Osaka
After disembarking from the Sunflower Ferry, we hop on the train to head to our Osaka hotel. The Lively Osaka will be our home for the next few days and has a modern vibe to it. Because we’re arriving early, we don’t get to check in right away but do drop off our luggage. Soon after we head out to the Osaka Aquarium.
One of the things I unforgivably forgot to pack on this trip were my minions! Thankfully on our way to the aquarium I stumble upon a vending machine selling minion keychains. So I quickly rectify my mistake by picking one of these guys up for the rest of the trip!
Osaka Aquarium
Upon arriving we spend a little time outside waiting for our reserved timeslot to enter the Aquarium. It’s a beautiful sunny day so it makes hanging outside easier while we wait, albeit warm!
When our timeslot comes around we enter and head to the very top floor of the aquarium. The pathing to explore the aquarium starts at the top on the 8th floor and you make your way down through the various exhibits. It would be too much to go through all the exhibits, so I’ll just touch on a few of them.
Ever since my trip to Antarctica, I’ve always been fascinated by penguins. So seeing a really large penguin exhibit is something I’ll always have time for. There are two areas dedicated to these loveable animals and we spend a bit of time enjoying their manerisms.
The main draw for the aquarium is their big pacific ocean tank. It houses many awesome sea life but one of the big attractions is the whale shark. The tank is several stories high and very expansive. We spend a majority of our time walking around the tank and checking out the animals from all different angles.
There are also smaller exhibits that talk about different types of life in the water and also some out of it. The Osaka Aquarium has a lot to offer and a lot to see. It’s fairly comprehensive and we spend the better part of the day here.
Osakako Yakiniku
After our time at the Aquarium, we head to a nearby yakiniku place for lunch called Osakako Yakiniku. My friends had visited here before meeting me in Beppu and enjoyed it. So we visit for lunch. Instead of doing yakiniku they have these lunch bowls you can order which is what we all did. It’s quite tasty and really hits the spot!
Dotonbori
After lunch we head to Dotonbori which is a very popular tourist area. Because not everyone in our group has visited this area, we decide to walk around the area and explore it as a group! We spend a little time walking along the streets and in some of the underground shopping areas. Eventually its time to check in so we make our way to the hotel to settle in and refresh ourselves a little bit.
Ginza Kagari Lucua
In the evening, salmonella has dinner plans with a friend in town. So Touchpad, Chef and family and I head to a ramen shop that is recommended to Chef! It isn’t until I arrive that I realize its the sister restaurant to one of my favourite Ramen restaurants in Tokyo. Ginza Kagari Lucua. It’s a ramen with a very rich and flavourful chicken broth and after waiting in line for about 20 minutes we get seats and have dinner!
It’s been a fairly long day, so after dinner we all head back to our hotel to settle down and turn in. Tomorrow we’ll be heading to Kyoto to check out the newly opened Team Labs.
Poor Minion!