

Pablo Cheese Tarts were sooooo gooood! It was also freshly baked out of the oven! Chris and I enjoyed it a lot! Unfortunately for Ade, she doesn't like cheese (dairy products, in general) so only 2 of us had it! It was awesome! The crust was so good and the cheese was just the right texture and was really light! 5 stars! Definitely worth a try!

Getting here:
2 min from Namba to Shinsaibashi Station by Subway Midosuji Line. OR 12 min walk from Kuromon market (Will walk past Dotonbori) OR 11 min walk from Nippombashi Station (May walk past Dotonbori) OR 9 min walk from Namba station
OR Osaka City Subway Midosuji Line for NAKAMOZU from Umeda Statio

Opening hours:
Approx 11am-830pm daily

Advice:
Basically a place to shop! We headed for the shopping district straight after the Museum. Fortunately, the Nissin cup noodles we bought were light so we didn't feel like we were lugging things around (: Also, we actually visited Shinsaibashi-suji twice as we didn't manage to shop to our heart's content in one night.

At this point, you might wonder which shopping districts are better. In my opinion, I wouldn't compare Kyoto and Osaka shopping districts. Having shopped at these different districts, I believe that both have its own uniqueness and variety of products. Osaka products and snacks were different from that of those sold in Kyoto (prices are similar, so no competition there either). Even the Sanrio shops that we visited at Osaka differs from Kyoto as there were some versions specifically only available in Kyoto and not in Osaka, and vice versa. Although I did spend more in Osaka regarding Sanrio products, it was because I was more 'in the mood' to spend in Osaka than I was back in Kyoto. Kyoto was still too early on in our trip and I wasn't too willing to be hasty in spending. However, as there will not be any Sanrio shops in Kanazawa and a smaller outlet in Nagoya, I felt more inclined to spend in Osaka. I bought My Melody lunchbox, folders/files and key ring. Eheheheh :D Also, Ade and I actually spent more at Osaka Sanrio as we secretly bought certain items for Chris as his birthday present. We surprised him when his birthday came in May! :D

3. Dotonbori

The famous Glico running man signage

FOOD WE ATE HERE:

Along the streets of Dotonbori, there are plenty of souvenir shops that sell popular Osaka snacks. Good to buy some snacks back!

For dinner, we stopped by this restaurant for Okonomiyaki!

Savoury pancake filled with cabbage! Okonomiyaki is one of the signature must-try food in Osaka (apart from Takoyaki)! If you are a food gourmet who wishes to eat really awesome Okonomiyaki, you can look here. As we weren't particularly picky, we happened to pass by the above-mentioned restaurant, went in and ordered our dinner. It turned out pretty decent! (:

Ichiran Ramen for dinner! Located at Dotonbori as well! (:

Don't understand Japanese. Not to worry, they have English menu as well! It's just that I happened to get the Japanese one LOL

Once again, Vending machines...

Just look at that egg! Super yummy!~

Getting here:

To get to Dotonbori -

6 min walk from Namba Station 3 min walk from Shinsaibashi Shopping Street 9 min walk from Nippombashi Station

Opening hours:

Most shops open from 11am-11pm daily

Advice:

My advice is to do a little research as to what specific type of food you wish to try within this district. There were plenty of pretty awesome food eateries - we were simply spoilt for choice. Possible to kinda have a fixed mindset as to what you wish to eat as the flashing neon signs along the streets can leave you feeling a little overwhelmed.

Additionally, in order to fully taste the different types of food offered in Dotonbori, you could plan your shopping trips to span across two days - like us. We had Okonomiyaki one day and Ichiran Ramen (opens 24/7 daily) the next day for dinner. Plan your sightseeing to occupy the mornings and afternoons, and at night, return to this place for yummy food! (:

Ichiran Ramen queuing time takes approximately 20-30minutes

4. Daimaru Department Umeda Store

Daimaru Department store is similar to Takashimaya Department store. Not too sure what's the difference between the two, but both contains awesome food at the basement level! Can't complain, can we? Heheh :D

The basement floor sells a wide array of delicious and sumptuous food! Definitely a feast for the eyes (and stomach)!

Bought Earl Grey biscuit/crumble/cookie from the stall above (Not too sure what's it called hahaha)

Wide array of yummy, delicious salad! (:

Bread (known as paan in Japanese)

This is SUPER GOOD! The melon taste was refreshing! I bought it and Chris immediately bought 2 cups of it hahahaha. It is not cheap though. One small cup like this costs about SGD $3.80

Bought some milk tea to try~

Yummy!~

Getting here:
5-minute walk from the central exit of JR Osaka Station OR 5-minute walk from the west ticket gate on the 1st basement level of Hanshin Umeda Station OR 5-minute walk from exit No. 1 of Nishi-Umeda Station, Municipal Subway, Yotsubashi Line OR 5-minute walk from exit No. 8 of Umeda Station, Municipal Subway, Midosuji Line OR 10-minute walk from exit No. 3 of Higashi-Umeda Station, Municipal Subway, Tanimachi Line OR 10-minute walk from the central ticket gate on the 2nd floor of Hankyu Umeda Station in the direction of JR Osaka Station

Opening hours:
10am-830am daily (They close on time!)

Advice:
Besides the awesome array of food, Osaka Pokemon Centre is also located within Daimaru Umeda Store. (Level 13). Pokemon lovers, do make sure to drop by the store! Osaka Pokemon Centre is relatively newer compared to Kyoto. I believe Kyoto is the original Pokemon store. Difference between the two is that the pokemons in Osaka store are shelved more nicely than the ones in Kyoto. Additionally, they have a wider variety of products (probably because it's newer) and the latest editions such as the Ditto version of Pokemon is more prominently displayed on the shelves in Osaka.

Directory for you to peruse~

Hehehehe, found a pair!~

Also, I kind of forgot which food belongs to which particular underground floor of the department stores (as we visited both Daimaru and Takashimaya Department store). Feel free to explore both! (:

5. Yoshinoyama (吉野山)

Perfect spot to picnic! Yoshinoyama is a really nice place to Hanami (flower viewing) while having a picnic! One of the best places in Osaka to view cherry blossoms!

FOOD WE ATE HERE:

Ice-cream again? Can't say no to that! (:

Ice-cream flavour was Sakura flavour together with buckwheat/soy/lemongrass (can't remember??). There was a hint of mint, together with lemongrass, which gave the ice-cream a refreshing taste. Really unique! Very yummy~

We brought along a disposable picnic mat and sat down at a pretty decent spot to have our picnic lunch! It was quite crowded so we were lucky to get a decent private spot, without having to sit awkwardly with other people. If you are wondering where we got the Sakura pepsi (image above), we obtained it at a store near the one selling the ice-cream at Yoshinoyama! I'm pretty sure it was only released in Japan in conjunction with the Cherry Blossom season! It was nice and there was little hint of an artificial flavour that coloured drinks usually contain. Kudos to Pepsi Japan! Hahaha (:

Getting here:
I believe we got our directions wrong. We thought Yoshinoyama was located near Yoshino train station. However, when we arrived at Yoshino, the Helpdesk told us that Yoshino is closest to Nara Park (To see deers, if ya'll are interested) and the hike to Yoshinoyama from there is approximately 2 hours. We were stunned. Thankfully, Chris knows how to speak moderate Japanese and we managed to get some directions and took a train to Yoshinoguchi which is where you are suppose to head for if you are just going to Yoshinoyama only.

I won't put down our directions as we got it wrong and I do not want to mislead y'all.

Opening hours:

24/7 daily

Advice:

Perfect for Hanami as we had so much fun there! Chris is scared of bees so he was very wary but fortunately, there wasn't any while we were eating, making the experience pleasant for us all. (I was more concerned of ants which could get to our food and houseflies but thankfully, there were none.) We bought most of our food from 7-11 and Lawson convenience stores, brought along the waffles we purchased the previous day from Shinsaibashi-suji District and added drinks purchased at Yoshinoyama once we reached (to avoid lugging heavy bottled drinks while traveling and hiking). My advice when bringing your own food will be to get dry products like chips, muffins and cookies! Bentos are great for a filling lunch too! However, avoid getting products that will become soft if left outside for too long (You never know, like us, you might end up getting lost and having to take an extra hour to get to your end destination). Bring along a disposable picnic mat so that you can wrap your rubbish and throw it away after you are done. There weren't many dustbins at the mountain as they were found only at the train station, meaning you have to carry your rubbish till you are prepared to leave. Wear comfortable shoes as you will be hiking up the mountain.

Speaking of hiking, an interesting (and rather unsettling) thing happened while we were there. I was wearing long socks and shoes and a Japanese man approached me, pointing at my socks and blabbering non-stop. Chris said he couldn't understand the man's Japanese as he wasn't pronouncing clearly. We believe that he could be referring to my socks and either 1. asking where I got them or 2. asking me to pull it up as they were showing my upper thighs which he probably found offending in some way. When he first approached us while we were waiting for the train, we ignored him and pretended he wasn't speaking to us. However, he kept following us and we got scared. When we got onto the train and reached Yoshinoyama, the crowds flooded the place and he was soon forgotten. However, as we finished our lunch and wanted to head back to the train station, we spotted him again! We wanted so badly to hide, but he saw us as well! He followed us for a bit and subsequently, left. The experience was scary, not because he was talking to us, but more of because we couldn't understand what he wanted from us. Was it to just talk to us... or? He didn't act like a pervert or anything. I believe he was just curious about my long socks and trying to be friendly? (Seeing things from a more positive perspective hah) You should have seen my snapchat videos though... the experience was cray-cray.

Anyway, story aside, there are other (not-so-nearby) places such as Nara Park where you can visit deers and feed them. I heard they become aggressive if you don't feed them food or something. Regardless, we didn't fancy getting chased around by deers and stepping over deer poo. Hence, the choice to head straight to Yoshinoyama. Despite the two locations not being superbly near each other (about an hour or more apart), they are places considered outside the city. My advice when travelling is to arrange these two places together (if you are considering Nara Park as well) in a day, set off early (just in case you get lost and need to make a detour) and put on your hiking shoes! (Maybe leave the cute long socks for another day - just in case heheheh)

6. Streets of Namba
Near Namba station

For those of you wondering where we stayed, this was the AirBnB apartment that we stayed. It was pretty much just one room and a toilet. We had three mattresses, futon and pillows and some sparse furniture. The fridge provided was really old and had an odd smell, hence, we didn't buy any refrigerated products to prevent having to store them in those dreadful foul mini fridges. Despite the poor facilities, the BnB had a very convenient location which allows us to get to the places we wanted to visit easily. However, there were also trade-offs as late at night, Chris heard drunken ruckus coming from one of the nearby restaurants which often host company gatherings and late-night drinking sessions. That being said, a nearby Ramen restaurant was pretty good!

The Ramen restaurant that sells delicious curry ramen! (In my opinion eheh)

The Ramen Restaurant at day. It's pretty easy to spot with the huge laughing face of a man. We used this shop as a marker to locate our AirBnB apartment.

The streets while walking to the Namba station

7. Universal Studios Japan (Osaka)

With the gorgeous Marilyn Monroe~

While waiting to enter the Harry Potter section of the park, Chris and Ade went to take some rides and I hid inside a souvenir shop while waiting for them as it was too cold for me. Yeah, and took selfies hahaha~

The much-anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter!! We had to go to a machine and get an alloted timeslot to enter the place! 1230-120pm is the time limit to enter the place! But once you enter, you can stay there as long as you want! We spent most part of our time exploring the wondrous shops!

They are not real snow hahahaa... its just the manifested structure of the fictional Diagon Alley during Winter! (I believe)

Apparently, there really IS vomit-flavour. However, don't take it from me as I didn't buy it!

I solemnly swear I'm up to no good :P

Ade and I both tried on the Hogwarts robes! The Muggle in me was bursting from happiness hahaha :DDD

Please let me be a witch now! And please let me be in Ravenclaw. Griffindor is awesome, but hey, Ravenclaw, with all that brains? I RATHER THAT PLEASE! ^^

Hagrid, are you home??

Weather was cold that day! Though it was very sunny!

Taken from my IG >.<

I bought the warm Butterbeer and Ade got the cold one. Verdict's out, the cold one was nicer! Alternatively, you can also order the Butterbeer in a mug instead of in a plastic cup at an extra cost, and keep the mug as a souvenir! The mug is basically this plastic mug with the word Butterbeer printed on it (fonts similar to the font on the red barrel).

While resting our legs from the long periods of queuing and walking, we took selfies! Our lunch was basically Onigiri and snacks we bought from Lawson and 7-11 Convenience stores before we entered USJ. (:

The portraits were basically speaking and moving~

The projections of Ron, Harry and Hermione speaking hahaha. It's so weird to hear them speaking in Japanese LOL

You can absolutely tell how bored we were while queuing for our turn to take rides hahaha....

As you can clearly see, my love for Ravenclaw is real. I bought the scarf! Most people will choose to buy Griffindor scarves because the colour is bright and outstanding and even, Ade also recommended I get the Griffindor scarf. However, I ended up choosing the blue because Ravenclaw is really my fave House. I always feel they are so underrated bleah. Yes, yes, it costs SGD $60 and it is impractical to get such an expensive scarf. BUT! I HAVE NO REGRETSSS! Ravenclaw FTW! <33 Though the entire blue ensemble is really, purely coincidental hahah.

Chris all-time favourite food: tea and cakes!

Let me be on the Hogwarts Express. Just let me be on it!!! >.<

Having satisfied our obsession with Harry Potter and his Wizarding World, we moved on to to the quirky and colourful Sesame Street!

And the minions!

FOOD WE ATE HERE:

Popcorn Papa sells an array of different flavoured popcorn! Spoilt for choice! I got 2 flavours - Matcha and Milk/Cheese flavour. The Matcha popcorn was good! Worthy to bring back as souvenirs!

Near the Popcorn Papa stall, there is an escalator for you to take up to the second floor. There, you will be greeted by a family of stalls selling Takoyaki of a variety of flavours.

The Japanese really love Vending Machines, I swear. >.<

We tried from two different stalls. This second Takoyaki was mentaiko-flavoured. Really good!

Getting here:
Walk to Namba Station take Sen-Nichimae Line towards Nodahanshin Alight at Tamagawa Station (8 min, 4stops) Walk about 2 min to Noda Station Take Osaka Loop Line towards Sakurajima to Universal City Station Walk 4min (400 m) to Universal Studio Japan Travel time: Approx. 30 min (400 yen)

Opening hours:
930am-730pm daily (Closed at 9pm on weekends)
Price ticket: JPY7200 per person

Advice:
We went on a Monday to avoid queues. However, it was still relatively crowded and rides took approx an hour of queuing on average. Waiting in line to get our tickets was a chore for us as we queued for about 40 minutes before we could get our tickets to enter. I suggest getting your tickets first at JTB Travel Salon (Singapore) to avoid queuing. We went to check if prices differ, and it is about SGD $2 more expensive to get in Singapore than over at Japan. But honestly, $2 really doesn't make much of a difference especially if you are using credit card over at USJ to pay for the tickets. Final fees, after conversion rate, and the resulting price difference isn't really that much.

Upon entering, immediately get a dedicated time slot to enter Harry Potter Wizarding World. Go mad in there and come out a happy Muggle before heading for the other rides! (:
Bring your own packed lunches to avoid expensive meals in USJ! Alternatively, there are good restaurants located just outside USJ (Takoyaki stalls on the second floor of the shopping mall has awesome Takoyakis!) Bring an extra jacket/shirt/sweater if you are intending to go to USJ during Spring as you will be spending most of your time outdoors queuing for rides and being susceptible to sudden strong gusts of wind.

8. Pompompurin Cafe

Pompompurin Cafe was pretty okay. The food was really not all that great. I guess its more of the concept and the hype over the cute character. I tried the one back in Singapore a few months later and it was pretty much the same. The prices are both equally high and varieties are quite limited. I must say though, the pudding and the hot cocoa (I tried the cocoa in Singapore and it was good. I'm guessing they should have that as well in the Japan menu) stood out the most! We met Leona, our secondary school friend who is currently working in Japan, for dinner after USJ to catch up. It was really quite cool to be reuniting with a secondary school classmate in a foreign country. (Not foreign for Leona though, she's half-Japanese hahaha)

Getting here:
4 min walk from Umeda Station (300m) 7 min walk from Daimaru Umeda Store (600m): Take JR Yumesaki Line for NISHIKUJO from Universal City Station to NISHIKUJO --> Take Osaka Loop Line(Outer loop) for TENNOJI to Osaka station arrival track no.2 and walk 5 min to Umeda

Opening hours:
10am-10pm daily

Advice:
You can try the dishes I recommended above if you are intending to experience a concept cafe at least once in Osaka. The cafe can be pretty difficult to find, but it is located within the train station. We left USJ early to meet up with our friend here for dinner (: I believe there was a USJ parade, but we decided to give it a miss as this was our last day to catch our friend before we head off to Kanazawa. Of course, feel free to stay till late at USJ and enjoy it to the fullest! (: