Day 6 December 24, 2019
Exploring Osaka
Good morning from Kyoto City!
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We made sure to clean before checking out of our residence.
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We had a nice time in Kyoto. Thanks, Condominium Kokotomaru
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Today is our last day here in the historic city of Kyoto. We'll be heading back to Osaka to explore the city and celebrate Christmas Eve with our Japanese godparents before finally checking in to our home for the night in Oriental Suites Airport Osaka Rinku.
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| One final picture of Condominium Kokotomaru before leaving |
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Team Nicerio off to Osaka
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We started our day in Kokotomaru which was our Air BnB residence in Kyoto City for the past few days. We took the time to clean our rooms with respect to the kind owner(s). We also double-checked our luggage in preparation for its early transfer to our hotel.
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| Purchased our train ticket to Osaka Station |
Yup, that's right, we will send our luggage ahead so that we'll have a hassle-free city tour of Osaka today. However, we actually didn't avail of the conventional Takuhaibin (Japanese delivery service) for our luggage. Instead, our godfather's beautiful daughters drove to our Air BnB residence to pick up our luggage and drop them off at Oriental Suites Airport Osaka Rinku.
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Finally, here's our train!
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After they left, we then checked out of our Air BnB residence and walked to the nearby Kyoto Station. We bought our train tickets to Osakajokoen Station which costs 810 yen per person. The trip took about 44 minutes.
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| Our souvenirs from Starbucks |
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| My mom and dad look like they are enjoying their stroll |
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| More picture-worthy plants around the castle |
From Osakajokoen Station, we walked towards Osaka Castle. On the way, we stopped by a Starbucks branch where I availed an Osaka City tumbler for my collection.
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| A quick photo at Gokuraku-Bashi Bridge before heading to the castle |
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| Team Nicerio at the Osaka Castle grounds |
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Osaka Castle
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We then continued to Osaka Castle and reached the castle grounds a few minutes later. We entered the castle grounds via the Gokuraku-Bashi Bridge. We explored the castle grounds but skipped going to the castle as everyone seems to be hungry already as we didn't eat one before leaving Kyoto.
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| Miraiza Osakajo |
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| Lunch in Miraiza Osakajo |
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| Whoa! A ninja! |
To satisfy our grumbling stomachs, we headed to Miraiza Osakajo to look for food. We ordered some ramen with pork bone-based soup for 750 yen in one of the restaurants. After our late breakfast, we then decided to proceed to our next destination - Dotonbori.
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| Walking to Tanimachiyonchome Station to ride the subway to Dotonbori |
We exited the castle grounds via the Otemon Gate and walked to Tanimachiyonchome Station where we rode the subway train to Honmachi Station. The subway ride costs 180 yen. From there, we transferred to the Midosuji Line to Namba Station. We just added 50 yen to the fare as part of the fare adjustment.
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| A picture with the world-famous Glicoman |
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| Late lunch at Yoshinoya Midosuji Namba |
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| Bought some souvenirs at Don Quixote in Dotonbori |
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A trip to Dotonbori won't be complete without doing this pose.
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We then walked to the very crowded Dotonbori in search of souvenirs and of course to have our picture taken with the famous Glicoman as our backdrop. We didn't stay long though as we headed to the nearby Yoshinoya Midosuji Namba branch for lunch then spent some time buying souvenirs at the Don Quijote store across the river.
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On the train to my godfather's residence in Kumatori
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Exactly after shopping, I received a call from my wife asking us to already head to my godfather's residence in Kumatori. As you can recall, my wife and daughter went ahead to Kumatori yesterday to bond with my godfather's family and also help prepare for the Christmas Eve celebration. So from Don Quixote, we walked back to Namba Station of the Midosuji Line and rode the subway train to Dobutsuen-Mae Station. We then transferred to another train at Shin-Imamiya Station of the Osaka Loop Line going to Kumatori Station. Once we arrived at Kumatori Station, we headed out to the bus stop and rode bus #88 to Mr. Toshi's residence.
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| Finally! We reached Mr. Toshi's residence |
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| Happy to see our wedding photo again. |
Our Christmas Eve celebration with our Japanese family is probably the highlight of today's trip. Our feast was made special by the sukiyaki made by Mr. Toshi and the dessert made by my wife. Just to share, this is our second time to celebrate Christmas Eve with our godfather and his family. The first one was the last 2014. You can check that out by clicking this LINK. Here are some of the photos of our 2019 Christmas Eve celebration:
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2019 Christmas Eve family picture
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After the dinner, Mr. Toshi and his family drove us to Oriental Suites Airport Osaka Rinku where we booked a room for the night. We bade farewell to our Japanese family and promised to see them again soon. We then checked in and were ushered to Room 2405.
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Time to go! Til next time Kameyama family.
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Time to call it a day. Good night everyone!
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Overall, today was our last full day here in Japan. It is probably also the most memorable one for me. Well, that wraps up today's adventure. Now we are looking forward to what tomorrow would bring. Read more:
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