Day 6 & 7 – Japan trip (Kaiyukan Aquarium & Osaka Castle)

We were all set up to embark on our next journey to the ever famous Kaiyukan Aquarium. Located at sub-urb part of Osaka, it’s one of the world’s largest indoor tank with wide collection of deep-sea fishes and marine life ranging from sharks, penguin, dolphin, string ray and some exotic looking organism.

Our breakaway trip from the usual touristy spot costs us around 2,300 yen which is 5x the price for entrance to temple. However, it was all worthwhile to enjoy a quintessentially spectacular marine life. Here are some of the photos along our way!

We murmured with excitement upon seeing so many different species of underwater wildlifes!

‵(*>﹏<*)′ 

The full-glass tank features exotic species of sharks, whale and dramatic collection of other large and small fishes. We can sit whole day here to watch the descending spiral forms around them. It’s as if their natural correspondence to each other especially the shark which has the prowess to attract attention with its austere look and steady manoeuvre. 

On the next day, we were all pumped up to visit the nostalgic Osaka castle, a historic site imbued with legendary and tug-of-war stories. It’s one of the iconic castles which celebrates unification of Japan after more than a century of civil war. The castle’s rich tapestry is the main attraction that draws tourists and visitors from around the world to visit this one-of-a-kind fortress. We paid 600yen entrance fee and as with other touristy-spots tickets, we got to keep this as souvenier as well ∩__∩y

We enjoyed clicking away prior to entering the castle especially the scenic park which is adjacent to the castle. The castle was surrounded by huge stones and gates while the entrance and tip of the castle were covered in scaffoldings and nets. 

Perched up to 8-storey tower, each of the floor displays armour, weapon, traditional costume and historical documents. Some of the expensive replicas include a Golden crouching tiger, dolphin-shaped-fish and a whale. We were particularly impressed with the immersive 3D puppet show which was broadcast through crystal-glass enclosed display and the figurines which brought the Summer war scene to life.

Outside the castle, there were many push carts which sell light snacks such as takoyaki, sweet potatoes, crepes and ice-cream. This time round I decided to go for a double-flavoured ice-cream instead of the matcha ones. Don’t judge me for having ice-cream at cold temperature! It’s sassy but cool, ohyeah <{=••••• Meanwhile, hubby was having fun with the dart game, too bad, he only received the Ninja dart as complimentary gift.

As night falls, we headed to the nearest shopping mall which features Dalloyau, a premium food store selling wide assortments of pastries and macaroons. We opted for “Xiao Long Pau” instead hehehe We looked for a nearby restaurant serving delightful Japanese skewed food. We truly enjoyed our fine gourmet that night which foots up to 4,000+ yen/pax despite the miniscule size *@o@*

#thatsallforKyoto&Osakatrip #tillthenwemeetinthenextpost 

XOXO
sassycat

Day 5 – Japan trip (Osaka, Dotonburi & Umeda Sky Building)

On the next day, we took the train at Kansai train station from Kyoto to Osaka and the whole journey took us 75 minutes. Before that, we stopped at the train station for a mini lunch a.k.a Bento set. We were impressed by the gifts and snacks assortments displayed at rows of souvenier shops.

My Bento set. ♥ YUMMEH!

A customary selfie portrait. 

Well-dressed and trained officers. Upon request, they were able to pinpoint to us some of tourist attractions in Osaka along with the routes and destinations.

                                 

Once we reached Osaka, we can’t help but to notice the lively and vibrant city. The people here were generally friendlier, warmer and more open to communication. As we had some “lost in the city” moments on our way to our hotel, they were able to show us the way to our hidden hotel. 

Managed to capture unique and theme-inspired hotel design. 

Our cosy little hotel room with paneled wardrobe and Japanese-style tatami bed.

Once we’ve dropped our luggage bags, we hurried ourselves to the heart of the city – Dotonburi. Posing with the signature “Kani Doraku” – the big crab. 

Immersed in the beauty of the city; flurried with activities.

We settled down for a bowl of piping hot ramen at Ichiran Dotonbori, a self-managed ordering and payment vending machine. Don’t get me wrong, the machine does not dispense ramen but all the ordering and customisation of your ramen is done via this intelligent machine. It’s kinda cool and a new eating experience for us. Once we walked inside the shop, we were surprised by the compartmental style of the restaurant whereby the customers can enjoy their bowl of ramen in privacy. This has made it so much easier for on-the-go white collars to enjoy their lunch in a jiffy.

Devouring our densely broth lunch.

We had some shopping around the town whereby the pharmaceutical goods were sold at a slightly cheaper price compared to Kyoto. There were rows of buses bringing in tourists to shop at the mushrooming networks of shops. 

My shopping haul. ∩__∩y

Around evening, we were greeted by the neon lights at night. Hipsters, young adults, metropolitans started to fill up the place after a tiring day at work or school. As it was weekend, many teenagers thronged the place to hang out with their friends or simply enjoying the view of the “pick-up” bridge. 

The night was transformed into a colourful street packed with activities.

Nipponbashi, a nearby shopping arcade district selling mainly electronics and consumer goods products. 

We end our day by exploring Umeda Sky Building, a 40-storey building made up of two glass-and-steel tower linked by a bridge. We were truly mesmerised by the enigmatic vibes of the city {{{(>_<)}}}

XOXO

sassycat