Ah Osaka! When we mentioned we were going to Osaka to Japanese people they were not super pumped about it. They were like, that’s cool and all but Tokyo! Kyoto! and I get it Osaka might not be as exciting and glamorous as the other locations, but it has charm nonetheless (and the cutest cats). But the best thing about Osaka – the food!

What to see:

Dotonbori is an iconic place. At night all of the billboards are lit up and prominent. All of the surrounding streets have tons of place to eat, shop, and play games. Our hotel was right by this area and it was a great location.

Kuromon Ichiba Market is for you if you enjoy eating fresh sushi, all sorts of snacks, and shopping…it has something for everyone. Guaranteed.

One thing we didn’t do but should have – go to Spa World. So you go check it out and report back. Don’t be like us!

The Video Game Bar was super chill and had great drinks. They had games that we were good at and could play without being embarrassed (I’m talking to you rhythm games). Try their video game named speciality drinks.

I’m not an expert on cat cafes, but Neko no Jikan was the best. So much personality in those kitties. Good times for everyone. This one little dude was so deep. He was in the cage for most of my visit, but got let out before I left. He immediately ran over to the window and looked super sad…like still in a cage man. All the tears. So, good times for everyone but that guy.

We  had a lot of fun exploring HEP Five for an afternoon – so many stores! and a giant red whale crashing through Christmas.

Where to eat:

We had an amazing dinner at Robatayaki Mizukake Chaya. Watching the chef tackle orders for the whole floor of patrons was impressive.

Cheesecake is pretty great, but cheesecake at Rikuro Uncle is something special. It is light, fluffy, and magical. They ring a bell when a fresh batch is ready. That’s right this stuff is so good it gets announced with a bell! You can get in line to buy one that is a couple hours old, but no losers were in that line and I wasn’t about to be the first. Only the best! Only bell fresh cheesecake!

Full disclosure Osaka is known for okonomiyaki and we didn’t eat okonomiyaki in Osaka! I feel bad about it. We did try a place in Tokyo and it wasn’t really for us, but it could be amazing in Osaka and I’ll never know. This place is supposed to be pretty good if you are into it.

One thing we did try was takoyaki. As a general rule I don’t eat octopus, they are too smart and fabulous and I don’t feel good about it. I made an exception to try this cultural dish (ugh I’m the worst!) It was kind of doughy in the center and I’m not sure if this is just the place we got it from or a general rule. I didn’t sample more places because of my octopus feels. So give that a try if that’s your thing. You can find it almost everywhere.

But if you have been paying attention you will just be eating obanyaki the whole time anyway.

That concludes my Japan travel guides! I already want to go back.