OSAKA
Dotonbori- You just can’t miss Dotonburi on your trip to Osaka. Dotonburi is a famous shopping district in Osaka which features lots of shops, food stalls and restaurants. The place looks very beautiful during night time because of the colorful LED lighting. There is also a small canal in between the shopping streets which increases the beauty of the surroundings. The shopping street is situated along the Dotonburi canal from Dotonboribashi bridge to Nipponbashi bridge. During the night time the streets are very crowded and you might have to queue up sometime in order to find a seat at a restaurant. The place is famous all over japan for Okonomiyaki, Takoyaki & Makoyaki. I walked whole stretch of Dotonburi and experienced lots of different types of Japanese street food along the way.I would recommend to book your accommodation close to Dotonburi area so that you can spend more time near the shopping street.
Tsutenkaku Tower – Tsutenkaku tower is a famous landmark in Osaka. The tower has been featured multiple times in different movies and it is a popular destination in Osaka. The tower is 64 m tall and there is also an observation deck at the the top of tower. You mist visit Shinsekai for the best view of Tsutenkaku tower. Shinsekai is a famous shopping,food and entertainment place in Osaka. Tsutenkaku is located by just 20 minutes walk from Dotonbori.
Shitenno Ji Temple– Shitenno Ji temple is located by about 15 minutes walk from Tsutenkaku tower. It is also considered as one of Japan’s oldest temples. You need to pay admission fee in order to enter inside the temple. Entry to the temple compound is free of charge. The temple also features a five storey pagoda. The architecture of the temple is very similar to other Buddihst temple around Japan.
Umeda Sky Building- Umeda sky building is located near Osaka station. it takes about 30 minutes ride by Metro to reach Umeda Sky building from Dotonbori. The building is famous for its unique architecture. Two 40 storey buildings are connected by a bridge at 39th floor. There is also a sky garden at the observation deck and you get great views of Osaka from the deck. The escalator ride to the sky garden was a unique experience because the ceiling of the escalators are made from glasses.
Osaka Tenmangu Shrine – Osaka Tenmangu shrine is located by just one stop away from Kitashinchi station on the JR Touzai-Gakkentoshi line. The shrine is located inside the business district of Osaka and it is popular among locals for the annual biggest festival of Osaka. The architecture of the shrine is very similar to other shrines in Kyoto and Nara.
Osaka Castle– Osaka castle is located just adjacent to Osaka Tenmangu shrine. I would recommend to visit the castle 1 hour before sunset so that you can experience both day time and night time view of the castle. I felt the architecture of the castle is very similar to that of Hiroshima castle but Osaka castle is far bigger than Hiroshima castle. The castle is surrounded by gates, castle walls and moats. The entire compound is surrounded by gardens having cherry blossom trees. Osaka castle cherry blossom festival is a popular tourist attraction in Japan and you can easily spot Osaka castle featured in number of tourism campaigns. The best view of the castle is from the walking path around the castle moats. The castle looks completely different from different angle and i loved walking along the beautiful garden. You enter the main castle compound after crossing Gokurakubashi bridge and Castle gate. It was dark when i entered the main compound of the castle.
The castle was illuminated during night and it simply looked stunning. Out of all the spots i visited during the day,Osaka castle was my favorite. It was a long day for me and i was too tired to take Metro to Dotonbori area.
I took a taxi from Osaka castle and i reached my accommodation in Dotonbori within 20 minutes.
Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine– Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine is located in southern Osaka. It takes about 20 mintutes to reach Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine from Dotonbori area. I took Nankai line from Namba station near Dotonbori and reached Sumiyoshi taisha station within 10 minutes. The shrine is located very close to the Sumiyoshi Taisha station. You have to cross a beautiful arched shaped bridge before entering the main shrine compound. Architecture of the shrine is unique compared to other shrines in Japan. The orange color of the shrine and the bridge complement perfectly to the surroundings and it is a ideal place to take some great photos.
KOBE
Kobe is situated by just 30 km from Osaka and it is one of the largest cities of Japan. It actually feels like Kobe and Osaka are part of one huge city. Kobe is well connected with Osaka via Metro. It takes about 45 minutes to reach Kobe from Osaka.
Kobe Port Tower – Kobe Port Tower is one of the famous attractions in the city of Kobe. Tokaido-Sanyo line connects Kobe station with Osaka station and the total duration of the journey is around 1 hr. Kobe port tower is situated by around 20 minutes walk from Kobe station. The tower was closed for renovation in the year 2010 because of the installation of LEDs and lighting effects. I visited the tower during day time and there is also an observation deck situated at the highest point of the tower. You can experience lots of different types of lighting effects if you visit the tower at night. The tower has a unique architecture inspired from Japanese drum.
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge– Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the world. The bridge connects Kobe City to Awaji island. The total length of the bridge is around 4 km. After visiting Kobe port tower i came back to Kobe station and took the Tokaido Sanyo line to Maiko station. It takes about 30 minutes to reach Maiko station from Kobe station. Maiko station is situated very close to the suspension bridge. You get the best views of the bridge from Maikohigashi seaside park. It takes about 10 minutes to walk from Miko station to the park. You can also join a group tour in order to visit top of the tower but they have limited slot for the tour and the tickets are mostly sold out well in advance. I have seen multiple documentaries about the construction of the bridge but it was a great experience to see the bridge from close proximity.
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