Osaka / Nara / Himeji-jo

I’m going to talk about Osaka, Nara, and Himeji-Jo on the same post. It makes sense to me because we were staying in Osaka and made a day trip to Nara and Himeji-Jo while staying there.

DAY 3 - Tokyo to Osaka

We took the Tokaido Shinkansen (the bullet train) from Tokyo to Osaka, and both Hikari and Kodama trains are covered by the Japan Rail Pass. They can take you from Tokyo to Osaka in about 3 to 4 hours.

Jr Pass was very useful for us, and we think it’s worth it if you’re going to be traveling long distances. In Tokyo, you can catch the Shinkansen either at Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station and then arrive at Shin-Osaka Station in Osaka. I was scared of getting nauseous on the bullet train because it’s so fast, but when inside, you don’t feel how fast it is, and the seats are pretty comfortable.

Seeing a bullet train passing trough a station where they don’t stop, it’s incredible! First, it begins to feel like an earthquake, then, it makes a thunderous sound, lasts for just a few seconds, and it’s gone! Wow!

We decided to eat on the train to save some time, and Tokyo Station is a great spot to find bento boxes. You also have many convenience stores like Seven Eleven or Family Mart, with snacks and sweets such as onigiri - rice balls - sandwiches, chips, candy, instant ramen, and our favorite discovery - peanut butter sandwich!

Arrived at Osaka around 4 or 5 pm and went straight to the hotel. It was the first and last time we stayed in a hotel! Yei! It was a really good deal because the hotel was brand-new and the prices were very similar to the hostels we’ve seen, so we decided to treat ourselves with a king size bed (I lieee, it was a double) and a private bathroom!

We stayed at Hotel Felice Shinsaibashi By Relief and it was so comfy that my sleep schedule started to get back in sync, not Pedro’s though, the first night he couldn’t sleep, he went downstairs to smoke a cigar and a very nice girl asked him if he wanted a “happy ending massage”, what a first night experience to have in Osaka, hm?

The hotel is located in the heart of Shinsaibashi and within an easy walk to Namba and Dotonbori, so the first night, we went for a walk and tried Takoyaki. Takoyaki is made from small batter balls filled with octopus pieces and it’s very gooood.

One thing that really surprised me was the number of people on the streets! You can also feel that in Tokyo at night, but here it seemed even more crowded.

Day 4 - Day Trip to Nara

During our stay in Osaka, we decided to take a day trip to Nara, which is 55 minutes away in train (JR Nara Line).

Nara is mainly known for Nara-Koen Park with its deers and Todai-ji Temple, home of the famous Daibutsu (Great Buddha). You can buy deer crackers (shika sembei) to feed them, but, be aware that the deer are not there to be your friends! Haha, just kidding, they are adorable, but if you have food in your hand, likely means that you will get chased by some hungry kick-ass deers.

Day 5 - Day Trip to himeji-jo

So, let’s talk about Himeji-Jo.

What a majestic piece of Japanese architecture. This is really a masterpiece, and it’s up since the 14th century, 17th, the building that we see today. It has 6 levels inside, so be ready to climb some stairs.

Now, this is just my advice, based on my personal experience. If you’re thinking about visiting the castle inside, like we were, on Sakura season, go early, like really early before it opens at 9 am, and go on a weekday. We didn’t even notice that this visit was booked for a Sunday and I believe that was a big mistake. We were there early, but not early enough. Arrived at 10h30am and the lines were getting longer at the time. The waiting line to get inside the Castle was for 30min, and when we left, the waiting time went up to 1h30, but the problem wasn’t the waiting, was the number of people that were inside the Castle, and climbing 6 floors with a group of people in an enclosed space is not really my idea of fun. Especially because it's impossible to enjoy the views with so many people trying to take photos.

When we got out, our plan was to find a place to eat away from the crowds.

This was the best idea we had that day! We found a little ramen place called Koba&More, and boy, it was good! Only 6 seats and jazz playing in the background while Koba (was his name) was preparing our lovely food right in front of us. We found out that he knows a little portuguese, so that’s a plus.

I couldn’t take pictures of the inside, so I can’t show you the beauty of the place, but I can tell you if you’re nearby, don’t miss it!

It was back to Osaka, and deciding where to go to dinner.

Somehow, we found out that there was a Shake Shack in Osaka! We didn’t even think twice! If you see my pictures in New York, you’ll see that we are huge fans of Shake Shack, and unfortunately, we don’t have it Portugal yet. So, if there’s a Shake Shack where I’m going, I’ll be there!