I love family trips! It's usually not enough, I wish I could go for one at least every year. Or every 6 months. haha.
So this time, we headed over to Osaka for 9 days! woohoo! A well-deserved, long awaited trip indeed. We set off from Changi Airport and remembered to stop by DFS, where the whisky fair and special Game of Thrones exhibition were in display.
Plane meals, a good part of what makes taking an airplane ride fun. The rice dish was not very good, but the soba was good though. We also had a mini magnum icecream served after the meal.
Upon reaching the airport about 4 plus (clearance was so quick at the Kansai airport) and we cleared immigration within 20mins. It took us just under an hour from touch down to the train station. First thing to do: get the Icoca transport card.
This trip, we're just travelling around Kansai so this transport card would serve us very well. We topped up about 2000 yen each and made our way to Namba, where our hotel is situated.
The dad checking the train out while carrying his luggage. <3
It wasn't very cold during this period, so my dad wore short sleeves, which he was most comfortable in. He had a jacket in his backpack just in case it suddenly turned cold / windy.
Finally! We reached our hotel, 88 Hotel Shinsaibashi, which is a stone's throw away from Namba station's exit 25. My family ended up being so happy staying at this hotel, my dad kept repeating it through the trip.
Details on this hotel here: https://www.hotel88.jp/
Location of 88 Hotel Shinsaibashi: https://goo.gl/maps/35Gmm5LsMVnArmqq8
It has 2 queen sized beds in the same space, and enough space for me to even do my exercise! Woohoo!
The hotel lounge, where we enjoyed a variety of free hot and cold drinks, available for all hotel guests. The hotel wifi was also very strong and steady, which I liked very much. The staff service here was excellent too.
The sister having some fun with the art pieces all over the hotel.
After we settled in, it was time for dinner! My sister's friend recommended us a popular chicken based ramen shop called Bokkoshi Ramen (ぼっこ志), and it happened to be within 5 minutes walk away from our hotel, so there we went!
The broth was creamy and surprisingly thick and nice, while still being less heavy and oily than the traditional pork broth. We did enjoy it pretty much and we finished the whole thing. The dad and the sister had the dried version and it was good too!
Location of Bokkoshi Ramen: https://goo.gl/maps/RyvKbS2dhmmhRLC89
Next up, we head over for some late night snack along Dotonbori: Takoyaki! We enjoyed くくる Kukuru's takoyaki, a quality which Singapore's takoyaki cannot offer. There was also an eating area in the building for dining in, for those who wants to sit down. We chose to have it as a takeout. Not the cheapest (790 yen for 8 pieces) in the area, but we enjoyed it!
Kukuru's takoyaki were served with toppings of dried bonitos, powdered seaweed and spring onions. In its fillings, other than octopus, it also had some red ginger cooked together.
Location of Kukuru: https://goo.gl/maps/hy7xoZgzRXZiaRfT9
Finishing the night with some sweet treats: Softserve icecream on a thin sweet crepe cone from Excelsior Caffe! We saw a queue for this while walking along Shinsaibashi-suji and decided to go for it.
Location of Excelsior Caffe: https://goo.gl/maps/vyBW2t5EVjBAFCsT8
And of course, no trip to Dotonbori will be complete if you didn't take a photo with the iconic neon Glico Running Man along the Dōtonbori Canal in Osaka, also one of Osaka's most visited tourist destinations!
Location of Glico Man: https://goo.gl/maps/1FBuNUEGuszfsuyY6
If you liked this post, please click here, show some support and love by following me on: Instagram (@janelkuuu) and Facebook!
Thank you so much for this post! It made my Osaka planning so much easier!
ReplyDelete