Spring Vacation Trip Osaka, Japan: Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (海遊館)

Osaka is home to quite a large aquarium called Kaiyukan. It is easily accessible from the subway via Osakako station. The layout of the aquarium has you start from the top and work your way down the levels. The permanent exhibit is quite large and hosts a variety of sea creatures. There are themed areas as you work your way through the exhibit and at the end there is a hands-on area where you can touch some fish. Below are some photos from my visit. I won't spoil the whole thing for you :)

The exterior of the aquarium

This is how thick the glass is in the main aquarium

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (海遊館)

Website: http://www.kaiyukan.com/language/eng/

Hours: 10:00AM-8:00PM *Last admission one hour before closing, admission hours can vary depending on seasons/holidays
Admission: Adults are 2300 Yen each (Discounts can be found for tourists usually)
Getting there: Subway Osakako Station
What to bring/wear: Good walking shoes, a camera/camcorder if you want to take pictures.
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/p2z7A

Spring Vacation Trip Osaka, Japan: Shitennoji (四天王寺) and the Osaka Museum of History (大阪歴史博物館)

Below are a few snapshots from my visit to Shitennoji (oldest officially administered temple in Japan). The interior of most of the buildings did not allow photography (that or I didn't deem it respectful to be taking pictures inside) so these are of the grounds and exterior. The weather was still amazing so as you can see the cherry blossoms were in full bloom and the sky was blue with just a few clouds. There was also this pond with a ton of turtles in it.

Shitennoji (四天王寺)

Website: http://www.shitennoji.or.jp/

Hours: 8:30AM - 4:30PM

Admission: Small fee for entering the center grounds (300 Yen)

Getting thereAccessible via the subway system (Shitennojimae Yuhigaoka Station or tennoji station are the closest I think)

What to bring/wear: Good walking shoes, a camera/camcorder if you want to take pictures.

Maps: http://goo.gl/maps/m6V5k

I also went to the Osaka Museum of History on the same day. I must say I was quite impressed with this museum. The detail in the models of the city and exhibits was done very well. There were also plenty of volunteers and staff around to man the hands-on exhibits. My friend and I played a traditional game and also put together some puzzles. A lot of the exhibits had text translated to English and Korean though not every exhibit has translations.

Osaka Museum of History (大阪歴史博物館)

Website: http://www.mus-his.city.osaka.jp/index.html

Hours: 9:30AM-5:00PM *Please Enter 30 Minutes Prior To Closing
Admission: Adults are 600 Yen each
Getting there: Subway Tanimachi Line and Chuo Line, “Tanimachi 4-Chome” Station, Close To Exit “9” or “2”
What to bring/wear: Good walking shoes, a camera/camcorder if you want to take pictures.
Layout of Exhibitions: http://www.mus-his.city.osaka.jp/eng/exhibitions/permanent.html

Spring Vacation Trip Osaka, Japan: Osaka Castle (大坂城) and Dotonbori (道頓堀)

The below photos are from Osaka Castle (大坂城) during one of the peak times for the blooming cherry blossoms. I got lucky with the time I chose to go to Osaka as most if not all the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. The weather was (as you can see) pretty much perfect. Barely a cloud in the sky and the temperature was neither hot or cold. A ton of Japanese and tourists alike were out that day. The actual building you see has been converted into a museum with an observation level and small gift shop at the top. There is a small charge to go up into the actual 'castle'. 

Osaka Castle (大坂城)

Website: http://www.osakacastle.net/english/
Hours: Entrance to the Museum is from 9AM - 5PM (extended seasonally) with the last admission at 4:30PM.
Admission: 600 Yen to enter the Museum (Grounds are free)
Getting there: http://www.osakacastle.net/english/access/index.html
What to bring/wear: Good walking shoes, a camera/camcorder if you want to take pictures. There are some food options/vending machines available onsite.
Maps: http://www.osakacastle.net/english/park/index.html

After spending the day at Osaka Castle, I visited Dotonbori, a large tourist area that straddles a canal that runs through Osaka. Here you can find a ton of restaurants and shopping as well as a sea of people when night time hits. The iconic Glico Running Man is also located here (picture below). My dinner here consisted of a visit to Kamukura Ramen. To order food, you use the vending machine outside of the restaurant for a meal ticket and then just go in a find an open seat. I chose a set meal that include gyoza and rice formed into a triangle. Everything was delicious!

Dotonbori (道頓堀)

Website (Japan National Tourism Organization): http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/osaka/dotonbori.html

Hours: Restaurant and shop hours vary. Place comes alive at night.
Admission: None
Getting there: Accessible via the subway system (Namba and Nipponbashi Stations) and various other methods
What to bring/wear: Good walking shoes, a camera/camcorder if you want to take pictures. An appetite.
Maps: http://goo.gl/maps/FPaJf

Spring Vacation Trip Osaka, Japan: 저는 일본어를 못 해요 (I can't speak Japanese)

Before this trip I have had layovers in Narita airport many a time but have never had the opportunity to sightsee in Japan. So, I was excited to learn that I had a small break in early April and wanted to travel a bit since I had 4 days off from class. I decided about 4 months ago to spring for a ticket to Osaka on Peach Airlines. It was good I bought it when I did because prices soon skyrocketed due to the cherry blossoms and the nice weather this time of year.

By the way, the only Japanese I know includes basic greetings and a few other random words that share pronunciations with Korean. So, I was kind of nervous starting out but I had bought a small phrase book beforehand and also had consulted my Japanese friends here in Korea on what I should eat and where to go. I also tried to read up on public transportation and some basic survival phrases before hopping on the plane.

Peach Airlines is based out of Osaka and is a low-cost no frills carrier that charges for inflight food and has very strict baggage rules (carry on bags can total no more than 10kg total). The flight was like less than 1.5 hours so really it is a good deal in my opinion (paid in Korean won but it was like $170 round trip). However, I found the seats kind of uncomfortable but the flight attendants were all friendly and spoke decent English.

Upon arrival in Osaka I took the free shuttle from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 to pick up my WiFi Hotspot I rented and to grab a bus into the city. The bus ticketing was pretty straight forward and you can even buy roundtrip tickets that are good for...30 days or something. The bus system is very similar to Incheon Airport's so, I just had to find the correct bus stop number and wait for the bus!

Luckily the bus I took dropped me right at the foot of my hotel. I checked in and did some unpacking and then decided to venture out and find some food. I ended up eating at Yoshinoya for dinner. Yoshinoya is a Japanese fast food chain that specializes in beef bowls (gyudon). I actually didn't eat gyudon but whatever I ate was delicious. This pretty much wrapped up my arrival day.

Check out the pictures below!

Waiting to depart from Incheon Airport in Korea

Clouds out the window (seat was assigned to me, I didn't ask if I could change it but...maybe you can?)

Ditch the plane! It's going down! My friends said the translation was more like "Emergency Evacuation"...<ditching> sounds cooler haha

Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka

Orangina for ~$1.00

Noms