We touched down in Japan and crikey, what a start. Between the jet lag and the colds caught in the plane (yep, all of us), it wasn’t the dream start we’d hoped for. But even half snoozing and slightly snotty, Japan is absolutely wild….
We’re staying near the Five Dragon Gods Barrier It’s a pretty historic part of Osaka with some real spiritual weight to it the “barrier” was built as a protective force for the city, tied to ancient beliefs about feng shui and sacred geography. Not far from here, you’ll find Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, dedicated to the god of business and prosperity. And if you take a wrong turn well you might stumble into Tobita Shinchi, Osaka’s not so secret red light district. It’s a strange place looks like a traditional neighbourhood at first glance, but don’t be fooled. It’s legal grey zone territory, and it’s full of history and controversy. Not somewhere to take the kids, mind you, but fascinating all the same.
Despite feeling rubbish, we didn’t want to waste time. We wandered around our local area and were instantly blown away by the sheer number of food shops and not just restaurants. We’re talking noodle stands, street side sushi, wagyu spots, vending machines full of ramen, and convenience stores that feel like mini department stores. You honestly can’t walk more than ten paces without seeing something tasty, unless you’re vegetarian like Ali then it’s hard everything has chicken pork or Fish stocks!
We even saw a bakery that had croissants with noodles inside. Not sure if that’s genius or chaos.
What’s even stranger is the silence….. Osaka’s one of Japan’s biggest cities, yet you can walk down a busy street and barely hear a thing no car horns, no shouting, just the occasional bike bell and after the total off the scale chaos of Peru It feels a bit like stepping into a dystopian sci-fi future where everyone’s polite, orderly, and whispering into the void. Slightly unnerving, but also kinda peaceful.
To shake off the jet lag, we headed over to Tennoji Park and found an absolute gem a massive indoor soft play area. The kids ran wild while we collapsed into bean bags and tried not to fall asleep sitting up. Turns out it was a bank holiday, and the place was buzzing with families. Outside, there was a festival style setup with artisan food stalls, live music, and traditional crafts.
That afternoon, we met up with some other travelling families from the worldschooling community and Somehow, we ended up doing karaoke, which is massive in Japan. You rent a private room (so no stage fright), get free drinks to your booth, and go wild on the mic. Let’s just say our rendition of dont stop believing probably won’t win any awards, but it was a cracking laugh.
We attended a free walking tour and abandoned that idea about half way through, it was the most useless thing we have ever attended he spoke little about history and more about good places to eat, honestly not interested in that, so he was probably annoyed we didn’t give a donation, imo do better and next time we will donate and that is my tip!
The next day, still running on very little sleep, we made our way to the famous Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. One of the biggest aquariums in the world, this place is next level. It’s designed around the concept of the “Ring of Fire” (the tectonic one, not the spicy curry aftermath), with huge tanks representing different areas of the Pacific Rim. We saw manta rays, whale sharks, jellyfish, penguins, and more fish than you can shake a chopstick at. The layout spirals down around the central tank, so you get loads of perspectives as you go.
Right next door is the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel, which at 112.5 metres gives you epic views over Osaka Bay. A bit nerve wracking if you don’t like heights, but worth it for the snaps.
And that’s about where we’re at so far. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, but Japan’s already blown our minds. Tomorrow we’re off to Nara to see the famous bowing deer and we’ve been told they’ll snatch food right out of your hands, so we’re bracing for full deer chaos.
Stay tuned or as they say (matane)!
