Japan: Part 5 - Osaka

Osaka castle


It’s not worth going into Osaka castle, which is actually a museum. It’s quite cramped, and I went at the same time as busloads of tourists and trainloads of students.


View from the top of Osaka castle. After walking up eight storeys.


I recommend just wandering the lovely grounds and taking photos of the moat and the castle.

Umeda


There are lots of departments stores in this area e.g. Han Kyu, Daimaru, Hep 5.


Hep 5 is one of the more fashionable shopping centers. It has a ferris wheel as well. The Japanese really love ferris wheels!

Namba



Namba is lovely!! There’s this glorious stretch of covered walkway, the Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade (which leads to the Eibsubashi) that covers several streets. Along the stretch of shops are restaurants, cafes, accessories shops, clothes shops, Daimaru, Agnes B, Tokyu Hands etc etc.


The kitchen stretch where they sell gorgeous bowls, chopsticks etc.


H&M at Namba!


The ferris wheel is at Don Quijote, a discount chain store that sells everything. But I went to both this and the Tokyo outlet and I didn’t really like it. Found it to be too squashy and not that cheap. They sell cosplay outfits though, if you’re interested.


Luxury stores at Namba.


America Mura (America Village) at Namba… I don’t really like it…it’s full of hip-hop music and guys wearing their pants super low.


Namba Parks, a shopping center.

Japan: Part 4 - Transportation

Taxi

Don’t ever get in one. A 10 minutes ride cost me S$40.

Train

Most people buy the Japan Rail Pass if they are traveling from Tokyo to Osaka and back again. My crazy sister took the train from Tokyo to Hokkaido… and back again. You can find out more information about the pass at http://www.japanrailpass.net. However, I am extremely cheap and did not want to spend S$200 on a one-way train ride when I can spend it on an Agnes b bag instead. Hence, I took the bus (see below).

I did take the train from Osaka to Kyoto though. It’s quite cheap, JPY 540 yen for a 30 – 50 mins journey, depending on whether you’re on a normal/ fast train. Hence, if you want to save some money, you can consider staying in Osaka instead of Kyoto.

Bus

As I mentioned, I found the train too expensive and decided to take the bus from Tokyo to Osaka. There are a couple of companies running the overnight Tokyo- Osaka route, but I chose the most foreigner-friendly one – Willer Express. Tickets are cheaper if you book in advance at http://willerexpress.com. Tickets start from around S$50, but I chose the slightly more expensive Relax option at S$75, which came with a practically horizontal seat, hood for privacy and a blanket. The Japanese are extremely polite, and not a single person snored during the journey... I think they would have died of shame if they snored :D The journey took around 9 hours, from 10pm to 7am, inclusive of two rest stops, where the toilets were spotlessly clean. There was also food available for hungry people.

Subway - Tokyo

If you are in Tokyo for more than a few days, it may be more convenient to buy the PASMO/ Suica card, which works like the Singapore ez-link card, rather than buying numerous single trip tickets. When you transfer to a different line, you may have to go out of the station. When that happens, remember to tap out through the orange gates, so that you will get the discount when you tap in again at the other station.

The subway may look confusing at first, but it’s actually quite easy to figure out. In addition, most of the tourist attractions lay on the JR Yamanote line, so just figure out how to get from your hotel's train station to that line.

Subway – Osaka

The equivalent of the PASMO/ Suica card is the Icoca card. If you can figure out the Tokyo subway, you will definitely be able to figure out the Osaka subway.

Subway & Bus– Kyoto

The subway is easy to figure out, but unfortunately, it doesn’t reach a lot of the attractions in Kyoto. Most people take buses, which originate from Kyoto Station. Please check the timing when you take the bus, as some buses only come once every hour.

Japan: Brands to look out for

Burberry Blue Label

ONLY Japan has Burberry Blue Label, so it is a MUST GO. Not really a must buy though, as it depends on the collection. It's cheaper than the normal Burberry, and tends to be girlier in designs, with pastel pinks and blues.

Standalone outlet in Tokyo: Ginza and Harajuku. Standalone outlets tend to be bigger and have a wider selection than those in department stores e.g. Isetan, Takashimaya.

Agnes b

This brand is really, really worth the money, because the bags are around 50% cheaper compared to Singapore's prices!^^

I recommend buying more unique designs, compared to the ubiquitous (and often pirated) canvas designs. I bought a super pretty black patent leather bag for only $200, and discovered it was $450 in the Singapore boutique! *HAPPY*

Standalone outlet in Tokyo: Omotesando area
Standalone outlet in Osaka: Along the stretch of shops at Shinsaibashi

Fancl

Brides-to-be can stock up on Fancl Tense Up. Everything else tends to be around 20-30% cheaper than in Singapore. I bought quite a bit of stuff, but actually I don't really like it. I recommend checking out the prices at http://www.fancl.com.sg first, and then going crazy at the Japan outlets :)

DHC

I'm not very familiar with DHC products, but I also bought stuff from the shop in Japan. Think it's around 20% cheaper than Singapore.

Japan: Part 1 - Accommodation

Tokyo - Kangaroo Hotel


Facilities: Tiny but functional room, with a TV, air con, fridge, table and cable internet access. Really cheap at 3,300JPY/night for a single room. Shared facilities include clean shower rooms, baths, toilets, hair dryer, microwave, washing machine, kettle and computers.


But even though the shared facilities are nice, I’ve realized I’m too high maintenance for shared bathrooms nowadays! I need my own bathroom! So the next time I’m in Tokyo, I probably won’t stay here^^

Location: About 10 mins walk from Minami-senju on subway Hibiya line and JR Joban line. Pretty convenient, as Minami-senju is only 3 stops away from Ueno.
http://www.e-otomari.jp/~english/hotels/kangaroohotel.html

Osaka – Kinki Hotel

First of all, kinky things really happen here! *cough cough* There’s advertised rates for 2 hrs/ 3 hrs etc and I saw a Japanese man trying to convince a woman to go in with him. Super funny ^^.

BUT I didn’t hear any sounds at night, its location is super fantastic and the facilities are really good for the price.



Facilities: Comfortably sized room with TV, air con, fridge, table, cable internet access, kettle, and a bathroom! Bathroom is tiny but functional, with complimentary toiletries. There’s even a yukata!

Location: About ten minutes walk from Osaka station, right in the middle of Umeda, surrounded by shopping centers and eateries. Osaka station is super convenient for taking trains to Kyoto, Nara etc.
http://hotelkinki.com/