five hours in osaka
As much as I wish we could have dedicated two or three days to Osaka, we only had time to stop through as a detour from Kyoto before heading back to Tokyo. Seeing Osaka Castle took much longer than expected, so we really only had an hour and a half to eat and explore Dotonbori (not being able to eat all the food on my itineraries is seriously a fear of mine, by the way). Osaka’s known for their more heavy, flour-based foods, so I knew we definitely needed to at least get some okonomiyaki (savory pancake combined with cabbage, eggs and some sort of meat/protein and topped with condiments) and takoyaki (octopus ball).
Eat
Ajinoya
This is one of the best spots to get okonomiyaki in Osaka, and it gets so busy that that they have two locations literally steps from each other. The line at the original location was way too packed, and since we were on a time crunch, we went down the street (literally like 30 feet away) to the super small, order-at-the counter spot. We got one with yakisoba and another topped with octopus and bonito flakes. Both had heavy drizzles of Japanese mayo (the BEST) and tonkatsu sauce.
Kukuru
There are tons of takoyaki spots along Dotonobori, but people obsess over this particular one. The whole pieces of octopus make Kukuru stand out from the rest, and you can watch them being made right in front of you, with chefs using these special super long chopsticks to turn the batter around in the circular molds. Kukuru’s takoyaki is topped with Japanese mayo, tonkatsu sauce, bonito flakes and nori, and FYI, they come out piping hot.
Explore
Osaka Castle
This almost-540-year-old castle is definitely a stunner. It has a massive moat surrounding it, along with a gorgeous park. I’m not going to lie, though. If museums aren’t really your thing (and you’re on a time crunch like I was), I may suggest skipping actually going inside. It’s completely modern on the inside with five stories of artifacts. The top floor does have an absolutely breathtaking view of the city, though, so that was absolutely worth it!
Dotonbori
This neighborhood is essentially a street-food lover’s heaven. Car-size crabs, takoyaki, sushi and other Japanese foods embellish the sides of buildings, and walking around here truly illuminates all the senses. Next time I’m in Osaka, Im going to spend much more time here!