Autumn, Let's Embark on a Warm and Romantic Journey (Osaka-Kyoto 7-Day Independent Tour)

Some love spring because of its sea of flowers and willow smoke; some love summer because of its vitality and lush green; some love winter because of its snow-covered landscapes and majestic scenes. But I have a special fondness for autumn, because it leaves me with warm and romantic memories.

At the end of September, when autumn arrives, the long-awaited trip to Japan finally began.

We departed from Shanghai Pudong Airport. Early in the morning, there weren't many people at the airport. We ordered a bowl of wontons and a serving of xiaolongbao.

After filling our stomachs, we prepared to board. Osaka, here we come.

We picked up the pre-booked WiFi (Ninja WiFi) directly at the airport and exchanged a small amount of Japanese yen (the exchange rate at the airport is very low, it's better not to exchange there; it's recommended to exchange at a foreign currency exchange bank in the city for a better rate).

We bought train tickets from the airport to the city center. (This was also our first time in Japan, and we didn't know a word of Japanese, relying on broken English and recognizing Chinese characters in Japanese to find our way.) Japan's train system is very convenient, with various train routes and subways connecting everywhere, so if you have time, you can definitely try to find your way by yourself. It's really not that difficult.

The hotel we booked online was in a bustling area, about 400 meters from the subway station. Shopping, dining, sightseeing, and transportation were all very convenient. Even though the hotel was in a busy district, it was not noisy at all. The soundproofing was excellent, and it was very clean. The facilities were complete, with vending machines, washing machines, dryers, a designated smoking room, and luggage storage.

HOTEL THE FLAG Shinsaibashi

1-18-30 Chuo-ku Higashishinsaibashi, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan

Opened: 2018

If you want to stay in the Shinsaibashi/Namba area of Osaka, Hotel the Flag Shinsaibashi will be a convenient choice. It is easily accessible, just a short walk from Shinsaibashi Station.

Since we arrived in the evening, we went to a nearby izakaya, ordered two glasses of beer, had a simple meal, and then returned to the hotel to rest.

Tomorrow, our romantic journey in Japan will truly begin.

Since it was our first time, we didn't know where to buy breakfast or what Japanese breakfasts are like, so we chose a hotel with breakfast included.

Honestly, that was a great decision. The hotel's breakfast was very substantial, with congee suitable for Asian tastes and Western-style buttered bread. The environment was nice and very clean.

This time, we didn't plan to visit all the popular Instagram spots; we just wanted to stroll around some characteristic attractions, taking it easy, relaxing, and slowly experiencing everything. If we liked it, we planned to come again.

After breakfast, we turned left out of the hotel, walked 50 meters, and there were all kinds of drugstores, shopping malls, brand-name stores, and a long pedestrian street. The best part was that the street was covered, so we didn't have to worry about rain or sun affecting our shopping.

Since it was our first day here and shopping felt a bit early, we just looked around, bought a piece of cheesecake, and continued walking through the crowd.

Passing through this pedestrian street, we arrived at the famous Shinsaibashi.

Walking along, we entered the most lively and bustling area of Osaka, Dotonbori. It was truly packed with people, dazzling the eyes.

We turned into a small street and headed to Tenryuzan Hozenji Temple.

After making a wish, we continued wandering around the nearby streets. There were noticeably fewer tourists here, and the streets were not as crowded.

Feeling a bit tired, we came across a ramen shop with a sign claiming it was the number one ramen in Namba.

Since we were a bit hungry, we decided to give it a try.

It seems Japanese people especially love soup noodles with gyoza and fried rice, all staple foods. But the portion of fried rice was small, and we were full. The soup was good, and it tasted much better than the popular Ichiran Ramen (we tried Ichiran later, and honestly, it wasn't as good as this small shop).

This was totally a random choice, but it turned out to be quite good.

After eating and drinking our fill, we planned to go back to the hotel to rest, as Dotonbori is also very lively at night.

We walked the entire day without using any transportation. We downloaded Google Maps on our phones, which made getting around quite convenient. Before coming, we read some travel guides online: taxis in Japan are very expensive, but in a big city like Osaka, subways and trains are very convenient and widespread. The Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi areas are concentrated, and you can't fully explore the shops here in just two days. It felt great to walk through the streets and alleys, with small surprises popping up from time to time.

As we neared the hotel, we noticed a seafood restaurant in the alley to the left of the hotel. It seemed to serve king crab (just look at that huge sign—you can guess it). Maybe we'll try it one day.

Dotonbori at night was still bustling and lively. We found a riverside barbecue place, ordered two glasses of beer and some skewers, sat comfortably by the river, enjoyed the night view, and savored the food, happily ending our first day in Osaka.

Later, we'll go back to the hotel to rest well and continue tomorrow.

Tomorrow's itinerary: Kuro Market - Tempozan Ferris Wheel - Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan - Umeda Sky Building

We got up early again and enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the hotel. Although the breakfast was good, we regretted it a bit because the first stop of today's trip was Kuro Market, where we should have come hungry.

Today we took the subway, which was very convenient. The hotel was not far from the market, just a few stops away.

We ate too much seafood, so we quickly bought two slices of super sweet melon. Although expensive, it was really sweet, like honey.

Kuro Market felt like a morning market. It's best to come here in the morning—great selection, fresh, fresh, fresh.

Also, don't eat too much before coming.

First stop today: Kuro Market, perfect.

We continued on the subway to our next destination: Tempozan Ferris Wheel and Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.

Tempozan Ferris Wheel - Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

After exiting the subway and turning a corner, we could see the Tempozan Ferris Wheel in the distance. If we had time, we could queue up, buy tickets, and go up to check it out. But it was a bit cloudy today, and the line was long, so we decided to just look from afar and not go up. We went straight to the aquarium, which also had a queue.

Osaka Aquarium is really a great place. Whether you're a marine enthusiast, a couple, or a family with kids, you should come here.

The whole process takes almost half a day, and queuing takes a long time.

Tired, we rested at the café inside the aquarium, ordered a coffee, and bought a super-long hot dog...

After resting, we went to see the jellyfish pavilion.

With that, our visit to Osaka Aquarium came to a satisfying end.

As we walked out of the aquarium, we unexpectedly saw a beautiful sightseeing boat docked nearby. On a whim, we decided to take a ride.

We enjoyed the sea breeze and viewed Osaka's scenery from the water.

This was the Santa Maria sightseeing boat.

After sailing around and taking some nice photos, we disembarked and headed to Umeda Sky Building.

From there, you can see the entire Osaka panorama.

Umeda Sky Building

Walking from the aquarium to the station, we passed a small police station.

We took the light rail to Umeda.

Right outside the station was a large shopping center.

From there, it was still a bit of a walk to Umeda Sky Building, but the building was tall and visible from afar, so we couldn't get lost.

Near the building, we followed the signs, bought tickets, took an elevator, went up, and took another elevator—to get to the observation deck, we needed to take even more elevators.

Perfect. We watched the sunset from the Umeda Sky Building, creating a perfect memory.

After leaving Umeda Sky Building, we took the subway to Osaka's Tsutenkaku.

Tsutenkaku (Shinsekai)

You must come here at night. It's brilliantly lit, with various Japanese-style restaurant signs. Choosing what to eat will definitely be a difficult decision.

With that, the second day's Osaka itinerary ended. We took the subway back to the hotel, rested well, and prepared to visit Osaka's landmark, Osaka Castle, tomorrow.

Early in the morning, we took the subway to Osaka Castle Park. Be mentally prepared—the park is quite large. There's a considerable walk from the subway station to the park, and then another long walk to the castle itself. So if it's too sunny, bring an umbrella and carry two bottles of water.

Before we knew it, half the day had passed. We decided to have lunch near the hotel.

We tried this Ichiran Ramen.

How to put it? It was just a check-in, but honestly, it wasn't that tasty.

After eating, we went back to the hotel to rest. We planned to have dinner nearby as well. Tomorrow we were going to Kyoto.

After resting, we changed clothes. It was a bit chilly in the evening.

We strolled around the streets.

We wandered into some stores.

We saw a takoyaki shop that looked good.

We bought a cosplay outfit for our cat.

Feeling tired from walking, we found a restaurant to sit down and have some sashimi.

We happily returned to the hotel early to pack, ready to head to Kyoto tomorrow.

We got up early again, had our last breakfast at this hotel, checked out, and set off for Kyoto.

We soon arrived at Kyoto Station. Japan's trains are really developed—various sizes, styles, colors, and types.

This time, we booked a guesthouse.

It looked quite unique, so we wanted to give it a try.

The small decorations inside were very interesting.

My favorite was the courtyard. You could brew a pot of tea, place two pastries, and quietly gaze at the courtyard, letting your mind go blank. You could spend an entire day like this, thinking of nothing.

We bought some food at the supermarket and planned to rest well today, recharge, and explore Kyoto properly tomorrow.

From the guesthouse, we took a two-stop tram ride and arrived in central Kyoto early in the morning.

Following Google Maps, we walked through small alleys and reached Nishiki Market.

This time we didn't have breakfast, so we could eat more here.

We turned into a matcha ice cream shop and ordered two desserts.

After finishing the desserts, we continued shopping.

We saw some good-looking oysters, so beer with oysters it was.

After eating, we continued exploring. You could spend a week here and still not see everything. The ancient, traditional streets are truly captivating.

We entered a very hidden dessert shop.

We rested a bit and then continued shopping.

As dusk fell, we had pretty much finished exploring. Since it was cold at night, we bought some clothes at a nearby department store.

Finally, we chose a restaurant with a nice atmosphere among the many in the old town.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner there.

With that, the beautiful and romantic one-day tour of Kyoto came to an end.

Kyoto is truly beautiful. If you want to fully experience and appreciate it, you can plan anywhere from 3 to 7 days.

But our trip didn't include much this time. I'm really looking forward to our next trip to Japan. Kyoto, we will come back.

On the last day, we returned to Osaka and started shopping—various drugstores, duty-free shops.

This time we checked into another hotel.

It was very clean, and the service was excellent. When you checked in, they would wipe your suitcase clean, even the wheels.

The breakfast was also very substantial.

That day, we just shopped and ate, preparing to return to Shanghai tomorrow.

The trip to Osaka and Kyoto was really beautiful and romantic. I believe we will have the opportunity to go there again in the future, to once again seek the memories of autumn.

Travelogue Directory: 1. Depart from Shanghai Pudong Airport 2. Day 1: Osaka Shinsaibashi - Dotonbori 3. Day 2: Osaka Kuro Market - Kaiyukan - Umeda Sky Building 4. Day 3: Osaka Osaka Castle - Dotonbori 5. Day 4: Depart for Kyoto 6. Day 5: Kyoto Nishiki Market - Kamo River - Yasaka Shrine 7. Day 7: Return to Osaka for shopping 8. Last Day: Return to Shanghai