Surviving Tsuyu: Osaka - Day 1

I have prepared a complete itinerary for Osaka. However, due to the weather, we played by ear most of the time. If it's raining, we will opt for indoor activities. It was drizzling when we got out of the hotel at 12 that day, so we decided to go to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan which is located at the Tempozan Harbour Village. We took the subway from Osaka Station to Hommachi (Midosuji Line) and exchange to Chuo Line to get to the Osakako Station. The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is about 5-10 mins walking distance from the subway. U can also use JR Train but its quite far from the place. There is no signage once you get out from the subway station , neither you would see the Aquarium from the station. So I would say, just follow the crowd. People who get down at this station would normally go to the Aquarium.

Intersection outside the Osakako Station. Walk the opposite direction.

Tempozan Market Place from afar. Kaiyukan is just nearby.

We bought the Osaka Kaiyu Ticket from Osaka Station which entitle us to enter Kaiyukan + unlimited Subway ride within Osaka City for 1 day at 2,550 yen. Admission to Kaiyukan itself costs 2,300 yen, so i think its worth to buy this ticket if you intend to explore the city further after visiting the aquarium. The Kaiyu Ticket can be bought at the Osaka Station Tourist Information Centre located on the 1st Floor (Refer to my previous post for more info). The tickets can't be bought at Kaiyukan itself.

The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan was SUPER packed on that weekend. I was surprised to see the crowd upon entering the Aquarium area - we can barely see anything as it is totally crowded. Luckily Q is small and she squeezed in between the crowd to get to the front and look at the animals / fishes.  She was super excited and enjoyed very much looking at the huge fishies / penguins and sea creatures. The crowd was concentrated at the entrance of the aquarium -  it got better further inside the aquarium as the crowd disperse. 

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

the crowd - its much worse near to the entrance

From it's website, it said that Kaiyukan is one of the largest aquarium in the world. Indeed it was the largest i have ever seen in my life. It was divided into a few sections but what I remembered the most is the pacific ocean tank. The gigantic pacific ocean tank housed a HUGE whale shark called ‘Yu-chan’. It was really amazing seeing the sea creatures of the pacific ocean - which was something alien to us.

 

The Pacific Ocean Tank

 Dolphin Tank

Yu Chan

 

We spent about 2++ hours inside the Aquarium and when we went outside there was a street performance. Although the performer spoke Japanese, Q enjoyed the show very much. It was 3.30 pm ++ and we were really hungry but Q won't budge until the performance end.

street performance

Tempozan Marketplace - which also houses a huge Ferris Wheel- I wonder if its the same Ferris Wheel depicted in the anime "Honey & Clover"

We had lunch at Bab Ul Hayat, a halal turkish buffet restaurant which is located inside the Tempozan Market Place (3F). It was quite pricey but the food was delish! Make sure that you are really2 hungry to get your money's worth. However, alternatively there is a small kebab joint on the way from the subway station to Osakako. A meal there costs less than 800 yen. We were really famished by then to walk to that place, so we had lunch at Bab Ul Hayat instead.

Bab Ul Hayat

Turkish fare- its very different from Malaysian cuisine, but delish!

After that, we went shopping at Shinsaibashi Suji- a major shopping area. It is located just 2 stations away from Umeda Station. However, from Osakako we have to go back to Hommachi to exchange to the Midosuji line which is a couple of stations away. Shinshaibashi Suji is a long stretch of covered street dedicated for shopping. It is a very busy street with a lot to see. I was really overwhelmed and wasn't able to concentrate on shopping - the thing i normally do best :P. It doesn't help that Q was really acting out and we were super exhausted. I just bought a straw hat at Uniqlo that night. Also went into Daiso - it's better to shop at Daiso here as yen has fallen and the price is cheaper from Malaysia by a few cents :) Also packed some Sushi to go for dinnah *yum!* 

like like like

Shinsaibashi Suji

My favourite three....

Sushi To Go

-End of Day 1-