#Huxi's Sky#: 14-Day Self-Guided Kansai Trip – D12: Strolling in Osaka in the Rain

June 3, 2025. Originally I planned to spend half a day in Kyoto today and go to Osaka in the afternoon, but when I got up in the morning it was raining, making it inconvenient to go out. So I decided to go to Osaka early. After breakfast at the hotel, I packed my luggage and checked out.

At 10 a.m., I set off for Osaka. It was still raining, and there was almost no cover from the hotel to the subway station.

At around noon, I arrived at the booked hotel (Huazhu - Osaka Sakaisuji Honmachi Hotel, Shinsaibashi Branch). After handing over my passport, the front desk clerk, with a professional smile, politely told me it wasn't check-in time yet. I said no problem, I could store my luggage first. Then the front desk girl switched to Chinese and asked me to wait a moment while she went upstairs to see if there was a room already cleaned. A few minutes later she came back and said we could check in early. Great! Thank you, front desk girl.

We would stay here for two consecutive nights. The room was on the 9th floor, with a small balcony, two double beds, a wardrobe that could fit two 24-inch suitcases, and complete facilities. It felt pretty good.

After settling in, it was already past 1 p.m., so I immediately went out to find food (even though it was still raining). The hotel was in the Dotonbori area, a ten-minute walk to the busiest shopping street. I passed this chain store, whose specialty was grilled skewers, so I went in to try them.

After eating, I began strolling in the rain through Osaka, visiting Shinsaibashi, Dotonbori, and the surrounding shopping areas.

I saw a red GUCCI for the first time.

Around 4 p.m., the rain stopped. I immediately went to Osaka Castle (since I didn't know what the weather would be like tomorrow), but I still missed the opening hours of the Tenshukaku (main keep).

Osaka Castle is very large; it takes 15 to 20 minutes to walk from the subway station to the Tenshukaku.

The Inscribed Stone Square was established in 1983 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the construction of Osaka Castle.

The weather forecast said the rain would stop after 6 p.m., and it was quite accurate. In the evening, I continued exploring Dotonbori.

Starbucks is always so grand.

For dinner, I had sushi. I ordered a tuna sushi set with premium tempura and seafood noodles.

On the way back to the hotel, I passed the grilled skewer shop I had visited in the afternoon. I saw the mascot at the door whose eyes would pop out and then retract. It was very amusing, so I took a photo.

Hotel entrance and lobby.