Friday - off to Osaka
We split from Tokyo and took the train down to Osaka. The train ride itself was easy and comfortable, and the countryside was super interesting to watch. Osaka is still a major city, but it felt so much less dense than Tokyo. Our accommodations were much more comfortable as well. We had a blast walking through mixed residential and commercial neighborhoods, and the kids found a bunch of thrift stores that reminded them a lot of California culture with a Japanese twist. The coffee was excellent!
Osaka is known as a major foodie destination, and it did not disappoint. The Dotonbori district in particular was like a mixture of Times Square and a blissed out seafood heaven, jammed into a sensory overload. While that sounds overwhelming and a tad tacky, it wasn't at all. The locals were running around having a blast in all sorts of costumes and out there (for an American) fashion. Tourists and locals seemed to interact very comfortably, and we found the food to be unpretentious and absolutely excellent.
Osaka (大阪, Ōsaka) is Japan's second largest metropolitan area after Tokyo. It has been the economic powerhouse of the Kansai Region for many centuries. Osaka was formerly known as Naniwa. Before the Nara Period, when the capital used to be moved with the reign of each new emperor, Naniwa was once Japan's capital city, the first one ever known.
In the 16th century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi chose Osaka as the location for his castle, and the city may have become Japan's political capital if Tokugawa Ieyasu had not terminated the Toyotomi lineage after Hideyoshi's death and established his government in distant Edo (Tokyo).
Our Airbnb in Osaka was far more comfortable than our spot in Tokyo, and we began to adjust to the timezone here and feel settled.
