Day 2 in Japan - Osaka Castle, Kaiyukan, and Tempozan Ferris Wheel

On the second day, I decided to visit Osaka Castle, 大阪城 (oosakajou).  There is more than one entrance to access the castle, but I choose to get down at Tanimachi 4-chome Station, 谷町四丁目駅 (tanimachiyonchoomeeki) and walk towards Osaka Castle Park’s Southwestern Otemon Gate, 大手門 (ootemon), which is the main gate.  

The Castle grounds are surrounded by water

The Castle’s main tower is located at the inner part of the castle grounds.  There are other gates, turrets, and attractions inside the castle grounds.  A ticket is needed in order to enter the main tower of Osaka Castle.  The inside of the Castle is clean and modern, not lacking any necessary facilities.

Main Tower of Osaka Castle

Inside the castle is actually a museum, telling the history and story of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, 豊臣 秀吉 (toyotomihideyoshi), an ally of Oda Nobunaga, 織田 信長 (odanobunaga).  At the top floor of the castle, there’s a small souvenir shop.  Visitors can enjoy the scenery around the area from the balcony.

The square in front of the Main Tower

The Castle surrounded by waters

After Osaka Castle, my destination is Osaka Aquarium or Kaiyukan, 海遊館 (kaiyuukan).  It is a short walk from Osakako Station, 大阪港駅 (oosakakoueki).  Before crossing the road to the Aquarium, I noticed an elegant and nice place, La Centifolia.  It is actually a shop that serves dessert, while the adjoining part of the building has a chapel-like interior that can be rented for wedding ceremonies.

La Centifolia

Delicious dessert at a pleasant atmosphere

The Aquarium is just across the road, and the Tempozan Ferris Wheel also comes into view.  That area is known as Tempozan Harbor Village.  A shopping center, the Tempozan Marketplace is adjacent to the Ferris wheel.

Kaiyukan has a unique design

Tempozan Ferris Wheel and Shopping center

The Aquarium is actually one of the best in the world.  It houses marine life from around the world.  The main attraction will be the largest tank that holds a whale shark, manta rays, other species of sharks, and schools of other fishes.  Penguins, dolphins, and otters are also exhibited at the aquarium.

The Tunnel at the beginning

Penguins

The famous whale shark

Japanese Spider Crab

Visiting the aquarium is definitely worth it.  At the end of it, we can actually touch manta rays and fishes.  I take a quick walk in the shopping center and one interesting part of it is the Naniwa Food Theme Park, where Osaka’s variety of food are exhibited.  Then, I took a ride on the Tempozan Ferris Wheel.

Osaka Bay can be seen 

The Places I visited just now

View of the city

The Ferris wheel changes color at night

After the ride on the Ferris wheel, I ate dinner at a restaurant nearby.  After having Gyudon, 牛丼 (gyuudon) and Udon, うどん (udon) for dinner, it’s time to go back for a rest ahead of more travels the next day.  

Gyudon, 牛丼 (gyuudon) and Udon, うどん (udon) for dinner

Read about the first day's travel and please stay tuned for the following days' travels.

Day 1 in Japan - Shinsaibashi, Dotonbori, and lots of Takoyaki

I had the privilege to visit Japan for 6 days and 5 nights, visited some places in the Kansai region, 関西地方 (kansaichihou), which is located at the Southern-central region of Japan’s main island.  I visited three areas in the Kansai region, namely Osaka, 大阪 (oosaka), Kyoto京都 (kyouto), and Nara, 奈良 (nara).

Japan is easily accessible since I am studying in South Korea.  My flight from Busan's Gimhae International Airport to Kansai International Airport only takes 1 hour and 20 minutes.  At Kansai Airport, I purchased a Prepaid LTE Sim Card with 1GB data valid for a period of 30 days and the ICOCA Prepaid Card which is really convenient when using the trains, subways, and buses.

Kansai Airport

Prepaid LTE Sim Card & ICOCA Prepaid Card

My lodging will be an apartment in a residential area very close to Namba, 難波 (nanba), which is one of Osaka’s major city centers.  

The clean and pleasant basement of Namba Station

Subway Map

From the map, we can see that there are many places to visit around Namba.  The most famous places would be Shinsaibashi, 心斎橋 (shinsaibashi) and Dōtonbori, 道頓堀 (dootombori).  Shinsaibashi is a shopping arcade with many retail stores, boutiques, and department stores, while Dōtonbori is a heaven for food lovers. 

Shinsaibashi

Impressive building with Zara and other shops

Uniqlo and H&M

At Shinsaibashi, I ate Ramen, 拉麵 or ラーメン (ramen) for my late lunch.  As I walked around, I noticed many shops that sell Matcha Ice-cream, 抹茶アイスクリーム (matcha aisukuriimu), something that I ate a lot in Japan.

Ramen at Shinsaibashi

Macha Ice-cream

Shinsaibashi and Dōtonbori are connected.  Once reaching an area with a massive crowd, I can see Ebisu Bridge, 戎橋 (ebisubashi), which let me get across the Dōtonbori canal.  Here, there are many restaurants and shops, as well as the famous Glico Man sign and neon lights.

The famous Glico Man and Neon light at Dōtonbori

The view from Ebisu Bridge

For Dinner, I walked around at Dōtonbori and ate anything I find interesting and looks delicious.  I ate Takoyaki, たこ焼き (takoyaki), a famous food in Japan and even more famous in Osaka.  

Takoyaki shop recommended by tripadvisor

While walking around Dōtonbori, I luckily came by a restaurant called Akaoni, 赤鬼 or あかおに (akaoni), a Takoyaki restaurant honored by Michelin.  This shop uses raw octopus, unlike most of other Takoyaki shops, which uses boiled octopus.  The shop is a pleasant small shop, with just a few tables.  The atmosphere and food are nice, the price is reasonable as well.  After walking around abit more, I return to rest for another long day.  

Takoyaki restaurant, Akaoni

Honored by Michelin

Takoyaki with cheese and Yakisoba

Okonomiyaki

Please wait for the post on the second day.

Taiwan Trip during Lunar New Year - Part 2

The second day, I check out of the dorm since my flight is after midnight, and I will not stay for another day.  After checking out, I ate breakfast at a nearby shop.

Fried Turnip Cake

Stir-fried Noodles

After eating, I set out to Tamsui, 淡水 (Dànshǔi).  Tamsui is located in the north of Taiwan.  The train ride took quite some time before finally reaching the sea-side district of New Taipei City.  Like many places in Taiwan, Tamsui’s street have plenty of food to feast on.

Boar meat sausage

Silken Tofu Pudding, 豆花 (dòuhuā)

Tamsui is a rather pleasant and interesting place.  If you like to enjoy the scenery, this place is known for its seaside view.  Food lovers will find good food all along the street.  People who like to shop will not be bored here too, as there are many shops selling toys, clothes, bags, and many others.

Perhaps it's due to the Lunar New Year holiday, it is really crowded.

Simple lunch

The weather is really hot

Kids are playing

After Tamsui, I visit the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, 中正紀念堂 (Zhōngzhèng jìniàntáng), which is a memorial for the former President of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek.  At the Memorial Square, there are three grand buildings, the National Concert Hall, the National Theater, and the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial hall.

An old man playing the Accordion at the subway station.

The National Theater

Gate of Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness, 大中至正 ((Dàzhōngzhìzhèng)

The National Concert Hall

The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Gate of Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness lights up.

I actually intend to go up the Taipei 101, 台北101 (Táiběi 101) at night, but due to too many visitors during the Lunar New Year season, the queue is so long that I feel it is not worth the wait.  I just took some photos from the outside and proceed for a quick walk at Shilin Night Market, 士林夜市 (Shìlín Yèshì) before taking the bus to Taipei Taoyuan Airport.

Taipei 101

From this visit, I find Taiwan to be quite a nice place.  There's many interesting places to visit, delicious food to try, and the people are nice and helpful.  Although this trip to Taiwan is rather short, but I would definitely like to visit Taiwan again in the future, as there are still many places that I did not get a chance to visit due to time constraint.