Japan Diaries 2: Day 1

July 04, 2018

Day 1 May 17, 2018

Cup Noodles Museum and Osaka Castle

Good morning, my dear readers!

Good morning from Osaka, Japan!

This is it! It's officially our first full day in Japan. My Japanese godfather - Mr. Toshi told me that it is still spring season this month. Sadly though, the sakura blossom season was already over when we arrived. Regardless, it is not only the sakura tree that blossoms during spring. That's why I made sure that my first agenda on my first day in Japan is to stroll around the neighborhood and take pictures of the flowers that bloom there.

A morning stroll around Tsubasagaokakita in Kumatori

Here are some of the flower photographs that I took around the neighborhood:

When I got back home, we were told that we'd be going out. Because we knew how our Japanese family is, we were already prepared the moment we woke up. It only took us a few minutes to finalize what we need to bring and true enough, it only took several minutes before we heard Mr. Toshi's famed "Let's go!".

Cup Noodles Museum

Our first destination today was the Cup Noodles Museum in Ikeda City in Osaka Prefecture. However, before we headed there, we drove first to Suita City to meet Mr. Toshi's daughter Akiko, who also joined us on our trip. The Cup Noodles Museum was only a short distance drive from Ms. Akiko's residence. We were lucky that during our arrival, there were only a handful of people in the museum. This made our trip enjoyable as the place was not too big (despite looking like it from the outside).

Instant Ramen Tunnel

Designing our own cup

Here's my cup design

Team Nicerio visits the Cup Noodle Museum

We learned about the history of the world's first instant noodles from the numerous interactive displays. The highlight of our visit was the "design your own cup activity". For just 300 yen we got to design our own cup noodle container and create our unique mix of cup noodle flavor. It was really a perfect souvenir (and meal probably).

Inside Aeon Mall in Itami

Lunchtime in Aeon Mall - Itami

It was lunchtime when we finished our activity. Surprisingly, nobody wanted to eat noodles for lunch so we headed to the nearby AEON Mall in Itami City in Hyogo Prefecture and ate in one of the restaurants there.

Osaka Castle

Look who got tired walking around Osaka Castle Park

Ref magnets!!! (Our favorite souvenir. Hehe.)

Look who's enjoying this

Our day didn't end there though as we drove off to Osaka Castle. Although the castle was already closed when we arrived, its park area, food stalls, and souvenir shops were still open. We bought some snacks and souvenirs in Miraiza Osaka-jo which is located in front of the castle tower. We stayed there a bit and enjoyed each other's company.

A kid-friendly interactive screen in Expo City mall

Before, going home, we drove to the Expo City Mall in Suita City for our dinner. Afterward, we drove Ms. Akiko to her home. (On the side note: Today was the first and last time that we'd get to see Ms. Akiko and her children during our 22-day stay in Japan as they were very busy with work and school.)

Overall, I think it is safe to say that it was a fun day for everyone. This day truly brought in a lot of memories as I got to see Osaka Castle again after 4 years. The cup designing was also worth the time. To cap it off, I felt really excited about what tomorrow would bring.