It was time to enjoy one more breakfast at the hotel and walk around beautiful Kyoto for just a bit longer before leaving for Osaka. I also ended up taking the elevator to the top floor of a department store to enjoy a yummy lunch set of fried chicken with grated daikon radish and cold soba noodles.
I eventually took the high speed bullet train to Osaka. Goodbye Kyoto! It only took an hour to arrive in the large port city where I took a local train to Namba Station located just a few minutes from my hotel.
I checked in to APA Hotel Namba Shinsaibashi. The single room was super tiny, but the location and value were great. As well as being close to the station, it was close to bustling Dotonbori. Plus, I was getting used to the small accommodations. They may be compact, but they were comfortable and had everything you needed.
I dropped my stuff in the room and walked over to Dotonbori (also DÅtombori). It was the start of the weekend and the popular shopping and entertainment district was absolutely electric!
The most iconic pictures of Osaka will include the Glico Man sign. The famed giant billboard installed in 1935 as an advertisement for the Glico confectionery company.
The large neon signs, crowds of people, bright lights, and smells of all the delicious street foods was a thrilling welcome!
There were restaurants everywhere! The large vibrant displays showing what they specialize in suspended above the doors was a common sight.
It was a Friday night and everybody was out and about.
I instantly knew that I was really gonna like Osaka! I couldn’t wait to explore it!
APA Hotel Namba Shinsaibashi
2-7-11 Nishishinsaibashi
Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0086, Japan
+81 6-6214-0111
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