Osaka – the final part of the trip

After Kyoto, I went to Osaka, and here the mood changed again. If Tokyo seemed huge and fast–moving to me, Kyoto seemed calm and atmospheric, then Osaka turned out to be more relaxed, noisy and somehow very lively. Here I immediately enjoyed just walking the streets, looking at the signs, looking into the shops and watching the people.

Osaka opens up especially well in the evening, when the signs light up and the streets become even more lively. I was walking around the Dotonbori area, looking at the huge restaurant signs, and at some point I realized that I had come to Japan not only for the temples and beautiful architecture. Sometimes the most interesting thing is just to walk down the street and see how the ordinary life of the city works.

Sushi

And, of course, the food in Osaka deserved special attention. This time I ordered sushi and tried other local dishes, told myself several times that I had definitely had enough for today, and then twenty minutes later I found myself again near some small establishment. At some point, I realized that my route through Osaka could already be divided not by sights, but by snacks, because it looked much more logical that way.

How I allocated the week

If you look at the whole trip now, I divided the week like this: I gave the first three days to Tokyo, devoted two days to Kyoto, and left two more days for Osaka. This route turned out to be quite intense for me, but it did not turn into an endless race between train stations, temples and a hotel.

In Tokyo, I focused on neighborhoods, modern urban life, and public transportation, because that's where I wanted to feel the scale of the Japanese capital and see what it looks like at night. 

Kiyomizu-dera

Kyoto was reserved for quieter walks, temple complexes, traditional architecture and the atmosphere of old Japan, and Osaka was used as the final part of the trip, where you could relax a little, walk a lot and eat everything that caught your eye.

What I realized after a week in Japan

The main discovery for me was that Japan does not look at all like a country that can be properly understood from photographs or short videos on the Internet. Yes, I saw famous places, tasted local food, rode trains and walked a huge number of kilometers, but most of all I remember the usual moments: small streets, vending machines, stations, evening shops, quiet areas and the feeling of how different everything around me is from my usual life.

Traveling by train is quite convenient. I realized that a week in Japan can be made very eventful if you plan your route in advance and don't try to accommodate everything every day. Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka seem to complement each other well, because after the huge capital, it's nice to find yourself in a quieter Kyoto, and then switch to the bustling and gastronomically carefree Osaka.

And I finally became convinced that Japanese public transport is terrible only for the first couple of hours. Then you start to look at the map quite confidently, find the right platform, and even feel a certain inner sense of pride when the train departs exactly when it is written in the timetable. However, somewhere inside there is still a small voice that reminds: "Don't relax, we are in Japan after all."

Dotombori, Osaka

When I flew home, I had a strange feeling that I was just getting to know this country. In one week, I managed to see Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, but instead of wanting to tick off Japan, I had a completely different desire – to return and see what was left off the route this time. This is probably the best indicator of a successful trip: when you return home with a suitcase full of things and photos, and your head is already starting to come up with a new route.