Osaka & Kochi

Today we are in Osaka. It’s a city that all of us have been through several times before. With this in mind we don’t have a very big list of things to do. So the plan is to explore, try a few new things and perhaps return to the boat early if we feel like a rest. We have a leisurely breakfast onboard before heading out. One of the things I enjoy about Holland America is they serve congee for breakfast. Congee is like a rice porridge and something of a comfort food for me. So being able to have it onboard everyday is an awesome benefit. I don’t know if this is the case on other boats, but if not, they should definetly adopt it!

Marufuku Coffee

After disembarking the ship and walking through the port of Osaka we hop on the subway to head into central Osaka. Our first stop is the Hankyu Department store where The Sister has scoped out an awesome coffee shop called Marufuku Coffee.It’s located in one of the main concourses of the department store and is very spacious. They offer delicious drinks and desserts which we avail ourselves of. On top of tasty coffee, I also have some very delicious fluffy pancakes and The Sister has a grass jelly dessert.

Hankyu Stationary Expo

Directly outside of the coffee shop is the Hankyu Stationary Expo. It’s a large market setup with booths from all sorts of vendors. Since we are here we decide to drop by and check it out. There is so much variety and I quickly realize I only have a surface knowledge of the world of stationary! It feels like they have something for everyone. Being one that’s not a big fan of tomatoes they even have stickers dedicated to that!

Don Quijote and Round One

Seeing as we don’t have a lot of big landmarks or tourist attractions to visit in Osaka. One of the things the Sister and I are keen to do is show the Parental Minions some of the things we enjoy when visiting Japan. We navigate our way to a building that has both of these stores and visit Round One First. This is a large Japanese entertainment complex. They have floors of different arcade and gacha machines. They also have floors for things like bowling. It’s a large complex and while its fun to play the games, I get a sense it really isn’t the Parental Minion’s cup of tea. I did however see this Minion themed game in the corner, so I felt obligated to give it a shot!

After Round 1, we head to the Don Quijote floor in the same building. The Parental Minions have never been to this Japanese staple of a store so we spend an hour or two exploring all the awesomeness that is “Donki”. We also make sure to purchase our fair share of different gifts and snacks!

Kagari Osaka

After reaching our shopping Quota, we head over to a ramen store that I’m always happy to revisit, Kagari Osaka. This is a branch of one of my favourite Ramen stores in Tokyo and one that my friend Chef introduced to me on my last trip to Osaka. I didn’t know they branched out so I’m happy to share this discovery with my family. We head in the afternoon to the store and because its between lunch and dinner, the line is very short. We are seated shortly, make our orders and before we know it some delicious chicken ramen is in front of us.

Port of Osaka

Because we are all fairly familiar with Osaka, we decide that we’re happy with our visit and make our way back to the Port of Osaka to board our boat. We spend the early evening relaxing a little onboard and taking in the the nice sunset.

Happy Chinese New Year

As today is Chinese New Years, the Westerdam staff have dedicated the evening towards celebrating! It’s nice to see them celebrate different cultural holidays and seeing all the effort towards decorating is very appreciated. They even have many Asian inspired dishes as long as a lot of whole fruit on offer. We pick up our fair share of food for dinner before making sure we partake in the fruit availability!

After dinner we spend some time relaxing and enjoying the evening before eventually turning in. 

Port of Kochi

The next morning we arrive in Kochi. One of the really pleasant things is they have a welcoming “show” as the boat eases into dock! It includes music and flag wavers! It’s a cool way to come into port and something we’re now looking forward to in other ports! As the Port of Kochi is a bit of distance from the town itself, once we get on the ground we hop in a cab to take us into town.

Kochi Castle

Our first stop is Kochi Castle. The castle seems to be on many people’s recommendations so we decide to make it our first stop. Once we get out of the Taxi, you can see that the castle sits atop a hill that overlooks the city. There is a small park that surrounds the castle grounds on the ground floor after you enter the gates. 

As Mama Minion is dealing with a few mobility issues, she opts to stay at the base of the hill while the rest of us make the short hike up to the Castle. Seeing as the weather is beautiful we’re very happy to slowly make our way up and take in the beautiful sights and scenery on the walk up. Once you arrive at the castle, you need to pay a small entrance fee in order to see in side. You can explore the main floor and the grounds around it. Afterwards you can head into the centre of the castle where there is a set of stairs that will take you to the top of the tower.

There are several floors you need to navigate before you arrive at the top. The stairs are pretty steep and narrow so holding onto the railing is for sure needed. There are different displays on each floor the details the history and construction of the castle. It’s very well laid out. The only issue is navigating both up and down traffic since many of the floors share the same set of stairs.

Once at the top, you have a 360′ view of Kochi. The clear weather makes the view especially pretty today! Kochi is a small and beautiful Japanese town and seeing it from this perspective only reinforces it. Since there’s no time restriction, we spend a fair bit of time taking in the view. As it’s elevated, the breeze that flows through the Castle tower is also very refreshing and welcome! We eventually make our way back down the tower and down the hill and rejoin with Mama Minion.

Hirome Market

A short walk from Kochi Castle is Hirome Market. It’s an indoor market with multiple food stalls and food shops. One of the food’s that Kochi is known for is Bonito Takaki. The fish is seared on the outside while leaving the inside still raw. We order a few selections from one of the vendors and sit down to enjoy. While the food is tasty, I personally don’t find it especially exceptional compared to regular Japanese fare. So I’m happy for the experience, but I’m not sure I’d go out of my way to get bonito tataki, especially since Kochi needs a little extra effort to get to. The food does hit the spot though so I’m still happy to enjoy our lunch here!

Games onboard

After lunch, we wander Kochi’s shopping street before catching a ferry back to port. After settling back down a little we head up to the Westerdam’s Game room, grab some snacks and drinks and settle down to play some games together as a family. The game of choice on this cruise is Mahjong as its something both the Sister and I recently learned. So we spend a few hours enjoying playing and also the shared laughs as a family.

Good Bye Kochi

Soon its time for our ship to sail and we head back out to the side of the boat to see if there are going to be any departure ceremonies. Sure enough there is a small band playing us off as we depart from Kochi into a beautiful sunset. 

Tomorrow we will be arriving in Hiroshima. I only spent a brief time here on a past trip, so I’m looking forward to exploring it once again with a fresh set of travel eyes!