Karen Travels: Day 2 in Japan: Osaka

After a restless night due to jet lag, it was time to depart for Osaka! The plan was to explore Osaka in a day and spend a night there. Boy, was that a journey! A very long journey. Good thing my brother and I woke up super early to get a head start.

Form Instructions

Right after check-out, we thought it would be a smart idea to utilize Japan's TA-Q-Bin service. It is essentially a deliver service, much like UPS or FedEx in the US. We used TA-Q-Bin to send our luggage to our hotel in Kyoto, which we planned to stay at in 2 days. This service is known for its timely deliveries and luggage usually require 24hrs to deliver. The reception desk is typically kind enough to help travelers with the delivery form, so don't worry if you don't understand Japanese. I noticed our receptionist at the Narita Excel Hotel didn't weigh our baggage, but did charge us by piece and distance. We paid about $12 US Dollars per suitcase from Narita to Kyoto, which wasn't bad at all.

Now onto our commuting adventure!

Tokyo Station

If you plan to use public transportation or ride the shinkansen (Bullet Train) even once, it might be worth investing in a Japan Rail Pass. This is a ground transportation pass that allows you access pretty much anywhere on the Japan Rail network. I rode on the shinkansen 5 times and took the local trains daily so I saved a lot. The pass can only be used by foreigners with a foreign passport. I'm guessing it's to increase tourism in the country. This is the site my brother and I bought ours from: www.jrpass.com. Only authorized sellers can distribute these; be wary of scams.

Front cover of pass

Stamps show # of shinkansen rides

Inside NEX

We went from our hotel in Narita to Tokyo station to get our passes. The pass gave us access on the Narita Express, bringing us to Tokyo station in about 45min.

From there, we went straight to Shin-Osaka Station.

Hikari Shinkansen

For hotel, we stayed at the Yamatoya Honten in Osaka. They offer traditional Japanese style rooms, Ryokan, which might be something you want to try out. Check out my full review on Tripadviser.

In our time in Osaka, we went to the Osaka Castle Park, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, and Doutonbori Bashi. For dinner, we ate at Mizuno, a ridiculously popular okonomiyaki joint. Yes I know it doesn't seem like we did a lot, but give us a break. We only had a day!