Japan Diaries: Day 12

Day 12 December 30, 2014

Nishikinohama Beach Park, Dotonbori, & Osaka Castle

Good morning Japan! Two more days and it's Near Year already!

Is that a ship's mast?

While eating breakfast, Mr. Toshi informed us that he will bring us to a scenic place. By this time we were used to unplanned trips already, that the first thing that we do first thing in the morning is to wear our heat tech clothes and pants. Aside from that, we take our bath at night too. In that way, we won't be rushing to take a bath in case of a sudden plan to travel.

Nishikinohama Beach Park

After a fast preparation, Mr. Toshi and Ms. Taeko brought us to Nishikinohama Beach Park. Like what the name implies it is a combination of a park and a beach and like what Mr. Toshi said, the place was truly scenic. It is a great place to bond with the family too, kids would surely love the well-maintained playground in the park. As a matter of fact, my daughter enjoyed playing on the rides of the playground. I, on the other hand, enjoyed picking seashells and collecting sand at the beach... as for my wife, she enjoyed the slide in the playground.

Thanks, Mr. Toshi and Ms. Taeko for playing with Ella.

Run for your life!

Team Nicerio bonding moments

Team Nicerio on Nishikinohama Beach Park

After almost an hour of enjoying the scenery and the attractions of the park, Mr. Toshi told us that we would be leaving. I thought that we were heading home because Mr. Toshi needs to report for work. However, he brought us to Nishikihama Station of the Nankai Line. There we met Ms. Sawa and her son Ryu. They will actually be accompanying us to Dotonbori (one of the most famous districts of Osaka Prefecture) while Mr. Toshi and Ms. Taeko would be heading back home.

Nankai Rapi:t train AKA Nankai Kuko Line

Nankai Namba Station

For the record, this would be the first time that I will ride a Nankai train. What's special about this trip was that we got to ride the Nankai Rapi:t train. I could compare it to a high-class airplane complete with stewardesses and luxury seats but minus the pre-flight safety procedures.

Next stop: Dotonbori

The Glico man!

When we arrived at the Namba station, we had to walk several meters going to Dotonbori. Upon seeing a part of Dotonbori, my initial reaction was that I wanted to turn back and flee because of the swarm of people in the area. In my estimate, there were probably more people in Dotonbori than in Universal Studios Japan during our visit there a few days back. Anyway, we still braved the crowd and were rewarded with the sense of "I'm finally here!" upon seeing the most famous landmark of Dotonbori -the Glico man. At that point, we were reunited with Ms. Akiko and her children who also came to accompany us today.

Hozenji

They brought us first to Hozenji which is also in the vicinity of Dotonbori before having late lunch at Mcdonald's (Honestly, there's a part of me that celebrated when I first took a bite out of my burger because probably I missed the taste of some fast food.)

Osaka Castle

Tried some shuriken throwing game and lost it.

Ms. Sawa left us after lunch because she needs to go to work. We then met up with Mr. Takumi (Akiko's husband) who are waiting for us in the car in a place with very few people outside Dotonbori... and surprise surprise, he brought us to Osaka Castle! Oh, man! Talk about back-to-back blessings.

The Backpack Adventures in Osaka Castle

Our adventure didn't end there though, we drove back to Kumatori and attended a get-together dinner with Ms. Akiko's high school friends. We got to meet Mr. Ryuske who later became very close to us. I could safely say that the Japanese have the same level of hospitality as we Filipinos have. 

Overall, our day ended with a bang! We got to see new places, meet new friends, and created unforgettable memories. 

Read more:

• Nishikinohama Beach Park
• Dotonbori
• Hozenji
• Osaka Castle

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