lInitially we wanted to break our trip into two segments, SEA-HNL, stay the night and enjoy some sun and relaxation before moving on the next day with our second leg, HNL-KIX (Kansai International). Unfortunately due to a scheduling problem we went with the straight through choice, combining a 6+ hour trip, 1 hr 15 min layover due to being late then an almost 10 hour flight to our destination, Japan! The trip looked less uneventful until we went to pick up our luggage. Kellie grabbed hers while I search through all the luggage that had been pulled off the belt. Looking everywhere until Kellie showed me the AirTag in my bag:)
As you can see it was still back in Hawaii! We calmly filled out the paperwork and given hope it would be to us within 1-4 days we headed to the train and our hotel for the night. The Aloft Osaka Dojima is a very friendly hotel with a great vibe. A full eight hours of sleep made us feel great the next morning.
First Starbuck’s opens at 6:30AM, they get going a little late in Osaka. After a very satisfying breakfast we were off on our self guided walking tour. The Osaka Station was amazingly busy during the rush hour. We did our best to soldier in line with the business class:)
Starting at Kemu Sakuranomiya Park we began our walk along Osaka’s Okawa River. Painting an amazing floral view, the white and pink cherry blossoms that lined both sides of the river were well on their way but still a few days to week from full bloom.
Just before the Bridge we turned left and headed to the Osaka Castle which was backdropped with the beautiful lightly colored blue skies. We entered the sprawling castle grounds on a beautifully sunny spring morning from the south-west corner. Upon approaching the secondary citadels, you can appreciate the grandeur of the large stoneworks and moat. Winding our way up the pathway, the most iconic landmark in Osaka doubles as a park. So many people in late morning working on their cherry blossom Instagram pics:) The walk around the grounds were beautiful and filled with history. Kellie and I read: While construction of a castle at this location began in 1583 under the rule of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the first castle was destroyed in 1615 at the end of the Toyotomi reign. Rebuilt over the years, the current concrete reconstruction of the castle tower dates to 1931. While the castle survived major bombings during WWII, major repair works were done as recently as 1997 to modernize the interior of the castle and provide a much needed face lift on the exterior.
We entered the sprawling castle grounds on a beautifully sunny spring morning from the south-west corner. Upon approaching the secondary citadels, you can appreciate the grandeur of the large stoneworks and moat. Making our way through the grounds, following the map, we enjoyed the history and beauty. Passing through the Northwest Gate and heading into the Plum/Peach Orchards to enjoy the shear beauty of the cherry blossoms.
We turned to the subway and slipped into arguably the most famous area of Osaka. Dotonbori is the colorful and lively entertainment district in the heart of Osaka. The canals, brightly colored billboards and signs, popular restaurants with lines out the door, street music and of course shops forever! When Justin and I were here we found the most magnificent Vintage store, unfortunately I could not replicate that experience. Not to worry though, Kellie found many purchases including a pink purse from another foreign land. We climbed the six floors of the Don Quijote and took our picture infant of the famous “Running Man”. The history of Pocky is just inside the small museum.
The Shinsaibashi Shopping Street in its entirety is a covered street that goes for as long as you can dream it to go and then some! We had a great day of sightseeing and shopping. We are now heading back to our Aloft to catch a train to the airport and pick up my lost luggage that Hawaiian Airlines neglected to put on the same plane I was flying on:)