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Where We Stayed

Hotel the Flag Shinsaibashi—

Amazing value and great location. Everything from the entrance to the hotel to the lounge area to the actual room was thoughtfully and tastefully designed. The breakfast buffets were also excellent.

Day One

T-Site Bookstore—

With brick and mortar bookstores bordering (pun intended 😭) on extinction, I was all kinds of happy and nostalgic to find a bookstore teeming, literally wall-to-wall, with books

Photo taken with my wide angle clip-on phone lens.

Wearing Everlane linen shirt and Nikes.

Cafe & Pancake Gram—

These soufflé pancakes were all fluff in the best way possible.

Granknot Coffee—

An unassuming but delightful coffee shop tucked away in Osaka’s Amerikamura neighborhood. Pour overs were delicious.

L is wearing a Timex watch, J. Crew shirt, and Herschel fanny pack.

Dotonbori—

An iconic tourist hot spot along Dotonbori Canal. Go at night to see all of the advertisements and neon signs in their full splendor, including the famous Glico Man.

Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Street and Tenjimbashi-suji Shopping Street—

You can find shotengai (covered shopping arcades) in any major Japanese city, but Shinsaibashi and Tenjimbashi are two of the longest streets in Japan. We didn’t do any shopping but still thoroughly enjoyed exploring the many local shops that sell everything from snacks to clothes.

DAY TWO

Tonkatsu Wako—

A popular chain restaurant that serves up some mean tonkatsu— crispy on the outside, juicy on the side, with unlimited refills on miso soup and cabbage salad to boot.

Osaka Station—

An impressive train station with stunning architecture that puts the train stations back home to shame. So many restaurants and department stores to explore.

Umeda Sky Building—

Come for the observatory views, stay for the incredible escalators that span more than 550 feet of open air. We rode the elevators multiple times like they were an amusement park ride.

L is wearing a Herschel fanny pack and a J.Crew striped shirt.

Wearing Everlane linen shirt, Nike fanny pack, and Nikes

Ippudo Ramen—

Having had the Ippudo in NYC, we had to try it in Japan. You honestly can’t go wrong at this place, but we ordered the Karaka spicy (left) Shiromaru classic (right), and pork gyoza.

Rikuro’s Cheesecake (Rikuro Ojisan no Mise)—

Cheesecake that jiggles and is so fluffy and light that it melts in your mouth. What more needs to be said? Some (like Luke) might find it too eggy for their taste, but I loved this stuff.

All opinions are my own, and this post is not sponsored by any brands. It does contain affiliate links, which may give me a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support as it helps me keep this blog going!

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