Day 7, 8 & 9 of 9 in Japan: Kuromon Ichiba Morning Market, Osaka Mint Bureau

HAHA Spot my dad's face

We visited the Kuromon Ichiba Morning Market on a Tuesday morning. Simply alight at Nippombashi station and follow the signages - you will reach the market in less than 3 minutes.

 Their abalone is very hard and difficult to chill... I would not recommend this to anyone

The Kuromon Ichiba morning market has similar concept as Seoul's Noryangjin fish market - the only difference is the food is ready to be served instead of purchasing the raw seafood. Yes, they also sell raw seafood items here but most of the stalls will grill the items so that you do not have to pay for the preparation fee just like Noryangjin. 

 Dining area in ONE of the shops...

There is a huge restaurant situated in the middle of the market and they allow you to rest at the back area with your purchased food. Food verdict? Nah, totally not worth the money. Their food is mediocre, nothing fantastic and I would rather spend more money at Noryangjin fish market for fresher seafood and quality!

 This is the boneless chicken wing (except for the pointed area) haha interesting right!

Assorted tempura!

Next up, we managed to visit the Osaka Mint Bureau and this is the highlight of our trip! Please remember to check online for the public access dates as the gates to the cherry garden are specially opened to the public during a 1 week period in mid April every year. It was merely a coincidence that our trip happens to fall on that 1-week period... 😁 

Alight at Temmabashi station and remember to cross the river and walk for about 10 minutes before turning right? The crowd was crazy at that point of time and there were sufficient ushers to control the traffic. Hence, you wouldn't need to refer to your google map upon alighting the station and just follow the crowd~

The cherry blossoms are extremely pretty at Osaka Mint Bureau!!! 💓

 Tons of street food everywhere, right outside the Bureau

The Osaka Mint Bureau has more than 300 cherry trees standing on its premises. There is also a coin production process cum museum and I bought their japanese yen coins back home hehe.

Overall, I find that this Bureau is undoubtedly worth a visit even though it takes about 15 minutes to reach. Please note that the human traffic is never-ending even after exiting the Bureau - which leads to the stretch of street food.

Last but not least, we ended off our last night at Dotonbori street filled with our favourite Taiyaki, snow crab and beef! Look at my smudged make-up and exhausted face... 😩

That sums up my 2017 Osaka trip HAHA I know this is long overdue but nobody cares lah, as long as I document every travel itinerary here that'll do. I'm going to Seoul next week and I can't wait to update my blog with new places like EVERLAND THEME PARK! I will not blog in details but rather, I will only focus on places of interest that I have not visited 3 years back. However, I feel that I will repeat how awesome Myeongdong street is... We shall see! 😃

Day 6 of 9 in Japan: Tsutenkaku Tower, Shinsekai shopping, Harukoma Sushi, HEP Five Ferris Wheel, Umeda Sky Building Observatory

Woke up early in the morning for Tsutenkaku Tower and Shinsekai shopping on day 6. Stay tuned for the BEST SUSHI RESTAURANT IN OSAKA!!! 🙋 I seriously can't wait to visit the restaurant again...

Directions: Alight at Ebisucho station (brown line) and follow the signage that leads you to Shinsekai! 

The entire Ebisuhigashi is Shinsekai!!!

Tsutenkaku Tower's concept is a steel tower that looks like Eiffel Tower on a building designed in the image of the Arch of Triumph. The word "Tsutenkaku" means to build leading to heaven. (Credits here) 

The original adult ticket cost 700yen/pax. However, we have complimentary access to their observatory platform thanks to our Osaka Amazing pass! Please visit their official website for the terms and conditions first to avoid disappointment. If my memory doesn't fail me, you may use your Amazing pass to gain complimentary access on weekdays only. 

Feels great when you can beat the queue and proceed straight to the attraction 😄

Their lift reminds me of Alice in wonderland!

Say hi to Billiken!

A deity believed that you will receive good luck if you rub the soles of Billiken. We couldn't find the popular Billiken in Shinsekai so is that why I still can't win the 1 million TOTO in Singapore...? 😞

Taken at the observatory platform.

To sum up the experience at Tsutenkaku Tower, there are around 6 Billiken on the same level and there are some games at additional surcharge for you to play. The view is magnificent but not as awesome as Umeda Sky building. Hence, I would only recommend to those who has complimentary access to the observatory platform. 

As we were making our move down the tower, there's a Glico store hidden in Glico exhibition. The complimentary games are quite engaging and I can't believe we spent a good 1.5 hours there 😱 It's just an exhibition to showcase their products, accompanied with interactive games, coin machine and Glico store!

We spent most of our time using this coin souvenir machine! You may purchase the coin design on the right first (price varies from 600yen to 900yen) and slot your coin into the machine on the left. There is a keyboard for you to key in your preferred name, date or even message before it stamps onto your coin.

Decided to show the coin design only as I feel quite embarrassed to show my personalized message - the other coin is for JY 😇

As for Shinsekai shopping, it was a major disappointment or probably we went there too early. Most of the shops were closed and the Shinsekai market doesn't sell interesting items or even food. We left in less than 15 minutes to our next destination, which is also known as the BEST Sushi stall in Osaka - Harukoma Sushi!

Where to eat in Osaka? Definitely Harukoma Sushi located at Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street, also known as one of the longest stretch of shops in Osaka.

Directions: Alight at Tenjimbashisuji 6-chome station (purple/brown line) and get ready to indulge in the yummiest and cheapest Sushi... 

Tenjimbashi shopping street has many other interesting shops (even Daiso!) which is worth spending an hour here. There are anello bags, watch, japanese food, pharmacies, convenience stores etc

Remember to watch out for this sign

There are 2 Harukoma Sushi at the same area. 

You can't avoid the queue for Harukoma. Just join the queue and wait for your turn...

The restaurant is very small, can only fit up to less than 30 pax 😅

Forgot to capture their menu and price so I think the above photo would suffice... 🙈 Look at Dad's satisfied expression and an unglam shot of Mum~

Photos taken using Samsung S7

No filter required. No adjustment to the lighting as well. You can't even spot the rice beneath that Tamago. Their "liao" is super thick, fresh and juicy and the rice is kept to a minimal. In Singapore, you'll feel damn full consuming Sushi because they gave too much rice and the tamago has no sweet taste 😡 Worst still, you're paying more in Singapore to get low quality sushi.

2 Tamago sushi cost 100yen, which is equivalent to SGD1.20 and 2 Unagi sushi cost 150yen (I THINK), equivalent to SGD1.80. AIYO WHERE TO FIND SUCH AN AWESOME DEAL? Top-notch quality food for less than SGD2!

Even if the queue is super long, please wait patiently as it is gonna be so worth it. No regrets coming here man. We even took the risk of missing our plane on the last day just to takeaway Harukoma sushi leh! Tenjimbashi station is quite far from the airport ok 😱

Here's the address for your information:

5-5-2 Tenjinbashi, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan

Nearest train station: Tenjimbashisuji 6-chome, Exit 12 or 13 (staircase only)

Next up, we headed to Umeda station for the iconic HEP Five Ferris Wheel in red, followed by Umeda Sky Building Observatory.

I guess there isn't a need for directions to Umeda as it is one of the biggest train station in Osaka. There is no way for you to miss Umeda station 😏

The ferris wheel is much bigger as compared to Tempozan Ferris Wheel (located beside the Aquarium) and I don't even dare to enjoy the view of Umeda........... 😰

Each cabin has a speaker that can be connected to your phone. I used it to keep me distracted and it really works. Strongly recommend to take this ride even if you have to pay for it! Yes, you've got it right - we used our Osaka Amazing Pass for complimentary access!!!

I followed the directions provided here in order to reach Umeda Sky building accurately. Kudos to the owner of that website as the directions shown is very clear and you won't get lost for sure.

Keep a lookout for this blue/red sign as there are many entrances to the enormous building.

 Love lock area, similar to N seoul tower

 All bright colours are glowing at the observatory deck! 💓

I'm loving this observatory deck but we spent about 15 minutes to queue for the lift. Wah this is one of the scariest lift ride in my whole life. The speed of the lift is incredible and I feel like a wonderwoman stucked in a confined space with many strangers 👀

Just gonna post one scenery view as the rest looks the same to me lololol

It was a fruitful day for me as my tummy is extremely satisfied from Harukoma and we maximised the usage of Amazing Pass. I KO-ed immediately after brushing my teeth on that night 😊

Check out Day 1 & 2 in Japan here

Check out Day 3 in Japan here
Check out Day 4 & 5 in Japan here

Day 4 & 5 of 9 in Japan: Dotonbori shopping, Osaka Amazing Pass, Osaka Castle, Cruise Ship Santa Maria Day, Tempozan Ferris Wheel

It was time for us to check out of our wonderful Kyoto airbnb apartment. Kyoto is a city with tons of magnificent attractions - I will definitely visit Kyoto again! Till next time...

As mentioned previously on Day 2 travelogue post, travelling between Kyoto and Osaka is not difficult to manoeuvre around. Simply take train from Kyoto station to Osaka station via JR Kyoto Line. More details can be found here.

We stayed at Mue's apartment in Osaka and her apartment is around 15 minutes walk from Namba station (Nankai Line exit). We spent around 1 hour to reach her house as I did not know which Exit should we head to even though she provided a direction guide with images... Just be sure to look for Nankai exit or Exit 5. So thankful that the weather is not too warm.

Remember to stock up Lycee eyedrop if you are a fan of this! 548yen before tax is meant for contacts and the other is the original version.

Had a quick lunch amidst travelling

It was quite exhausting for us to change airbnb apartment thrice and we decided to explore Dotonbori at night since it is within 20 minutes walk form our apartment. Oh my God I fell in love with Dotonbori - you can find awesome food, shopping and MORE food there! The entire area is still very crowded after 8pm. However, do note that the shops will start to close after 10pm... I'm gonna summarize Dotonbori by uploading photos. 

P.S. we visited Dotonbori almost every night, so I'm going to combine all the photos in this post for easy reference.

I love this street the most! Spot forever21 😍

Dotonbori's river

Not sure if it's just me but I don't really like eating Takoyaki in Osaka...

Because their Gyoza, sushi and crab meat ARE WAYYYYYYYYY BETTER!!!

Bro went crazy over Jap beef and we still feel that the one we had in Kyoto is more tender!

This plate cost us about 2000-2500 yen. 

I love their onion hidden beneath that kobe beef 😆

Bought this strawberry + banana crepe right behind Kobe beef shop.

Not recommended as I can easily find this crepe in Singapore as well....

Bought these 3 items from the crab shop (you can NEVER miss out their large 3D crab sign) and it is awesome!

Please note that the food will be sold out by 7pm?? We went at 8pm and the store located right at the entrance is closed. You may still consume their crab by dining in but the price is.... quite steep 😲 Hence, I would recommend you to flock to the crab shop - watch out for the mini counter selling crab meat, siew mai and many more by 6pm.

If you walk along the street (forever21 that area), you should be able to spot this Dessert cafe signboard. 

This Taiyaki is the bomb. The one sold at Takashimaya food hall SUCKS BIG TIME. They are selling for 200yen ONLY. Although it is quite expensive to some, YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS ONCE.

Look at the goodness Taiyaki. The texture is like our local Roti Prata with brown sugar. It is very crunchy and I could never forget the taste. I love it, I would definitely buy it everytime I pass by Dotonbori. Highly recommended to all tourists!

We purchased the Osaka Amazing Pass the next day from Klook for S$41 per person for 2 days usage.

The package includes:

• Unlimited travel on Osaka Municipal subway and Osaka City Bus
• Enjoy complimentary entry to selected attractions
• Enjoy discounted rates at selected attractions

More information can be found here: https://www.osaka-info.jp/osp/en/about/about_2day.html

I would strongly recommend to get this Amazing pass if you are a first-timer in Osaka. You get free transport along Osaka Municipal subway (those colourful lines as shown in Osaka train map) and free entrance to popular places leh!

The only downside is that you are limited to 2 days usage.

For those who are interested to sign up with Klook for free, please click on my referral code to get S$4.30 off your first purchase: https://www.klook.com/invite/9EO59 .

Osaka castle is located at near Morinomiya station. Don't worry about getting lost as there are signage to direct you to the castle entrance.

 NICE HOR?

Took an artistic shot for Mum using Samsung S7, not bad hor?

It is going to be difficult to get a good shot here... I give up 😅

Thanks to the Amazing pass, we get to explore Osaka Castle museum, Nishinomaru Garden for free! 

Next up, we decided to tour around Osakako around - their famous Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Ferris Wheel and Cruise Ship Santa Maria. Simply alight at Osakako station (Chuo Line) and follow the signage to Aquarium.

Spotted these gorgeous flowers along the main street! SO COLOURFUL 💜

For the cruise experience, please keep a lookout for the departure timings on that specific day. More details can also be found at the Osaka Amazing Pass website.

The wind is crazy as you get to tour around the island from the sea. So glad that this unique experience is made possible with the Amazing pass. However, I would not recommend to pay just to get onto this cruise as it can be quite boring.

Boarded the Tempozan Ferris Wheel together with Aunt and Dad located right beside the cruise area. You can never miss that Ferris wheel as well! They will explain the current view you can see in english and I enjoyed the ride very much, excluding my height phobia 😱

Forced to take a photo oh my...

It was definitely a fruitful day spent with all the awesome perks as an Amazing pass holder and I look forward to Day 2!

Check out Day 1 & 2 in Japan here

Check out Day 3 in Japan here