Day 11- Osaka Wrap up & Kyoto: Last Stop in Japan

Day 11:

クイダオレ

It’s our last morning waking up in Osaka. Can’t believe we’ve now been to 3 Japanese cities, and have 1 left. As If Tokyo is comparable to NY or LA, then Osaka is like Boston or SF. Grittier, not as glamorous, but culturally, historically and financially able to stand on its own. Dan was rested, and was in the mood to shop, he hadn’t been able to join me a few nights ago at the Dotonbori, so we decided to head there. A quick 4 stops from where we were, we walked out into the chaos. Just like Friday night, there were people everywhere. Different though, as this was families and people of all ages. At night, it was definitely party central.

We walked thru, searching for the ever elusive souvenirs, those tchotchke I love to waste money on. You know, magnets and post cards and frames and hoodies.

Well Japan, they are non-existent. I’m trying to get another suitcase and buy a bunch of stuff….but you’re just not cooperating. We staked out a place above it all, called Hoshino Coffee.

It had a prime viewing area overlooking the Dotonbori River.

The menu also had one of Osaka’s famous dishes- soufflé pancakes. I got a double with red bean paste. So good!

We also stopped for some Japanese strawberries which are white and taste like melon (yeah, I know, crazy). We also had some more ice cream and some candy fruit.

Even got an H&M visit, as eell as a pic of the Running Man. With full stomachs, it was time for our last adventure in Osaka. We went back to Umeda, the central station where our hotel was located. Luckily, our hotel was right next to the Umeda Sky buildings,

two 40 story towers connected at the roof by a sky bridge, glass escalators and elevators.

We made our way up to the top, taking one final look at this beautiful city.

We had a blast here. The people once again were kind and polite, helpful and welcoming. The food…good lord the food. The best meal we’ve had in Japan hands down was the wagyu beef spot. Thanks for taking care of us, until next time. Kyoto, you’re up! I love how interconnected the cities are via transit. It only cost US $3.20 to go from Osaka to Kyoto via train. We arrived just after 7pm and it was dinner time!

Pizza it was, at a local pub called Zam Zam. Crazy part about it…they still allowed smoking inside. After dinner, I walked about 5 blocks to hit up the Hard Rock Cafe to buy my merch. Last one of the trip as there aren’t any in South Korea or Taiwan. Good night y’all, we’re in the home stretch.

1 week left to this epic trip.

Final step count was 17,204 and 7.91 miles. #dotonbori#UmedaSky#osaka#hardrockcafe#kyoto#Japan‍ ‍#Asia2025