After flying to Osaka on ANA, I arrived at the Ritz Carlton.
I spent the first evening floating down the Dotonbori river on an Osaka Wonder cruise, then hit the Kuromon Ichiba Market in the morning. Popular with tourists, it still has a real neighborhood market feel, full of locals and chefs, so much so that they’ve nicknamed it: ‘Osaka’s kitchen’. The Tako Yaki – octopus dumpling balls – were steaming hot and super tasty!
The next day, just before sunrise, I visited Osaka Castle in Chūō-ku, one of Japan’s most famous historical landmarks. It’s a beautiful testament to the city’s history, right bang in the middle of an urban high-rise city, and the renovation in 1997 took it back to its former glory.