If you have limited time in Osaka, here are 5 of the best or “must-see” places to visit. The video is a quick overview of these Osaka favorites: Team Lab Botanical Garden, Osaka Castle and Gardens, the Kuchu Teien Observatory, Shinsekai, and Dotonbori.
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Senior Solo Travel Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/443309331791413
For Senior Travelers: All of the places required some walking, but mostly on flat surfaces, with the exception of the Osaka Castle. If you have mobility limitations, please check their website for accessibility (listed below).
For Solo Travelers: Overall Japan is extremely safe. I did have problems with the Google Maps app when in certain areas and the train terminals, but otherwise was able to get around easily.
Japan Videos:
7 Things to Know Before Visiting Japan: https://youtu.be/R2TYnvjknwk
Tokyo Japan: https://youtu.be/sXPHIG1FhN4
Ghibli Museum Day Trip: https://youtu.be/tzuhTJ3vzDQ
Mt Fuji and Hakone: https://youtu.be/Gm5zz7bdCEM
Tokyo DisneySea: https://youtu.be/E68-ZB6UEqs
Kanazawa-Matsusaki Ryokan: https://youtu.be/z3LQosJgYqU
Kyoto: https://youtu.be/uloRjMbzXsA
Hiroshima: https://youtu.be/ewz0bJWLUh8
Osaka: https://youtu.be/Wf1lDJrH0BU
0:00 Introduction
0:19 Team Lab Botanical Gardens
2:50 Osaka Castle, Museum and Gardens
5:23 Kuchu Teien Observatory
6:57 Shinsekai
9:27 Dotonbori
11:36 Honorable Mentions
Tsutenkaku Tower (Shinsekai) Website: https://www.tsutenkaku.co.jp/
Osaka Castle Website: https://www.osakacastle.net/
teamLab Botanical Garden: https://www.teamlab.art/jp/e/botanicalgarden/
Kuchu Teien Observatory (Umeda Sky Building): https://www.skybldg.co.jp/observatory/
Dotonbori River Cruise: https://www.ipponmatsu.co.jp/cruise/tombori.html
I recently completed a 17-day trip to Japan and finished my stay with three days in Osaka this was a fabulous City for my final days in Japan I’ll share the highlights of what I think are the five best things to see in Osaka I’ll also include some honorable mentions at the end number five team lab Botanical Garden my first night in Osaka I had reserved a ticket for team lab Botanical Garden I’m not quite sure how to describe it it is an art installation but also a light show that is staged within a Botanical Garden inside Nagi Park I arrived 30 minutes before they opened and was ushered into a line they had a very organized system with several lines and groupings so that there wasn’t a rush to enter when they opened once inside you are basically given free rain to wander however as is typical in Japan they had a route mapped out so all you had to do was follow the arrows there were several installations throughout the park the first thing you see are all the trees lit up as you walk through the entrance prominade then you enter into an egg filled Forest these amusing internally lit eggs were scattered throughout the trees you could push on them and they rocked back and forth they also changed color and were motion sensitive so the colors would change as you walk through them it was quite a beautiful and magical sight once you made your way through the small egg Forest you entered into an area with these massive eggs which also changed colors you could walk between them and push them back and forth I love the interactive and visceral experience now I have to say that what was so enchanting about these displays is that everyone was quiet as you walk through them it was peaceful and dreamlike I appreciated the way everyone was so reverent and respectful moving further into the park there were these large screen that created a tall Crooked Fence again it was motion activated and the display looked like someone was painting gigantic brush Strokes I watched this for some time and it didn’t repeat in the same way it was mesmerizing there was a lake in the center of the park and the installation there included what I would call floating lanterns again it created a quiet subtly moving visual display so cool and then there were projections on this big sculpture by the Lake that kept morphing from one visual picture to another it was such a fascinating experience it was a visual Feast for the eyes and certainly worth the 2,000 Yen entrance fee one note of caution if you go wear comfortable flat shoes you are walking on dirt paths in the dark and you will want to be careful not to stumble number four Osaka Castle Museum and Gardens Osaka Castle is often cited as the number one place to visit in Osaka it’s certainly is a landmark the oaka castle Museum and Gardens make up an entire complex with separate admission to the Museum and Gardens I visited the castle first there was a long line to purchase tickets at a couple of self-administered kiosks I paid 600 yen to enter there are eight stories to get to the top when I entered I was told the elevator only took us to the fifth floor and if we didn’t want to wait in line for the elevator we could just take the stairs so I bypassed the line and made my way up the stairs each level had Museum displays and artifacts so I would view the Museum information on a level and then walk up one flight to the next the only problem was the museum was extremely crowded I was surprised they would let so many people into the building at once if you don’t like crowds you might want to go first thing in the morning I won’t go into the detailed history of the castle here but it dates back to the 1500s it has been rebuilt and restored several times and is now a national registered cultural property and serves as a history museum it was interesting to take in the exhibits as you slowly climbed your way to the top once on the highest floor there’s a balcony that surrounds the entire level it is quite narrow so I had to squeeze through people to find an opening to take in the views which were quite [Music] spectacular I then descended the stairs and exited the castle area across from it was a shrine where I didn’t spend too much time instead I headed to the gardens where I paid an additional 200 yen to enter I love wandering through Gardens so had no problem paying a small fee to enter they had an arrowed Loop so I walked through the park following the arrows which I assume would take me to the gardens after walking a long loop I realized that this was the garden just this big grassy Park area no special flower plantings so I was a little disappointed however it was much quieter here than at the castle so I took the opportunity to relax in the shade and take photos of the castle from a different angle one note when you get to the park there is an uphill walk to get to the castle if you don’t want to walk there is a tram that costs 300 Yen but you might have to wait in line for it number three kuchu tayen Observatory the kuchu tan Observatory is a modern Observatory it is actually an office building but the top floors are wonderfully designed observation decks with my frequent travels I have been to numerous observatories so I had low expectations however I really enjoyed this one once you enter the building you take some escalators to the third floor where you can purchase a ticket to the observatory you then take a windowed elevator to the 35th floor then comes the fun part there are two suspended escalators that run from one building to the next I thought it might be scary because I have a fear of heights but I was so enthralled with the architecture and Views that I didn’t think about the height once you get off the escalator the 39th and 40th floors have some displays vending machines coffee bar and cafe it is a great place to rest with some refreshment and enjoy the views but the Peace Day resistance is an amazing outdoor Loop that gives you an open air 360 degree view of the city oh and if you come as a couple you can purchase a Love Lock to hang on these fences here are some more images of the [Music] observatory a couple notes it stays open fairly late so many people go there to watch the sunset if it is raining you are not allowed to use umbrellas on the rooftop it is a safety thing because if they blew off the roof they could hurt someone below number two shinsekai I saved shinsekai for the evening because I wanted to go when it was all lit up and lit up it was it was like a carnival on steroids there were some stores that had closed down for the day but there were plenty that were open the streets are line with tiny restaurants and food stalls intermixed with claw machines and arcade games there are gold Buddhas everywhere that certainly cat your attention it was definitely a sensory overload but certainly fun to experience my next stop in shinsekai was the Jan Jan yoka show covered shopping arcade it was similar to the other area lined with cheap eats souvenir shops and arcades I heard loud noise coming from one place so I peaked in and saw all these people playing these pinball type games take a [Music] listen it seemed to be popular so I thought I would try it but I didn’t really understand it and ended up giving all my winnings back to the machine H still a fun experience the biggest attraction in shinai is the Sudan Kaku Tower I had saved it for last because I wanted to go up at night to see the city lights however it had already closed by the time I got there so if you plan to go note that it closes at 8:00 p.m. the tower was still pretty from afar the lights change colors according to the season and the streets of shinai make a pretty frame for the tower number one dobor I left for do bore around 5:00 p.m. similar to shinsekai it had a plethora of food stalls tiny restaurants souvenir shops and arcades I had booked a 7:30 cruise down the canal that runs through doton bore so I had about 2 and 1/2 hours to explore the area I first walked along the canal taking in the sights the first thing I saw was this big vertical ferris wheel built into the side of a building pretty wildl looking I gauged the the line which was pretty long and decided to pass on it there were bridges over the canal periodically which allowed some nice vantages for photography The sun hadn’t set yet but the place was already bright from the signage lining the canal I wandered back into the bowels of doten bur walking in and out of arcades and shops I walked into what I thought was an arcade with outrageous looking games I saw stuffed animals and candy so figured that is what you won by playing I had a wild experience playing machine that I utterly did not understand the attendant told me to just hold my hand on a button and all these tiny silver balls just flew after sitting there for over 30 minutes waiting for the game to end I finally got an attendant to show me how to stop he pushed a button and gave me a ticket that I thought I would exchange for a toy but they wanted me to exchange it for alcohol when I refused they led me out to an alley and had me exchange my ticket for cash evidently I had tripled my money and Absol absolutely ridiculous experience when I got home I looked it up and realized I had walked into a Pachinko parlor I had heard of Pachinko but didn’t put two and two together anyway it was a fun new experience that I doubt I will ever repeat by the time I finished with this Escapade I had eaten up my exploratory time and had to get to the boat for my reservation I took the boat up and down the river which gave some nice views of the area including the famous running man advertisement it it was a bit of a sedate cruise with no narration I’m not sure I saw anything more than I couldn’t have seen by walking along the canal but it did allow some nice photo ops I had been avoiding all the food stalls in Japan because I like to eat healthy and avoid fried foods I had seen many videos before my trip extoling the joys of eating from these Japanese skewer shops so since this was my last night in Japan I thought I should at least sample some of the popular foods my first attempt were the these rice dumplings on a skewer with a sweet soy syrup they were tasty but heavy and somewhat gluey they just didn’t seem worth the calories so I didn’t finish them then I tried the famous takoyaki it was really fun to watch them skillfully make these treats which are made of octopus and some sort of breading but I took one bite and couldn’t handle the weird texture I know I’m not a very adventurous eater so instead of pursuing more of this fair I headed back to Osaka station and found a great place with salads much more to my liking so those are my five favorite places however I have a few other honorable mentions Osaka station is a gigantic train terminal but it is also a huge complex with restaurants and shops if you plan on traveling through there take some time to explore also next door to the station is the grand front shopping mall that has some of your typical high-end stores but it also houses some of the nicest restaurants I enjoyed I ate in the complex numerous times and found the food much more palatable to my Western taste there’s a nice Plaza between the mall and the train terminal that has some lounging areas and this giant teddy bear and if you like fun desserts in the mall’s basement you will find the haruchi fruit farm it has some amazing beautifully designed desserts that are absolutely scrumptious that concluded my trip to Japan I have left links to all my Japan travel videos in the descript descrition below as always feel free to ask questions in the comment section or join the new Facebook travel Forum I have left a link to that as well and if you’d like to follow more of my senior and solo travel Journeys please like And subscribe next stop Soul South Korea
1 Comment
A great and informative video.🥰👌👍