Osaka Food Trip - Dotonbori

Osaka is a haven for food lovers. There is abundance of  snacks, fruits and dishes to eat. The two places to visit to sample Japanese food in Osaka is Dotonbori and Kuromon Ichiba Market.

Dotonbori is the busiest area in Osaka that I have visited so far.

 

Busier than the street markets of Taipei. Crowd starting to swell from 4pm. There are plenty of food stalls, restaurants, coffeshops, ramen houses.

The food is advertized via attractive business signs.

Long lines would mean the food is delicious. While lines are long, they move pretty fast

Ramen, Sushi, Gyoza, takoyaki, grilled crabmeat, scallops, beef cubes, taiyaki are some of the more popular snacks.

Along the riverbank are bright neon lights. Big crowds gather near the iconic glico man sign to have their photos taken.

glico man at daytime

glico man at night time

American brands like H&M and Starbucks can also be found. There are convenience stores as well.

Shinsaibashi-suji is nearby. It is a covered shopping street where you can find all sort of merchandise and restaurants.

You can get popular snacks and merchandise at reasonable prices at Don Quijote

Dotonbori is a must visit place when in Osaka. It is guaranteed you will find your favourite street food. Be adventurous and try all the food you can find.

How to get to Dotonbori:
From Namba Nankai station, take the north exit; search for the taxi stand and cross the main road. Walk straight toward the riverbank for 10 minutes and you will reach Dotonbori bridge

Fushimi Inari Shrine & Thousand Torii Gates

Located in southern Kyoto, Fushimi Inari Taisha is a Shinto shrine built at the base of a mountain named Inari.

It is one of the most visited places in Kyoto. It is famous for its thousands vermillion torii gates. The red-ish color represents the sun. .

The shrine is said to be dedicated to the god of rice and sake by the Hota clan in the 8th century.

The torii gates were donated by the national and local businesses and even individuals. Cost of a gate starts at 400,000 yen for a small one. Your name will be etched in black on one side of the gate.

There is a path in between the torii gates and walking through them is like you're thrown in a different space

Aside from the torii gates, you will notice statues of foxes. Foxes are seen to be the messenger of the god of grains.

There are lots of food and souvenir stalls along the street leading to the shrine.

for sale- umbrella in a nice casing

souvenir mini torii

Sample the freshly cooked snacks after a long walk.

takoyaki

king crab meat

xiao long bao soup

Unlike other temples in Kyoto, there is no fee to enter the shrine and the torii gates.

Best to visit early in the morning to avoid the crowd or late afternoon to early evening to enjoy the serenity of the place and to take photos minus the tourists.

How to get o Fushimi Inari Shrine
From Osaka station, take the JR Tokaido Sanyo line bound for Nagahama and stop at Kyoto station, transfer to JR Nara line bound for Joyo and alight at Inari Station. Walk 400 meters to the shrine.

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Kinkakuji Temple

Kyoto Tour - Kinkakuji Temple

Kinkakuji or Golden Pavilion is a zen Buddhist temple located in northern Kyoto. It is an impressive temple built overlooking a large pond. The structure creates a magnificent reflection on the water.

 The pond contains large rocks symbolizing small islands. The top two floors of the temple are covered with gold leaf.

Also in the area, there is a paved walking path leading through the gardens. The garden complex has lots of trees and pretty landscapes.

At the exit are souvenir shops, a small tea garden and Fudo Hall.

It is a must see attraction when in Kyoto. The place gets crammed with bus load of tourists from mid morning onwards. To enjoy the amazing sight of the pavilion and garden complex, visit the place early morning before the crowd gets huge or late afternoon wen throngs of tourists have left.

Entrance fee: Y400 for adults , Y300 for children
Open 9am - 4pm

How to get to Kinkakuji
From Kyoto Station, cross the street towards Family Mart where the bus stop is located. Take a direct Kyoto City bus #101 or 205 for 40 minutes. Fare is Y230. If you will take the bus more than 2x, getting a 1 day Kyoto City Bus pass is economical.

Other Osaka & Kyoto Attractions:
Arashimaya Bamboo Forest
Osaka Castle - Symbol of Osaka
Fushimi Inari Shrine

Osaka Castle - Symbol of Osaka

Osaka Castle , I can say, is the most popular attraction and famous landmark in Osaka. The entire castle park is huge with lots of green space, sport facilities, a multi purpose arena and a shrine dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the original builder of the castle.

one of the castle's turret

The park as I read is one of Osaka's most popular spots for hanami gazing during the cherry blossoms season.

I started my walking tour from the Otemon Gate at the park's southwestern corner.

The central tower is five stories on the outside and 8 stories on the inside. It was built atop a tall stone foundation to protect its occupants from attacks.

I did not go inside the tower anymore where the museum is located. There is an entrance fee of  Y600.

Since it is winter, the plum trees looked dead though some started to have flowers already.

There are a couple of food stalls offering warm Osaka delicacies should you go hungry.

Just like any other popular attractions in Osaka, it is best to visit early morning and late afternoon to avoid the crowd. For a more dramatic photography, try early evening when the castle is lit up.

 Wear comfortable shoes as the area is huge and will need a lot of walking. Spend at least 2 hours exploring the castle park.

The closest station is Tanimachi4-chome station along the Tanimachi subway line (green line) and the closes JR station is Osakajokoen. From Tanimachi4-chome station, walk about 10 minutes passing by NHK building.

Open: 9:00am
Castle  park is free

Kyoto Tour
Kinkakuji Temple
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Arashimaya Bamboo Forest

Arashimaya Bamboo Grove

One of the most photographed and visited areas in Kyoto is the bamboo groves or forest in Arashimaya.

Tall bamboos aligned both sides of the walking path and they are very attractive particularly when a light wind blow and the stalks would sway gently back and forth. Walking into the rich bamboo grove is like entering a magical world. It becomes enchanting when you hear the whistling of the leaves when the wind blows through it.

The best time to visit is early morning or late afternoon when the crowd is less. You will be unable to resist taking photos but you can not capture the serenity of the place.

You can also rent a rickshaw to explore the area.

The bamboo has been used to manufacture various products, such as baskets, cups, boxes and mats , chopsticks and even used as fences .
 
How to get to the bamboo grove

The fastest and easiest way to get to Arashiyama is by train. Take the JR Train from Kyoto Station on the JR Sagano/San-in Line to Saga-Arashiyama Station. From there, you can walk leisurely for 10 minutes and there are directional signs to follow .

You may be interested to read:
Osaka Castle - Symbol of Osaka
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Kinkakuji Temple

Isla Bonita Beach Resort

 Isla Bonita beach resort is located in San Juan, La Union.

 The resort has a nice reception area and the staff are friendly. The parking at the resort is limited and we have to park at another private parking lot. While I am not comfortable leaving our car there, we have no choice. The staff assured us that it's safe. The courtyard is clean but there are lots of mosquitoes. Staff has this electric gadget to trap and kill those mosquitoes. Our room is big but the layout is weird.

 There is an electric fan at the living room and aircon at the sleeping area. Our 2 queen size beds are comfortable as well as the pillows. Linens and towels are clean. The weird part is that the sink and mini ref are in the bedroom instead of the small kitchen.

The toilet has no wash basin.

We have to use the sink at the bedroom to brush our teeth and wash our hands. The toilet floorings are not level and you can trip if you are not careful. The front and toilet doors are a bit worn out. The front door lacks security feature. Blackish molds can be seen in the bathroom tiles. Water pressure in the shower is not strong and the shower handle is not fastened well. A pail and dipper is provided most likely because of the weak water pressure.

The resort is not PWD /senior citizen friendly. Resort owner could have provided a ramp to the beach and dining area and to some of the beachfront rooms. The room rate includes breakfast and the food is average. The restaurant offers filipino dishes but we didnt find the dishes we ordered delicious. The tripe in the kare kare was not tender and we didnt finish it. The sizzling salmon was dry. There is no fresh fruit available.

breakfast

The beach is wide and clean, free from rocks,seaweeds and trash.

 
Sand is fine gray and waves are suited for surfing.

There are two small swimming pools.

Adult pool

 The pool for adult is cloud and murky when we arrived. They drained the water at night and in the morning there's no water and we cant use it.

Our sleep was not pleasant. We can hear the heavy steps of guests right above our room. The second floor is evidently made of wood and we can feel the heavy walkings and hear the squeaking of the floor.

Sunset is nice though.

Overall, the resort is average and needs improvement . We can give it a second chance but will get the beachfront room, bring our food and some cooking gadgets.