My one and only fan PEARLYN complained that I haven't been updating, so update I shall hehehe.
Day Three, and we're going Osaka Aquarium !
It's a short walk from Osakako Station on the Chuo Line.
From Exit 1 or 2, walk straight!
You'll see this pretty rainbow-hued ferris wheel on the way there.
For those interested, this is the Tempozan Ferris Wheel .
Super gorgeous at night with its LED displays, and we actually saw this from Umeda Sky Building.
Turn left after crossing the intersection in front of the ferris wheel!
The nerd in me is like WIND SOCK hahahaha.
Osaka Aquarium
1-1-10 Kaigandori, Minato-ku,
Osaka 552-0022
Nearest Subway Station:
Osakako on Chuo Line
Opening hours:
9.30 am to 8 pm
Last admission at 7 pm
Entrance fee: 2300 yen
Osaka Amazing Pass holders get 100 yen off
Kids' Halloween Tricycle race ! Some of the costumes are too cute :B
Look at dat pumpkin!
This is so very Underwater World hahaha.
The Osaka Kaiyukan has 15 tanks which re-create the specific regions of the Pacific Rim
Given the size of the place, I would say 2.5 to 3 hrs would be sufficient!
I like how their layout - you basically go all the way to the top and walk down a spiral slope to the exit.
First up is the Japan Forest - which means River Otters!
Look at that lazy one sunbathing ~ kawaii desu ne.
We noticed that the animals here are actually much more active here than in Singapore;
probably because they are in the right climate.
Ecuador Rain Forest - This capybara looks like some grandpa with some serious whiskers.
Brb I go cry cause I cant find the sea otter photos ):
I only have the first year development poster - the one holding the heart is shoooooo kewt.
All those are frozen ice treats for the sea otter dawwwwwwwwww.
FATTY. It actually kept swimming upside down on purpose!
After exercising. HAHAHA this is a California Sea Lion !
"you very embarrassing leh"
Don't have a clear photo of the Pacific Whitesided Dolphin cause they are too damn fast!
Gotta say though, I feel like they look kinda sinister compared to the common dolphin cause of their markings. :x
ANTARTICA - PENGUINS. I CANNOT MY HEART NEARLY EXPLODED.
"Ma I come home liao"
BWAHAHAHAH COME TO MAMA.
Gentoo Penguin!
WHAT'S UP BABEH omg that cocky face. I'm in love #sorrytaupok HAHAH.
Underwater intersection hehehe.
Stingray!
I actually love the gigantic oceanic manta ray at SEA Aquarium more. The glideeeee.
Except this Whale Shark.. so ginormous!
Suspended swirl of silver.
Ocean Sunfish! I somehow can't get over how anatomically useless this fish looks.
This tank was black lit/neon-ized for some reason.. are these glow in the dark stars? :D
Jellyfishes! aka unstained RBCs HAHAHAH. #sciencenerd
Very therapeutic seeing them pulse around the tank.
This one gives me the impression that it's probably really dangerous..
looks like a clump of seaweed and you almost can't see shit.
Heng jellyfishes no need to comb their hair. imagine the tangles and split ends this one will have :B
FAT SQUISHY ONE!
Icebergs seen from under the water?
Ringed seal!
This fatty was flapping its flippers super happily,
while showers of ice were falling and it occasionally opened its mouth to eat them.
BWAHAHAHAH I told Bimb this is her spirit animal cause she looks like that when there's ice to eat HAHAH.
Ya i'm cackling even now LOLOL.
There was shit all over, and this poor penguin actually slipped into a puddle of fresh shit.
It struggled to get up and omg the face is like tmd 无奈 hahahhahah.
I kid you not there was so much shit everywhere no one really wanted to go over.
Except this idiot over here who wanted a selfie with these shitheads hahahah. :D
SO TEMPTED TO BRING THIS HOME but omgahhh it'll never fit into my luggage.
And it's bloody sgd 175 no way la.. take selfie can liao.
THIS IS SO KEWT. seriously Japan has too many #takemymoney moments.
Overshot our planned time by a bit so we had to rush to Osaka Castle next. :x
Actually no. Pit stop for lunch !
We walked from Tanimachi 4-Chome Station to the Otemon Gate, and chanced upon this row of stalls.
stock photo cause soli I hungry forgot to take hahahaha.
Omg you have to get the grilled chicken skewers - 600 yen , it is dabomb.com!!
My sotong bff went cannibal; squid skewer - 300 yen.
I'm guessing the Kaiyukan made her crave for seafood hahahah.
Japan dogs are living the high life sia..
super pampered until they don't need to run around parks and get ferried instead.
This used to be the castle's moat..
Kept wondering if the vines are growing on the ground, or if they are suspended? Imagine the probable depth.
Osaka Castle
1-1 Osakajo, Chuo-ku,
Osaka 540-0002
Nearest JR station:
Osakajokoen on JR Osaka Loop Line
Nearest Subway Station:
Tanimachi 4-Chome on Tanimachi Line (Exit 1-B) or Chuo Line (Exit 9)
Opening hours:
9 am to 5 pm
Entrance fee:
Castle Tower 600 yen,
Nishinomaru Garden 200 yen
Day 3! My face got awkward angle cause no selfie stick hahahahah.
Had a good time laughing at how long my face looked LOL.
Super love this tree right in front of the castle.. feels like it's been there since forever?
The area in front of the castle is super happening, with lots of buskers, dress-up photo ops.
And more food trucks !! I saw mentaiko takoyaki om nom nom.
Uh the interior of Osaka Castle was basically a museum showcasing the items behind glass.. which is meh.
I would have loved it a lot more if they retained at least a bit of the original layout of the place,
but nope, it just feels like any other museum in there.
Oh and this is the only photo cause it's a no camera zone inside.
So we concluded that we came here only for the ice cream! HAHAHA.
Eh but this Hokkaido Cremia Premium Soft Serve – 500 yen is damn milky and smooth and worth it!
Best of all is the cone; it's a langue de chat wafer.. aka 白い恋人 Shiroi Kobito.
Walked back to Osakajokoen station and took the JR Osaka Loop Line to JR Tennoji station.
Trying to make it to Shintennoji before it closes.
Take Exit 7 and walk straight up-slope till you see red flags with 天王诗
Torii gate marking the entrance to the entrance of Shinto temples :B
Tiniest pipsqueak of a chihuahua I have ever seen.
I think its barely the length of my forearm.
Purification area.
Entrance gate.. I like the navy and red color combi.
Noticed this reincarnation wheel at the gates.. what goes round comes around.
Not meant to be a punny joke hor!
Would have liked a better look at the pagoda cause it's supposed to be pretty intricate,
but sadly we were disallowed entry cause they were closing soon.
Why they never give last admission info one!
Shintennoji
1-11-18 Shitennoji, Tennoji-ku,
Osaka 543-0051
Nearest JR station:
JR Tennoji on JR Osaka Loop Line
Opening hours:
8.30 am to 4 pm
Last entry at 3.30 pm
Entrance fee:
Outer grounds free,
Inner grounds 300 yen
Gokuraku-jodo Garden 300 yen
Big walk auntie through the Tennoji Park to get to Tennoji Zoo!
Not so bad la still managed to take photos.
I was damn ganjiong at that time to make it before last admissions though.
Municipal Museum of Fine Art.. turn right and walk down the path once you see this building!
NOOOOOOOOOO despite my efforts to check the damn zoo is closed for entry at 4 pm instead of 5 pm >:/
ANGST because we (ok me hahah) rushed like mad to get there,
and turns out the english official website gave the wrong info..
Somemore is not I want to go but Bimb..
yet she was damn chill and more amused that I was so dramatic HAHAHAH. #besttravelbuddyever
#BURNTENNOJIZOO
Discovered that we are in front of Shinsekai, an area we considered going but didn't make the list.
It's supposedly a small area but infamous as a hangout for the yakuza.
And inadvertently found out that JR Shin-Imamiya station is nearer to Tennoji Zoo too.
But I never wanna go back!! :x
I somehow like the store exteriors, cause the whole area felt like a float parade.
Fugu cuisine is really served here but 不要啦 hahah.
My colleague told me that the streets are quite empty even on weekends.
Very true especially when you compare Shinsekai with Dotonburi or Shinsaibashi.
I feel that Singaporeans tend to take safety for granted?
Travelling opens up your eyes to the situations overseas - this might not be our definition of a quiet street,
but it definitely is for the locals.
Don't wander the world, but really travel and experience.
Whoooo super happy with this perfect (to me) shot of the train cutting through traffic!
Dinner!
551 Horai is a super popular chain in Osaka which sells Nikuman 豚まん (pork buns).
We saw crazy snaking queues at a few stores and that piqued our curiosity.
Coming across a store at JR Shin-Imamiya with only 3 people in the queue? Steady la try liao !
A box of 12 Siew Mai 焼売 - 600 yen, which is SGD 7 HELLO?! That's like 60 cents per siew mai.
Damn cheap and super shiok la!
Doesn't taste very different from Sg la but #cheapthrill leh.
2 Nikuman 豚まん - 340 yen
Wait.. why did I feature the siew mai first instead of this?
HAHAHAH cause it was so underwhelming lor please.
This is one dish that the Japanese have failed to make it magical hahaha.
Both of us can't figure out how the heck did this nikuman make people want to queue so long LOLOL.
Hello, Kitty!
Bimb suddenly v excited about Sumiyoshitaisha Station hahahah.
Sumiyoshi Taisha is one of the oldest Sumiyoshi shrines in Japan,
and famous for its unique style of shrine architecture - which is considered pure.
Sorihashi Bridge - I love this one!
But so hard to climb, I kid you not.
While I lamented that the photos didn't turn out as nice due to the darkening skies,
it is actually pretty nice and tranquil while we were there.
Experience a different side rather than having all the tourists in the background.
Back to civilization after a long day of touristy sightseeing spots!
Visiting the quirky store Alice on Wednesday at Shinsaibashi!
It's a Alice in Wonderland themed whimiscal shop selling earrings, necklaces, themed items.
But we went on a Saturday la. :B
Alice on Wednesday
2-12-25 Nishishinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan
Opening hours:
11 am to 7.30 pm
DISNEY STORE omg I have died and gone to heaven.
you know why it is stock photo.. too excited again hahahahah. #failblogger
Cinderella's glass slipper.. seriously it was on sale for a few hundred dollars.
I was telling my bffs that pok can just propose to me with a pretty Ariel themed ring.
2 for 1000 yen only HAHAHAH.
I am serious though! The monetary value of the ring is not as important as the emotional value (:
EVERYTHING SO KEWT #TAKEMYMONEY
SANRIO STORE ! These two stores are right next to each other oh god total heaven.
This time i rmb to take photo cause of Pompompurin HAHAHAH.
#onlyinjapan will you find a gorgeous white tree which is non-functional and just adds prettiness in stores..
ANYONE who watches the hello kitty anime will rmb this!!! Bamboo princess!
Ahem THIS IS DA BOMB TOO.
Luke's Lobster is not to be missed!!
Got a regular Lobster Roll - 980 yen, or 12 sgd.
LOOK AT THEM THICK CHUNKS OF GORGEOUS LOBSTER MEAT.
The bun is hot and toasted, yet still soft and buttery at the same time.
The lobster is fresh and served chilled, but so the contrast in the temperatures highlights the freshness somehow.
Paired with the lemon butter-mayo sauce..
DO NOT SHARE, I REPEAT. DO NOT SHARE.
okay i gave a bite to bimb but that's all.
even best friends have limits okay HAHAHAHAH #justkidding #notreally #happyglutton !!!
#onlyinjapan even the drain covers also so pretty~
Took a long long walk down shinsaibashi-suji even though most of the stores are closing liao
I guess we just wanted to see what we were missing hahahah wtf sadist.
Conclusion is we have to come back !!
Ending with my snapshot of a parking meter for bicycles.. so amused hahaha.
