Fun in Dotonbori, Osaka, Japan.

Day 1 of 9-day trip to Japan

Romana and my 9 day trip to Japan started in Osaka and finished in Kyoto. It was a fun, relaxed adventure of exploring, eating and drinking, shamelessly enjoying all the touristy things we could find. Our first day was settling in to Osaka.

Once we’d got off the plane and navigated our way to our Airbnb (which required a phone call because I can’t read emails properly…), then our adventures began. The Airbnb was next to a high railway and very…snug. It was clean though and looked suitably Japanese. The flat came with bicycles and pocket wifi which was all we really wanted.

I’d heard of Dotonbori so since we were fresh off the plane and had no other ideas, that’s where we went, by bike. It was a nice cycle along the river, even though at first glance, the bicycles seem really old fashioned. We found the central part of Dotonbori and came across the famous Glico sign, so I figured we were in the right area. It was nicely busy with a great vibe.

Where we were was mainly clothes shops, but once we’d gone over the bridge, a whole world of alleys and restaurants appeared. It was amazing really. It was early evening and people seemed to be about to start their nights out. We really had no idea of where to go and the choices were endless. Sushi seemed a good place to start, so we found a conveyor-belt sushi place and set up there (Daiki-suisan). It must be a chain restaurant, but the quality seemed good to me and this was the first time I’ve tried conveyor sushi in Japan and it was the best I’ve had.

After our feast, we explored. There were lots and lots of alleys to wander, some with shops, other bars and restaurants. It was now dark, so the lights added a cool atmosphere. Some restaurants were easy to identify, while others were complete mysteries considering our lack of Japanese skills and the lack of windows! I find the mystery alluring though.

We stopped off for a crepe at Alcylon. a very European looking place. This street had a shop selling ceramic cats, and out of the alley and on to the main street was a shop selling ‘potions’ to keep the man in your life going all night.

And of course in Japan, there is an abundance of real cats, one particularly cute one waiting outside a kitchen door.

The streets and buildings are modern and city-like, much as you’d expect, but every now and then we’d encounter a well-maintained wooden shrine just sitting amongst all these tall buildings.

Exploring is hard work (yeah, right) so we decided to go for cheap and cheerful hole-in-the-wall type place, with barely any room and open to a narrow side alley.