Introduction
Are you planning to go to Japan? Or are you putting “travelling to Japan” on your bucket list? Sounds wonderful. As Japanese, I am really glad to hear that. Wait. You are going to only Tokyo? Just Tokyo…? Nah, you should go to Osaka as well. Obviously, Tokyo is the capital city in Japan, where is the most crowded city from the perspective of people and places. However, it does not mean you can miss Osaka as your travel destination.
Brief Information about Osaka
Osaka is the second smallest area of the prefecture and is located in the middle of Japan. According to the research from Macrotrends (2021), the population of Osaka is 19,111,000. The population of Vancouver is 2,606,000. Undoubtedly, you can understand how big city Osaka is. From Tokyo to Osaka, if you take shinkansen (bullet train), it takes approximately 3 hours. Also, I, the person writing this vlog, am from Osaka.
To describe reasons why I recommend Osaka, there are 3 parts.
- Delicious Food Variety
- Locations You can Experience “Only” Osaka
- “Osaka” personality…?
Delicious Food Variety
1.Takoyaki (たこ焼き)
Takoyaki is the symbolic Osaka food that other areas’ Japanese people can think of. It is a savoury snack that is basically made of chopped octopus, flour and dashi soup. Now, you can eat this even at the Japanese restaurant in Kamloops, but you should try “authentic” Takoyaki in the place where is the origin.
2.Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き)
It is also the typical food of Osaka. Personally, okonomiyaki is the best food that tourists should try. It is a savoury pancake that contains cabbages, pork, seafood, eggs and more ingredients depending on what you like. This photo is taken by my father. My family makes okonomiyaki twice a month as dinner.
3.Butaman (豚まん)
Butaman is the steamed pork bun. The popular brand “551 Horai” has approximately 60 shops in only Osaka and around the Osaka area. Every butaman from 551 Horai is handmade. You should better try if you go to Japan in winter.
4.Kushikatsu (串カツ)
Kushikatsu is deep-fried skewered food that has a lot of varieties. Many restaurants in Japan have an “all you can eat” system for kushikatsu. Even if it tastes so good, you should regulate yourself not to eat too much. Otherwise, your stomach is going to be a disaster due to having too much oil.
Extra info:
For dessert, I would recommend you buy “Rikuro ojisan no cheesecake”.
You can get this only from Osaka, and it is the Japanese style of cheesecake which is a fluffy sponge cake.
Locations You can Experience “Only” Osaka
1.Universal Studios Japan
I guess that most people who travel to Osaka are going to Universal Studios Japan. Since 2001, it has been loved by a lot of tourists and locals. Universal Studios are not only located in Japan. However, Japan opened new Nintendo area which is only in Japan and only in Osaka in 2021. If you like playing Mario games, you should go and see how great completeness the area has.
The left person is me as a high school student. I cannot count how many times I have been to. You should take a picture in front of this globe monument.
2.Doutonbori (道頓堀)
Doutonbori is the most famous place to describe Osaka. Especially, Glico which is the popular snack food brand has a big sign in Doutonbori. Tourists usually take selfies with this sign with this man’s posing. That is why the bridge in front of this Glico sign is always crowded.
3.Umeda Sky Building (梅田スカイビル)
Umeda Sky Building is one of the landmarks in Osaka. It has a unique structured landscape observatory, which is 173 meters in height. People can see Osaka city with a 360-degree view. If you are planning to come to sky building with your lover, you should try heart lock on the roof area. You can definitely make memories of the beautiful landscape.
4.Osaka castle (大阪城)
If you are interested in history, Osaka Castle is the best place where is even indicated in the school textbook. Toyotomi Hideyoshi who ruled over Japan constructed Osaka castle. It is displayed as a special historic site. Also, people can see beautiful views in the park around Osaka castle depending on the season. If it is spring, you can take pictures with Sakura (cherry blossom) like this image.
“Osaka” Personality…?
The reason why I recommend tourists to travel to Osaka also includes the personality of people from Osaka.
Conclusion
I hope I could distribute the information about Osaka’s attractiveness to anyone who is thinking of going to Japan.
Maps: https://www.google.com/maps
