From the get go Osaka felt different to Tokyo. It might just be the places we visited, but Tokyo seemed more orderly. For example; check out this photo of commuters lining up to get on the subway. I’ve never seen anything like it! They take polite to the extreme.
Osaka seemed more relaxed in terms of order and with a greater sense of urgency. The people are even friendlier than Tokyo (and that is saying something) but the city has a faster buzz, the driving slightly more aggressive, hurried and the streets more chaotic (not to the degree of Thailand or Indonesia).
I had in my mind that Tokyo would be where we saw all the bright lights and billboards. It turns out Osaka is just as bright, if not even more so. In parts it is quite outrageous, like in the area of Dotonbori where there is a real high tempo buzz.
Here, best at night, you wander the streets and marvel at the bright lights and larger than life objects protruding from buildings. Think giant crabs, cows, octopuses, clams, fruit, ice creams. I’m sure our eyes were on stalks as we moved along with the throngs of people snapping photos and pointing out unusual signs.
In reality, it is all about food, the lights are all to draw you in. The trouble is, you are spoilt for choice, making a decision is quite overwhelming. The night we went, we settled on Kobe beef on the side of the street where we could fully absorb all the action.
During the day, the city is also great for shopping and food markets. We enjoyed walking around the Kuromon market where there was plenty of fresh seafood and sushi on offer as well as fruit, vegetables and flowers. This flower stand was unexpected and reminded me of a similar one in Copenhagen last year.
Our final stop in Osaka was the castle. Although we didn’t venture inside, it was a lovely stroll around the grounds. Osaka Castle has a large, wide moat and grand cut stone walls reminiscent of the Tower of London but with a distinct Japanese feel. In fact it has two moats, inner and outer and plenty of other fortification to protect it’s beautiful structure.
Over the years the main keep has been damaged many times in wars, lightning strikes and fires, most recently during World War 2. It was restored in 1995 and is now mainly made of concrete with ornate reproductions of the original Edo-era decorations.
Osaka was another city to love and the end of our Japan adventure. There is one thing for certain in the minds of the Travel Bees……….. we’ll be back!
TTB
P.S. It didn’t matter where we were in Japan all the food was amazing. Be it restaurant, street food or convenience store!
The Travel Bee 