Osaka

Osaka… a city that lifts your spirits every time you walk through it 🍃💕

There’s a city that makes you feel like you’re walking inside an anime.
You hear the soft chirping of birds, trains passing over small rivers, and freshly baked bread shops every morning. A city where every alley has a story, and every word from strangers makes you smile without realizing it. That city is called… Osaka.

This city may not be the capital, nor the most prominent in Japan,
but Osaka has a “quiet charm” that draws you in, making you want to stay longer,
sit quietly, enjoy delicious food, laugh with friends,
and want to… “come back again” 🧸

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✈️ Start your trip with excitement at Kansai Airport

The moment the plane touches down on the runway, it feels like you can breathe again with the cool, fresh air and a faint scent of Japan. The atmosphere at Kansai Airport is calm and charming. Everything is orderly, and the soft lights from the shops make you feel relaxed even before leaving the building.

We chose to travel from the airport to the city by Nankai train.
The seats are clean, and the views on both sides are small Japanese houses lined up like in a movie. Sometimes the train passes under bridges, sometimes you see the sea, and sometimes it goes past cherry blossom trees just budding, like a preview before truly entering Osaka 🌸🚆

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🏡 Namba… a kind neighborhood close to everything

Our accommodation is around Namba, a popular area among tourists because everything is convenient—transportation, food, and shopping spots.
The hotel is decorated in a Japanese minimalistic style, with tatami mats, the scent of wood, and windows opening to tall buildings mixed with small houses, creating a very warm feeling 🪟✨

Just a few minutes’ walk from the hotel is Dotonbori Street,
where the “Glico Running Man” sign welcomes you in the middle. We stopped at the takoyaki shop with the longest line, and it was the best decision! The takoyaki was crispy on the outside, soft inside, with big octopus pieces and rich sauce—simply the best 🐙🔥

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🍜 Dotonbori… a food street for those who love indulgence

This area is a paradise for food lovers! Whether it’s…
• Kushikatsu, deep-fried skewers dipped in sauce that delight every bite
• Pork bone broth ramen, rich and fragrant, filling you up until evening
• Salmon sushi, so fresh it feels like it’s swimming right in front of you
• Japanese crepes, packed with filling, buttery, and perfectly sweet
• And our absolute favorite, green tea pudding served in a cute ceramic cup, drizzled with fragrant brown sugar that melts in your mouth 💚🍮

Every dish we ate here wasn’t just “delicious”
but truly “impressive,” like eating happiness itself.

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🏯 Osaka Castle… elegant and serene with charm

We strolled to Osaka Castle, towering amidst a large park, as if stepping into the samurai era. The white castle with gold accents reflects the morning sunlight, so beautiful that you have to stop and sigh softly in admiration 🏰

The area around the castle is full of large trees.
In some corners, students picnic; in others, elderly couples play chess. We bought ice cream to enjoy under the trees and took plenty of beautiful photos to fill our phones 🌿📷

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☕ Small cafes that soften the heart

Osaka is a city of cafes! Everywhere you walk, there are charming shops.
• We stopped at one serving bear-shaped latte foam 🐻
• Another had matcha cake served with hot green tea and a little rabbit sitting in the backyard garden 🐰
• Some cafes play classic Japanese music and bake fresh bread every morning, with the aroma drifting all the way to the storefront 🍞🎶

Every cafe feels like a small corner created for us to rest and fall in love with Osaka in another dimension.

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🎢 USJ… a land of laughter and dreams

Anyone who comes to Osaka and doesn’t visit Universal Studios Japan is missing out! Here you’ll find…
• The Harry Potter zone, where we got goosebumps! Hogwarts Castle is stunning, with broomstick shops, Honeydukes, and sweet Butterbeer to drink 🧙‍♀️
• The Minion zone, full of bright yellow everywhere—rides, cafes, and souvenirs
• 3D, 4D rides, and roller coasters that make you scream until you lose your voice 🎠

It was a day full of smiles, sweat,
and unforgettable fun memories.

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🐠 Kaiyukan Aquarium… an underwater world in a bustling city

If you want to change the atmosphere to something calm and soothing,
we recommend visiting Kaiyukan, a huge and amazing aquarium.

We saw a giant whale shark swimming slowly in a multi-level glass tank, along with penguins, clownfish, squid,
and softly glowing jellyfish in the water 🐋🌊

This place made us feel like we were truly floating underwater.
It’s another gentle and dreamy side of Osaka.

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🛍️ Shinsaibashi & Shinsekai… a paradise for shoppers and photographers

We strolled through Shinsaibashi, a shopping street full of clothing stores, cafes, stationery shops, and cute gift shops. Shinsekai is an old neighborhood that gives a Showa-era Japan vibe, like stepping back in time 🎎🗼

We bought a seal-patterned tea cup, handmade souvenirs, hand-drawn postcards,
and wooden dolls we loved so much we had to bring them back to Thailand. We also took photos with the Billiken statue, which is said to bring good luck if you rub its feet 🍀

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💖 Osaka… a city we want to fold up and carry home

In the end… we feel that Osaka is not just a tourist city,
but a “feeling” that warms your heart even on the coldest days.

Whether it’s the laughter of students in the park,
the uncle helping us find our way in the train station,
the smile of the curry rice shop owner,
or even the morning bird songs from the window of our room…

Osaka may not call to us with tall buildings or bright lights,
but it slowly releases the fragrance of “happiness”
for us to breathe in… little by little,
until our hearts are full of joy without realizing it 💗

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Osaka
A small city with happiness you can carry back in your bag,
a city that’s not flashy… but “the cutest in the world.”

🌈🍡🧸✨

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