To tell you the truth, Osaka isn't my favorite. It's not as cool as Tokyo and not as unique as Kyoto. If you're making a side trip out of Tokyo and you don't have too much time, don't even bother going to Osaka but Kyoto is a must and I highly recommended Hakone as well. Now don't get me wrong, Osaka is a lovely city but it just doesn't have much going on. You've got the Osaka Castle, Dotonbori, Shinsekai, Kuromon Ichiba Market, Umeda Sky Building, the Tempozan Ferris Wheel, and that's pretty much it. We were only there for a day and so I didn't even bother going to some of these places.
Let's talk about the castle... Not gonna lie, I enjoyed Osaka Castle Park and the grounds around it way more than the castle itself. The castle was beautiful on the outside but the inside was underwhelming. It was more like a museum and you don't get to see what it actually looked like back in the days. I wish they had at least preserved a section of it to show. Anyways, the ground of the castle was stunning. We went in the fall and all the trees were all sorts of red and yellow. The moats were cool, the rocks were cool, and we actually explored both during the day and night. I highly recommend heading over at night, no one was around, it was slightly eerie but mostly magical.
Other than that, it was fun walking around Dotonbori at night. This is the area where there are bridges and waterways with lots of shops and restaurants, as well as the infamous Glico "running man" sign. We tried some takoyaki (did you know takoyaki originated from Osaka?) and melonpan and just enjoyed all the lights from buildings and billboards reflecting on the water.
As for accommodation, we stayed at Hotel Noum which is a fairly new hotel right on the river. Upon checking in, I knew I would love this hotel. They have a cute little cafe next to the lobby (the breakfast there was so tasty and fresh), a rooftop patio, and even bikes for you to rent out! The room is minimal yet modern and I love the giant floor to ceiling window and view! Thank you Hotel Noum for hosting us!
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