CHRISTY: Vancouver & Seattle Lifestyle, Travel, Fashion, Beauty, Business, & Food Blogger ❀

A digital designer and entrepreneur in her 30s sharing fun and valuable tips and stories!

4 Days In Osaka Itinerary (Including Nara, Kobe, & Kyoto — Food & Tips)

In 2019, I went on a trip with my family! The trip consisted of going to Osaka, then Hong Kong, and lastly Taipei (check out my full summary here). Originally, I was supposed to go Tokyo but spots filled up so we went with Osaka instead, which I did not regret!

I’ve been to Hong Kong and Taipei before already so it was really visiting the nostalgic spots this time back. I was super excited about Japan as I studied Japanese for about 3 years and wanted to practice it there (and eat the food and check out all the cute things there like anime goods and Pokemon!).

So this post is about Kansai area (mostly Osaka, but also going to Nara, Kobe, and Kyoto in the 4 days!). If that’s your next destination and you’re looking for some food, itinerary, or general travel tips then read on! I like to plan my trips briefly before heading there to make sure I am prepared and make the most out of each trip.

Caution: The itinerary below is for people who have a limited time in Osaka and want to visit each popular area. We’re talking about waking up at 7am to hit up a lot of spots. 😂

japan denden town
Den-Den Town (like the Akihabara of Osaka)

Some things to bring: sunscreen, bug spray, wifi (Japan Wireless is a great option, they have SIM cards too), comfortable shoes – lots of walking!

Quick tips: You could probably get around with English but it’s good to learn some basic Japanese for ordering food and directions then learning Katakana would be good (it’s a simpler version used to transcribe English words). Some restaurants also don’t open too early so check the times. Also following Google Maps can be a challenge so heads up!

Here’s a brief summary of my itinerary (I stayed in Umeda):

🗓 DAY 1 – Arriving in KIX (Osaka) & Heading To Umeda
  • Late Afternoon
    • Explore the airport a bit. There was a Nintendo set up there! They also have a Pokemon Store there if you like that.
    • Pick up wifi at Lotteria (I love Lotteria – it’s a convenient store there that sells a lot of yummy snacks!)
    • Take an airport shuttle back to the hotel (30 min ride) or you could probably take their subway
      • I loved seeing the city view on the way to the hotel!
umeda japan
  • Evening
    • Snacks: picked up some snacks at Lotteria, had a shrimp burger, soda, Shaka Shaka chicken at McDonald’s (I like to try different international chains)
    • Grand Front Osaka (a fairly new mall, picked up a bus pass there)
      • Visited Starbucks (got my Osaka cup I LOVE!), Family Mart snacks, Pablo’s cheesecake, Pokemon Centre (Osaka Station), Don Quijote (department store like Daiso with food also)
Pablo cheesecake
Pablo’s cheesecake – it was very cheese, creamy, and delicious!
  • Umeda Sky Building (~¥1000 per person) – World’s first super high connected building
  • Back to hotel, rest up for an early morning next

🗓 DAY 2 – Exploring Dotonbori
  • Early Morning
    • Woke up at 7am to go Dotonbori (30 min subway ride) – a market with the famous Dotonbori Glico Sign and lots of food
      • Took a photo with the Glico running man sign (so many people there already)
      • Stopped by Don Quijote, MUJI, UNIQLO, used some vending machines (I miss these)
    • Shinsaibashisuji market for more clothing stores here
Dotonbori
Dotonbori area

🗓 DAY 3 – Nara & Kobe (Other Cities In The Area)

Nara is where you will find all the cute (potentially slightly aggressive) deers! Kobe is by the water and famous for Kobe beef.

  • Early Morning
    • Woke up at 7am and ~1h train ride to Nara (where all the deers are!)
    • There’s a market outside of the station to pick up drinks and snacks
  • Afternoon
    • Deers – Nara Park (you can buy cookies there to feed them but be aware they may be aggressive!)
    • Naramachi
  • Late Afternoon
    • Head to Kobe (30 mins from Nara)
    • Kobe Port – take “Be Kobe” photo
    • Kobe beef dinner
  • Evening
    • Motomachidōri/ Nankinmachi (Chinatown there) – wouldn’t recommend eating in this area as it’s very touristy/ expensive but nice to check out! (I tried out a Kobe beef place)
Nara deers Japan
Playing with the deers at Nara Park

🗓 DAY 4 – Kyoto (Other Cities In The Area)

I love the more traditional feel of Kyoto! Personally, I would want to stay here longer, 2-3 days is what I usually hear about. It’s known for the onsens and matcha desserts!

Kyoto Station – Looked amazing! I wanted to check out the long escalator
  • Evening
    • Back to Umeda
Fushimi-Inari-Taisha Shrine in Kyoto

… And that’s my super rushed 4-day itinerary in Osaka! I didn’t manage to hit up all the spots on my list but that’s okay, I’ll be visiting here again some day! I loved the traditional feel of Osaka and of course, the great food there was.

We did a ton of walking but it was good exercise, however, we went in August which was SUPER hot… but anyways, it was very fun and I hope you enjoy this post on my trip. Be sure to comment below if you do go and share with anyone you know who may be going!

Other Places To Go:

  • Osaka
    • Osaka Castle
    • Universal Studios
    • Day trip to Hiroshima & Miyajima
    • Cup Noodle Museum
    • TeamLab
  • Kyoto
    • Golden Pavillion
    • Nabano no Sato Flower Park

Other Links:

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