Osaka, Osaka, Japan (February 2025)

Osaka is a large port city and commercial center on the Japanese island of Honshu. It is known for its modern architecture, nightlife, and hearty street food. Osaka was developed as the commercial hub for Kyoto while it was the capital city of Japan. 

Sumiyoshi Taisha, also known as Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine, is among Japan's oldest Shinto shrines. There are approximately 2,300 Sumiyoshi shrines located throughout Japan. Its headquarters is here in Osaka. We did not go.

Instead, we went to see Toyokuni-jinja, which is a shrine for Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was the ruler of the Momoyama Period. Its headquarters is in Kyoto, but there is a shrine in Osaka, too. The statue of Toyotomi Hideyoshi stands prominently.

As we entered the castle compound, the Osaka Castle was prominently tall in the distance. 

After entering the castle, we climbed seven stories to reach the observatory. The view from the top was panoramic. 

Many exhibits were showing the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

After three weeks of traveling, our legs were hurting and we were trying to find a time of rest whenever possible.

Next, we visited the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living. Interestingly, this museum was located inside a tall building probably for the urban population to have easy access. This museum exhibited many forms of old housing. Noteworthy was a bus dwelling after World War II. 

Then, we went to Kuromon Ichiba Market. This traditional market has approximately 150 merchants most of whom sell seafood and other food. Walking along the corridor was amusing to us. 

Our next destination was Doutonbori Street. This contemporary commercial district exhibits modern signs, neon signs, and other forms of live signs to attract customers. There is a slogan for the City of Osaka. That is "Kuidaore" meaning "Eat until you die." That much, Osaka people love food and eating food. Doutonbori Street reminded me of Seoul's Myeong-dong shopping district. 

We sat down at one of the restaurants that serve two of Osaka's famous foods: Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki. Takoyaki is a meatball made of octopus.  

Okonomiyaki is a pan-grilled dish made of vegetables. It was a hearty food. 

After we finished the snack, we walked around further in the Doutonbori area. Many interesting signs caught our eyes and attention. 

Since we would leave for the airport at a different time, we had to take a farewell group photo in Doutonbori with the guide and without him.

Our farewell dinner was at a restaurant that serves Kaiseki Dinner or Nabe Udon. We took Nabe Udon and all of us thoroughly enjoyed the food as well as the ambiance.  

Kuidaore... Eat until you die. Indeed, Osaka does not lack anything to eat but offers everything to eat. 

We have ended a three-week-long trip.  For the first week, we traveled from Sapporo to Otaru, to Noboribetsu, to Hakodate, to Sendai, and to Tokyo. For this trip, I organized the transportation, the accommodation, the local guides, and the meals. For the next two weeks, we asked Odynovo to organize the tour for us. The hotels were excellent and so were their breakfasts. Local guides were okay, but overall we were fully satisfied. It was made possible because our travel companions were all nice and easy-going. I was grateful. I felt so comfortable with Japan and I committed again to learning and speaking Japanese fluently, sooner rather than later. - Jeffrey