Day #1 – On Arrival At Kansai Airport
If you did not purchase your Rail / Day Pass or Universal Studio Tickets in Singapore, head over to the Kansai Tourist Information Center once you have landed. This is a one-stop shop to get all your passes and tickets. We were feeling very ‘suaku’ when the lady at the counter kept saying yes to all the tickets and passes that we were looking for.
So we bought:
- Osaka 1-Day Pass
- Kintetsu 2-Day Rail Pass
- Universal Studio Tickets (2 printed letters with QR Codes to scan there)
- 2-way Limousine Bus Tickets (our mistake was to buy the returning ticket to Kansai when it should be Itami)
Our Intended Itinerary Was:
- First Day – Visit Nissin Cup Noodle Museum followed by Tempozan Harbor Village with the 1-Day Pass
- Second Day – Visit Universal Studio and by buying tickets for local rides
- Third Day – Visit Kyoto with the Kintestsu Rail Pass
- Fourth Day – Visit Nara with the Kintestu Rail Pass and sightseeing around Dotonburi area
- Last Day – Last minute shopping
Our Hotel Stay – Cross Hotel
We chose Cross Hotel Osaka for our hotel stay. This hotel is a 5 minutes walk from the Namba Station Exit 15B and around 15 minutes walk away from OCAT Namba Stop (JR Namba) which you may need the map in your phone to get to this place. You can refer to this timetable for the OCAT Bus Schedule.
The good thing about the Hotel is that you are just a short walk away to the always-crowded Dotonburi with lots of convenience stores around the corner. It is also just across the 24-Hour Don Quijote (aka Don Don Donki) Dotonbori Store.
About Cross Hotel Osaka
Good:
- Fast enough WIFI
- 4 Bottles of water everyday (2 on the shelf and 2 in the Fridge)
- Daily replenishment of amenities – Towels, Shaver, Toothbrush, Shampoo, Conditioner and Bodywash
- Provides Shiseido Facial Wash and Exfoliate Soap
- Includes some premium Spa Treatments
- Free Glass of Drink from 5pm – 7pm throughout your stay
- The Toilet Bidet got more options – adjust water pressure and position
- Water Flow from Shower Head is strong and hot
- Includes a Humidifier
- Friendly, Helpful and Knowledgeable staffs
Not So Good:
- Not enough place to hang wet towels and clothes
- No access to any English Shows
- Pillows are too soft
- The Lifts are very slow
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Alternative Breakfast Options
We did not opt for the Daily Breakfast option with the Hotel so most of our breakfast options were from the convenience stores within a stone’s throw away from Cross Hotel Osaka like this Pasco Steamed Bun and Ice Coffee from Lawson. You could also go for the Nissin Cup Noodle Big Size which tasted really amazing though you may want to add more water to it if you prefer less salty food.
Note: If you need your daily coffee fix, we would recommend (after trying the various outlets) getting it (more aromatic and less acidic) from Lawson as compared to FamilyMart and 7-Eleven.
Visiting CupNoodles Museum Osaka Ikeda
Our first visit was to CupNoodles Museum located at Ikeda and we went with a drawing of a Princess and Prince. We actually had no idea what to draw so if you want to try this, do google something first. We did not bring the noodles back to Singapore and it became our breakfast for the next morning. The reason why they included a space for you to write the date was that the expiry will be a month from date of manufacture (sealed up). We did not know that and went ahead to pump up the vacuum bag. It could be quite cumbersome if you are those who prefer to travel light or you have other places to visit after the museum.
Things to note:
- Admission is free
- Main Attraction is to pay 300 yen to buy and draw something on a cup, join the queue to choose the various ingredients and see how it got sealed up. You can keep the cup in a blown up vacuum bag which you will have to decide how to bring it around.
- Other attractions include:
- Joining the queue to buy large cups of Noodle from Vending Machines, pour hot water and consume them in the limited sitting area.
- Heading up to the Second Level where they have hands-on sessions for kids to learn how to make Chicken Ramen. Reservation is via their website or phone. Fee is at 300 yen / 500 yen.
- Walking around looking at the evolution of Cup Noodles from current to the past, playing around with some of the interactions and appreciating the history of the inventor – mostly in Japanese. English or Chinese Tours are available for a fee.
Our Lunch At Yayoiken Hankyu Ikeda
After our visit at the Cupnoodles Museum, we had our lunch at the Yayoiken Hankyu Ikeda (a 3.8 ratings on Google Map) which happened to have a few restaurants in Singapore as well. We walked past a small Ippudo Ramen Restaurant but did not try as there was already a long sitting queue.
We ordered:
- Mackerel Simmered in Miso Teishoku
- Pork Cutlet Simmered in Miso Sauce Teishoku
- Clam Miso Soup
Experiences
No one attended to us when we entered the restaurant. We ordered on the machine at the entrance (there’s an English Menu option), got the slips and we had to walk near to the Kitchen area where we found two ladies over there whom we could pass the slips to. We got our seat after that and there’s a large flask of Ice Water. There’s also a free flow of rice. They served fast as well.
Taste Wise
Overall good. The pickles were very tasty and could really perk up your appetite. Clam soup tasted good. Mackerel was tasty but there’s many bones. You could also taste the difference in their 100% Japanese Rice. The Tofu dish had a different texture and surprisingly not that bland.
The pork cutlet was flavorful and it came on a hot plate with an egg and some potatoes. As with dishes made from miso, the taste was more towards the salty side, however if you eat it with the rice, it tastes just nice.
Visiting Tempozan Harbor Village
Our next visit was the Tempozan Harbor Village where you can find attractions like:
- Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel
- Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
- Osaka Bay Cruise Santa Maria
We reached there in the late afternoon (around 5pm) and on our way there, we tried the Glico Seventeen Ice Cream from the vending machine. Do be warned, you may find interesting food along the walk there, however it is very difficult to find rubbish bins there. Therefore you may want to consider bringing your own trash bag or be prepared to hold the trash till you see a bin.
The Tempozan Harbor Village was quite a big place and you know you are there when you see the Giant Ferris Wheel and the Big Lego Figurine on display (Lego Discovery Center is nearby). Up in front you will see the Tempozan Marketplace where there are a budget store, souvenir stores and many food outlets to check out. There is the also the Kaiyukan Aquarium Gift Shop around the corner which is a great place to get some fishy souvenirs. There is also a wide open space where you may get to see many busker interactive performances. After which you will get to see the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan which you won’t miss because of the loud seal calls (possibly because of the newborn seal).
Right behind the Marketplace you will see the Osaka Harbor, a very windy place and great location to take your sunset shots. If you are interested in the going on a short 45 minutes cruise ride, there’s this Santa Marie Sailing Boat Ride you can go on. We wanted to try on the Twilight Cruise (didn’t notice that 3 months booking is required) but turned out that they closed very early at 5pm so we missed out on the Day Cruise as well!
We went on the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel which was free because of the Osaka 1-Day Pass. Go in the evening and you get to see the setting sun slowly disappearing into the mountain range. We also missed the Aquarium as the last ticketing purchase hour was at 7pm. The closing hour was at 8pm.
Our Red Bean Dessert At Meoteo Zenzai And Kushiage Dinner At Kushikatsu
After the Ferris Wheel ride, we head back to Namba’s Hozenji area there is this small temple with the Fudo Myoo Statue that is covered with green moss due to long term pouring of water by the worshipers.
Just round the corner is the Meoto Zenzai where you can enjoy shaved ices or the two bowls of Red Bean desserts (warm or cold). Also note that each visitor is strongly encouraged to make an order and not to share. Mixed taste feelings for both of us (Normal for him, Too Sweet for her). Price was at 800 yen each. There was a piece of food which was coated with white powder (we were really not sure what it was but we tried it anyway) and surprisingly it brought out the taste of the Red Bean dessert. Expect a crowd as well but you can expect seats fast.
Next stop was our Fried Skewers dinner at Kushikatsu Daruma which is a popular chain in Japan. There was a long queue and we waited for quite a while (from sitting outside to inside) before we were given a seat at the lower level. We spotted a Japanese Actor (of old times) but couldn’t remember who he was. They have English and Chinese Menus available so remember to ask them for it.
If you are not too sure on what to order, they have three combos at 9 pieces at 14oo, 12 pieces at 1800, 15 pieces at 2200 yen to choose from. We went with the 15 pieces option.
The dark sauce in the image, that’s the thing that they don’t change with every new customers, and you are supposed to dip your food items in it.
The rules of eating are:
- Dip your Kushikatsu into sauce first (only once) then place back onto your own dish
- Do not use your chopsticks with the cabbage
- Use the cabbage to scoop the sauce if you need more sauce
- Please put salt on the Kushikatus after they are on your own dish
Our Experiences
The sauce was really good and you may find yourself eating it non-stop with the cabbage and goes well with the skewers. The flour coating on the food items was not thick and that deep fried. Each item tasted almost the same though with only a slight distinct difference. The 15 pieces were enough to satisfy our hunger.
With this meal… we ended our First Day at Osaka!