On the 2nd day of our trip, Rhys finally arrived but without her precious baggage. It wasn’t a good start for her vacation although we tried our best to convince her that everything would be alright!

Because Rhys didn’t have her luggage – the only clothes she had were the ones she was wearing. So, we decided our first stop to be Dotonbori so that she could buy some clothes, and at the same time, take photos in the places we went to yesterday.

Food stop #1: Rikuro-ojisan no Mise

On the way to the shopping area of Dotonbori, we passed by the internet-famous Rikuro Fluffy cheesecake store. We could not just pass by without trying it out to see what the fuss is all about. So, we ordered one whole cake and had that for breakfast!

We ordered coffee together with the cake and had one of the best breakfasts – not just because of the cake, but because of the company. We had so much fun catching up and we were even laughing out loud, for what reason I don’t remember anymore! It’s always just a good time with these people! The cheesecake was so good – it’s light because it’s airy inside. The taste isn’t strong but it’s great by itself and pairs even better with coffee. I can still remember the feeling of biting into that piece of heaven!

Shopping + Photo shoot

After eating, we started the hunt for bargain clothes for Rhys. We weren’t in a rush though and took our time taking photos the way tourists do. This is Dotonbori after all! It was also drizzling. Together with our plastic umbrellas, it was a perfect rainy Japan photo opportunity.

The rain didn’t stop us from taking photos. I seriously took almost a hundred shots just from this specific square! We finally proceeded with our shopping after this. We stopped by major outlets such as H&M, Bershka, Zara, and even second hand stores in the area. Since we were not able to convince Hannah to buy a beret, we urged Rhys to try one and buy it instead. She did!

We traced back our steps from yesterday’s stroll so that Rhys could take the same photos.

Food stop #2: Mizuno – Michelin-rated Okonomiyaki

After all the walking and picture-taking, we were already starving since we only had cheesecake for breakfast. We were already nearby Mizuno, which Mhealler recommended that we try. This is probably also my first Michelin-rated restaurant so I was excited. When we got there, the queue was quite long, but we patiently waited for around 30 minutes to get in.

I no longer remember the exact details of what we ordered, but suffice to say – they were all good! These are also best paired with their ice-cold beer! They will cook what you order on the hot plate on your table and then you can serve yourselves once it’s ready. I’m seriously salivating right now while I’m typing this.

After lunch, Rhys and Hannah got some ice cream and here’s their signature ice cream pose:

Osaka Castle

It was finally time to leave Dotonbori, and what’s a trip to Japan without visiting a historic castle? Osaka Castle was built in 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a well known general, samurai, and politican of the Sengoku (Japan’s Warring) period. Wikipedia link here if you want to read more about it. Today, the Osaka Castle is situated in a big compound with a large fountain, a big park where people can run, bike or do some physical activities. Just walking from the train station exit to the castle itself took us over an hour, including the usual photo stops. Here are some of my already edited photos because that day was gloomy!

The fun part is our photo shoots that never seem to end. I am a very willing photographer and at least two of them (namely Rhys and Mhealler) are also very willing models. Haha! Hannah, we had to force to pose for the camera because she’s also more of a photographer like me. To be honest, I would also like to be a model but I didn’t like how I looked in photos during these days so there was less of that.

Since we got there quite late (blame it on all of the photo stops), the Castle was already closed for viewing. I have been inside before, but Rhys and Hannah haven’t been so it was unfortunate. We stayed in the area until it was getting dark and started heading back to Dotonbori for dinner.

Dotonbori at night

At night, Dotonbori shines up like the neon city you imagine Japan’s big cities to be. So many flashing lights, billboards, and a ton of people walking in a sort of organized chaotic fashion. You can’t deny the charm of Dotonbori with all of its lights.

Food stop #3: Ichiran Ramen

After much discussion, we decided to go with Japan’s #1 ramen – Ichiran! There are two branches of Ichiran in Dotonbori – one along the river you saw above. The other one, right beside Mizuno – the Okonomiyaki place earlier. We headed to the latter because it had a lesser queue.

Ichiran Ramen originated from Fukuoka, which is known for its tonkotsu-style ramen (broth-based soup made from pork bones and other ingredients), also known as Hakata ramen.

We were so tired from walking around all day but we didn’t want to end the night just yet. We passed by our Airbnb to freshen up and rest a bit, before heading out to our final stop of the day!

Night out at Spain Bar Amigos!

We left our Airbnb and looked for a place where we could get some drinks, a little food, and do more catching up! A lot of the places were already closing at this time – luckily we saw one that had an hour more before closing. It was a Spanish bar called Spain Bar Amigos, just within Namba area. We ordered some high balls and some tapas, and had a great cap to our evening!

We probably ordered 2 to 3 rounds (at least Mhealler and myself) before we really called it a night. We walked back home a bit tipsy, feeling good, and from my end, already starting to miss Japan as there were only 2 days left on this vacation! Before sleeping, we shared the photos we took for the day and I managed to take over 300+ photos, already filtered, just for one day!

The next day will be a day-trip to Kyoto! Look out for the next post! 🙂