It’s even sad to write about it, but Osaka and Kobe were the final stops on our time in Japan. But… what a way to end it!
If you missed the first stop, check out the Tokyo post (which also talked about the JR Rail Pass). Also, we did not stay in Osaka or Kobe. Instead, we remained at our hotel in Kyoto and took the bullet train to both cities. Most of our local travel within each city was also by train (the majority of it covered with our JR Pass) and walking.
Osaka
Osaka Castle
The grounds and surrounding area were beautiful because of all of the cherry blossoms! We did not go inside the castle, so I can’t speak to that.
There wasn’t really much else to see or do. Still worth stopping by if you’re in the area, but I wouldn’t go here if you have better things to do – especially if it’s not Cherry Blossom season.
Dontonbori
As foodies, we knew we had to make it to Dontobori. This is an extremely famous area of Osaka and it’s frequented by many food vloggers, etc.
We found it to be a little touristy and some of the food was overpriced.
The one thing we found “worth it” was the Takoyaki. It was fun to watch them make it and the hubs found it to be the best he’d had.
A word of warning: don’t get sucked in to the hype, or the dancing crab on the street. This crab was decent, but it was really small and nothing special – therefore overpriced at ~$10. Definitely not worth it!
Toki Sushi
This was a recommended stop from Mark Wiens (food vlogger) and we’re glad we went! We order both versions of the nigiri: a 12-piece raw and an 8-piece flame-seared (aburi). Although the seared is most popular here, we both preferred the fully raw!
Pablo Cheese Tart
This was on our must-try list and was near Dontonburi. Pablo did not disappoint!
We sat upstairs and enjoyed the famous cheese tart with a nice, hot matcha tea latte. It was delicious and we got to use their WiFi for a while.
I still dream about their matcha tea latte!
Kobe
Kobe Ropeway & Gardens (Nunobiki Herb Garden)
The hubs found this place and knew I’d love it. There’s a ropeway (basically a gondola system) that takes you to the top, or you can walk it. It’s high – take the ropeway.
At the top, you’ll find restaurants, gardens, and a foot bath area with amazing views! I wasn’t feeling great that day, so we grabbed some tea and enjoyed the foot bath for a while, then made our way down the path to the middle station.
It was a nice change of scenery and so relaxing and quiet.
Tokeiya Restaurant
I did a TON of research before we went to Kobe on where to eat Kobe beef. Most places were touting prices upwards of US $200 per person.
We had been craving sukiyaki the day before and the place we tried to go to was closed. So the hubs found this place that had both sukiyaki and Kobe beef and I’m SO GLAD! We went for a late lunch and had the best experience.
It wasn’t busy at that time so we had the place almost to ourselves. Our server was in traditional Japanese attire and spoke enough English to get us through the meal effectively. The whole team provided wonderful service!
We ordered Sukiyaki (with Wagyu) and the Kobe beef slices. It was extremely inexpensive for what we got and compared to what I had read up on.
I believe it was around US $75 – $100 for the whole thing (including a little dessert).
What a great way to end our travels in Japan!
I hope you’ve enjoyed Asia 18 Part 2… and very soon (could be another year away), I’ll post Asia 18 Part 1 – Taiwan and Asia 18 Part 3 – Hong Kong & Macau.
In the meantime, get planning for your trip to Japan. It’s on my favorites list, so I know you’ll love it!
XO,
J
