Japan 2019: Osaka (Part 1)
As promised, I'm going to share my somewhat detailed itinerary.
I went with two friends, whom I can honestly say are some of the best travel buddies I've had so far. Somewhere during our conversations and discussions, I was like, "I know I'm travelling with the right people".
This is the Osaka edition.
So, here goes!
Day 1 (20 Sept)
Our flight out from KLIA2 was at 2.00 pm and we landed at Kansai International Airport (KIX) around 9.45 pm, local time (note: It's only a one hour time difference between Japan and Malaysia).
It's a 7-hour flight and I would suggest you to pre-order your meal. Although during my last trip (back in 2015), I actually skipped that and sneaked in a McD's burger (don't tell AirAsia tau!). Well, I'm older and wiser (and mampu untuk tak kedekut sangat bab makan and beli travel insurance. Yes, I admit, I was one of those who used to skip buying travel insurance, taubat dah).
The first thing that we did when we landed was to activate our Japan Rail Pass.
After getting our bags, we went straight to the nearest JR office (in KIX).
Some tips before accosting anyone in Japan.
Start the conversation with a smile and say "Sumimasen" (it means "excuse me" in Japanese). As you may have heard, the locals don't really speak English but don't worry, they usually do their level best to assist you, despite the communication barrier. So, always start a conversation with "Sumimasen", to simply break the ice.
The JR lady that assisted us that night was really helpful by suggesting that we should activate it on the 21st instead of the 20th. In which, our Japan Rail Pass will be valid for the next 7 days, beginning 21/9 until 27 /9. Quite apt, as our flight going back to Malaysia was on the 28th (from Haneda to KLIA2).
Note: We pre-bought the Japan Rail Pass via KLOOK (for RM1000+) and received the exchange orders upon completion of purchased. In order to activate the pass, you will need to submit the exchange order at any JR counter and they will then give you, your activated Japan Rail Pass.
We also asked the JR lady on how to get to Osaka city from KIX. Based on her suggestion, we took the Nankai Airport Express (heading to Namba), which cost ¥920. There's also the Limited Express Rapi:t, which cost slightly more at ¥1,130 and is 10 minutes faster than the former. You can read more about these two trains here.
In all honesty, we wanted to take the latter but got confused and ended up taking the former. So, do make sure of this and try not to be confused between the two trains (the tracks are just side by side but both trains does not look the same).
Since it was late at night and we were trying to reach our apartment before the last train (train will ceased to operate after 11.30 pm). Our apartment was located in Moriguchi-shi, somewhere at the edge of Osaka and took around 40 minutes to reach from Namba station.
The Nankai Airport Express stops at Namba Station. From there we took the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line, Namba station to Yodoyabashi station. From Yodoyabashi, we changed to another train line, the Keihan Line and stopped at Moriguchishi station. From there, it was a 4-5 minutes walk to our apartment.
Yes, we changed trains quite a number of time just to get to our apartment.
Nothing says welcome to Japan like its super sophisticated train lines + lots of walking.
The apartment and the surrounding area somewhat made up for the tedious journey. It was a quaint not-so-little town with all your basic necessities.
Think of a neighbourhood like Nobita's or Shin-chan's.
Day 2 (21 Sept)
Our official first day in Osaka.
We planned for a free and easy day in Osaka, to roam around the city. Initially planned on starting our journey from Namba, since that's the centre of everything Osaka.
We had to change train at Kyobashi station (Keihan line) to get to the JR line that goes straight to Namba. When we got to Kyobashi, we realised that Osaka Castle (Osaka-jo / 大阪城) was just nearby.
So, we decided to walk to the Osaka-jo, all the way from Kyobashi station. It was quite a walk. I have to say this because that's just one of the many long walking that we did.
Do check the weather because if it's hot, you don't want to be carrying your thick coat all the time (I wore a coat, thinking it was early autumn, it was rather breezy and cool but not cold enough that I was sweating like it rained. Mine wasn't that thick but it was still quite a hassle to carry around).
We basically entered Osaka-jo through the back. The castle by itself was quite a spectacle and the surrounding area was definitely an insta-worthy background.
While you're there, do try the green tea soft ice cream and drinks at the nearby shop.
One thing you should know about Japan, even if you're someone who do not like green tea or raw fish and such, I highly recommend that you try them all while you're in Japan. They usually taste different (in a good way) from what you're used to. You will regret it if you don't.
After Osaka-jo, we walked around the castle grounds. It's a nice place for sightseeing and chilling, as there were many small cafes and Starbucks by the river bank. Since it was the beginning of autumn, you get to see the leaves starting to change colour (from green to yellow). Definitely a view you would not want to miss.
Made our way to the nearest JR line station, which was Morinomiya Station. We had the idea to take the train from Morinomiya and just circle the whole of Osaka via the Osaka Loop (read here if you want to know more about the Osaka Loop).
Little did we know... We took the wrong train from the correct station. We actually ended up in Nara. Which was more than an hour away from Osaka. We basically spent four (4) hours on the train because of this. Definitely an adventure and lesson learned about the train system in Osaka.
In our defense, I personally think the train lines in Osaka is not as straight forward as the ones in Tokyo. They're quite confusing due to it's many lines and types (the express, the sub express, the local, etc).
No offence Osaka.
After that whole shenanigan, made our way to Dotonbori to see that oh-so-famous Glico man. We took the same train back to Osaka (it was actually called the JR Yamatoji Line) and changed train at Tennoji station. From there, we changed to the Osaka Metro Midosuji line (Tennoji station) and head towards Namba station.
You still need to find your way to Dotonbori. Hence, more walking but don't worry, it's not that far.
Two more tips.
1. Going to Dotonbori: I found out that it's actually better to stop at the Shinsaibashi station (on the Midosuji line). You immediately will come out at the shopping street, and you can walk all the way to Dotonbori (while window shopping).
2. For easy navigation: Download the Hyperdia app. But Google Maps proved to be the greatest hero during the whole leg of our journey. Download the offline map, it's a total life saver.
