Hello Everyone! As I explained in last week's post this week I went to Osaka for a weekend trip.
It was so much fun, I saw the Osaka Caste, went to USJ, and ate a lot of delicious food.
Okonomiyaki & Takoyaki
I arrived in Osaka on Friday afternoon and was lucky enough that one of my friends lived in the area and was willing to guide me around Osaka during my trip. I was also fortunate enough to stay at her house while I was there.
After arriving, my friend, Hinata picked me up from Shin-Osaka station and we went to a make your own okonomiya restaurant were you can cook the okonomiya yourself. Hinata and I got two flavors the basic mix with pork, shrimp, and squid, and then this pork, mentai, corn, and mochi okonomiya. Both were really delicious and really fun to make. I accidentally ended up burning the bottom of the okonomiya I was in charge of cooking though (oops).
Hinata then took me to this famous takoyaki restaurant chain in Osaka and we got their takoyaki topped with fluffy egg and cheese. It was my first time seeing egg and cheese as a topping for takoyaki but it was really filling and flavorsome. I really recommend trying it if you're ever in Osaka.
Afterwards, we went back to her house to sleep because we needed to wake up early the next day to go the Universal Studio Japan (USJ).
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USJ and Kushi-Katsu
The next morning we headed to USJ around 9:30am. It was my first time going and was such an amazing experience. Though there are some similarities between Tokyo Disney and USJ, personally I thought the rides at USJ were a lot more fun because there were a lot of great roller-coasters.
Hinata and I rode on The Flying Dinosaur ride first where you are strapped in parallel to the track so the whole ride you can see right below you. It was exhilarating. Afterwards, Hinata took me to ride the Spiderman 3-D ride, which is kind of like a movie ride. Spiderman is trying to save you from the villains as they try to attack you. Since the ride is 3-D it really feels like the villains are right in front of you. Unfortunately, this ride is going to go through construction and be remodeled soon.
The third ride we went on the Harry Potter ride. I've watched all the Harry Potter movies before and actually going through the castle (because the line to get to the ride is through different rooms of the caste), it really felt like I was in the movie. So realistic. Again this ride did not disappoint at all and I definitely recommend riding it if you go to USJ.
The set of Hogsmeade was also really realistic and going through all the shops was so fun. I ended up buying a chocolate frog while visiting Honeydukes.
The final ride I rode was the Hollywood Dream ride. It was really fun because you actually get to pick a song and listen to it while riding this roller-coaster. The ride also takes you all throughout the park and was a delight to ride.
Unfortunately, we were only able to ride on these rides because the lines were so long when we went. I think we waited in line an average of 1 hour and 10 minutes for each ride.
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After USJ, Hinata and I grabbed kushi-katsu at Shinsekai. Shinsekai is an area in Osaka famous for kushi-katsu which are deep-friend skewers of meat, vegetables, and fish. It was my first time eating kushi-katsu but the taste was heavenly. I also tried Osaka's stewed meat (I unfortunately forgot the name of it) but Hinata told me it was one of Osaka's soul foods. This was also delicious.
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Osaka Castle and Sweets
On my third day at Osaka, we went to Osaka Castle. It was my first time visiting any-kind of Castle in Japan and it took my breath away. It was truly magnificent and being able to climb up the castle to the top to see Osaka's skyline is something I'll never forget. The castle and some of Osaka's history is explained on the first 7 floors of the castle (as it's also a museum).
After visiting the Castle, Hinata and I got lunch and matcha and hojicha tiramisu's. We also ate some parfaits made with soy milk ice cream at a cafe in Namba Parks.
My friend Hinata dropped me off at Shin-Osaka station that day so I could take the shinkansen (bullet train) back to Tokyo.
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