Osaka

Our first traveling experience was to Osaka in September with Matt and Chelsea. Osaka is about 2 hours away by train from where we live and is the second largest city in Japan. We bought a tourist package that allowed us to do up to 20 different attractions and have free access to the Osaka subways. Here are some of the things we did:


First stop: Making and eating okonomiyaki (one of the foods Osaka is known for). It is prepared a lot like a pancake. The batter and ingredients are fried on both sides on a hot plate. The okonomiyaki contains sliced cabbage and a layer of fried noodles inside and is topped with ingredients that include okonomiyaki sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce but thicker and sweeter), fish flakes, mayonnaise and ginger. It sounds weird...and it tastes weird, too, but it's actually good. This seams to be one of the most well-liked foods here.

Second stop: Osaka Castle

This is a really beautiful castle and has a breathtaking view of Osaka from the top of the castle.

Next stop: Shitennoji Temples, Garden, and Tea Ceremony
This is one of the best things we have done so far in Japan. The garden was absolutely amazing. There were waterfalls, streams with fish, lakes with lilly pads, rock gardens, flowers, etc. Everything we imagined a traditional Japanese garden to look like! The best part was the tea ceremony! We just happened to walk by this building that looked like a house. A woman came out dressed in a kimono and asked us to try some Japanese green tea. We went inside and she brought out desserts and tea.

Fourth Stop:
Isshinji Temple (800 years old)- This was really interesting! We went inside during a Buddhist service and actually got to observe how they worship. There was a strong smell of incense and 2 large statues of Buddha were at the head of the temple. This temple is very popular because one of the statues was actually made with human remains. The remains of 200,000 people who were laid to rest in the Isshinji temple were powdered and kneaded to form the Buddha.



Last Stop: Dotonbori District

During the day, we also visited the zoo, botanical gardens, world's largest ferris wheel, and went kimono shopping. At about 11pm, we finally made it to our final destination after 14 hours of marathon sightseeing. We walked around this district which is filled with karaoke clubs, pachinko parlors, and restaurants. We ended up going to a 1930’s recreation of Osaka. We walked around for a while and then went to a restaurant where you make your own tacoyaki at your table. Takoyaki is a popular Japanese food made of batter, octopus, pickled ginger, and green onion that is shaped into a ball and topped with okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise. We call them "Octopus balls."