Waking up at the hotel on Friday Kuah and I were both glad that we had takend the shinkansen the night before and didn’t have to worry about going to the airport. We slowly got ready and then headed down to our free breakfast. Breakfast included a small buffet and some items you can order off the menu.
Kuah has been enjoying the hotel’s cappuccino, which is a nice change. Usually they’re too milky for him. I really like their roasted green tea. I was happy to find a yogurt bar and also got a spinach omelet. Having healthy choices to start the day is very helpful to me. Kuah got the crab egg Benedict. Ont thing to note in the picture below is the color of the yolk. It so different from American eggs.
After breakfast we headed towards Osaka Castle but made a few stops on the way. First I saw this really cool building that had a boat going up the side and leaving a wake behind. I loved the feel of movement it had. Then we stopped at Lawson’s, which is one of the popular convenience stores here. One of the things it is famous for is it’s chicken nuggets. We heard they were delicious so had to try some. They were pretty juicy and tasted like real chicken rather than the processed nuggets I’ve had in the past. I can see why people like them.
Fortified with chicken nugget power we continued on to Osaka Castle. I was really looking forward to Osaka castle and the grounds did not disappoint. It was really crowded with lots of tourists and school groups. But we were able to easily get a ticket and go inside.
Once inside we could choose to take an elevator or climb 7 flight of stairs to the top. We took the stairs. The top had a nice view of Osaka but the platform was really busy. The inside had been totally remodeled with several sets of staircases for tourists and displays about the history of those who had ruled the castle. Although well done I was a bit disappointed that I did not get to see the rooms and layout of the way it was when people lived there.
After Osaka Castle we went towards a takoyaki place we had heard about. Takoyaki are round balls of dough with a consistency similar to pancake but not as dry. They have octopus, crunchies and a bit of pickles inside. Traditionally they are served with mayonnaise, a thick soy sauce and bonito flakes. These were different in all the right ways. But before I get to that I should tell you what we encountered during our walk there.
We came upon a wonderful shopping street. It seemed to be mostly locals here. it was covered but not completely closed in. It was lined with a variety of shops including daily necessities, restaurants, clothes, bags and such.
I ended up having part of 2 different treats. The first was a small pancake sandwich filled with adzuki beans and a fresh strawberry. I had tried this dessert before and while pleasant it wasn’t a show stopper. This one was my favorite bite of the trip so far. The difference was that is was fresh and had the tang of the strawberry to make it pop. Kuah and I both agreed that the strawberry made a huge difference.
As we continued down the street we came across a taiyaki stall. It was being made fresh so we decided to share one. We went with custard flavor. it was so hot when we got it but we couldn’t wait to eat it. Being fresh it was nice and crispy on the outside. The custard on the inside was as hot as lava but still tasty.
After our taiyaki we continued towards the takoyaki stall Kuah had read about. Our timing was perfect as we arrived about 5 minutes before opening. We got to watch them make the takoyaki. It is a bit of a long process as they have to keep adding more batter and turning it so the end result is a golf ball shape. As these were fresh they had a tiny bit of crispness on the outside but were soft and gooey inside. They also didn’t use mayonnaise or bonito flakes. Kuah got an order of 8 but I stole 1 from him.
I was going to include a picture of them completed but they took about 15 minutes to make. So, we ate them before I remembered to take a picture! After this we started walking back to the hotel. On the way we passed a produce stall that had delicious looking strawberries. I picked some up and they were perfect for dinner.
In total we has walked 8.3 miles. Thankfully the hotel gave me an ice pack in the morning and evening to help my plantar fasciitis. All in all it was a wonderful day and we fell asleep early in the evening.
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