Hello from Osaka! Wow, we’ve arrived in Japan! It’s very busy here. There are people everywhere. We’re not used to this level of pedestrian traffic, but it looks exciting. Our flight was uneventful and we were through immigration in about an hour. We then took the train to Osaka and checked into our hotel near Dotonbori. There are so many places to eat here, it’s amazing. We went for a walk and had takoyaki and ramen. It was delicious. Ramen in the US costs twice as much, and doesn’t taste half as good. Man, I love Japan. We saw many different dishes that we wanted to try. Our stomachs will get a hard workout for the next nine days. Heh heh… Osaka is the street food capital of Japan.
Have a snack with us
Well, have I made you hungry yet? This was my intention because you can try Japanese snacks at home too. Before we left, I got a Sakurako box to encourage us on this trip. Each SakuraCo box comes with 20 authentic Japanese snacks, teas, and Japanese home goods items and a mini guide on where each item came from. It’s very impressive.
This month, the Sakurako Fund focused on the Tohoku region north of Tokyo. We will travel through this area on the second daySecond abbreviation Half of our trip so it was perfect. The snacks in this box were delicious. They were much more complex than the usual popular American snacks. American snacks are full of sugar and artificial flavors. They’re good, but not very satisfying.
Sakurako’s snacks were more complicated. The sweet potato cubes were sweetened with sugar, but the sweet potatoes came through. The gingerbread cracker was crispy and not too overpowering. My favorite was the baby shrimp tempura. They were made with real shrimp! Mmm, crunchy tails. Mrs RB40 and our son didn’t like this, but they liked everything else. Their favorite was the peach konjac jelly. Delicious…it’s made with real peaches, not just artificial flavors.
Each box comes with one household good. In this month’s box was Neko Tenegui. It is a light cotton hand towel. It’s perfect as reusable gift wrap. check it out. I will be picking up 20 of these covers on this trip. They will be the perfect accompaniment to the ceramic bowls you made. This Christmas, our friends and families will receive a beautiful reusable bowl and wrapper.
Well, you can Subscribe to the Sakurako Fund here. The price isn’t cheap, but I haven’t seen these snacks in our Asian grocery store. Authentic Japanese snacks are very expensive in the US, and I think the price is comparable, so you’re getting a pretty good deal. Finally, Tenugui at our local gift shop cost between $12-$20. I think the subscription box is worth the price if you enjoy Japanese culture.
Our trip to Japan
You can see our schedule below. Now that I’m a little older, I’m trying to slow down a bit and enjoy the ride more. I am very flexible on this journey. I only have two activities listed for each day. We will walk around and explore more. If we’re tired, we’ll take a break.
In the past, I’ve tended to overschedule our time, so this is my attempt to relax more. 2Second abbreviation Half of the flight will be very crowded. We’ll fly to Sapporo and take a winding train ride around the Tohoku region. I enjoy rail travel so I thought it would be a lot of fun. In particular, you have reserved 3 seats for us in Shiricami Resort. It is a 6-hour scenic drive from Aomori to Akita with many stops and activities along the way. I’m looking forward to it.
This may be the last time we travel this way. I’m starting to feel my age and want to spend more time in one place. Next time we come to Japan, I plan to stay in one city for 3 months. I’m thinking of coming here to study pottery.
| 2 activities | |
| Day 1 – Osaka | Check-in and tour in Dotonbori |
| Day 2 – Osaka | Den Den City and Shinsekai |
| Day 3 – Kyoto | Tenjin San Gear Flea Market (View) |
| Day 4 – Osaka | Osaka Castle and Umeda area |
| Day 5 – Osaka | Tenjinbashi and explore Kita Pavilion |
| Day 6 – Nara | Day trip to Uji and Nara |
| Day 7 – Kyoto | Kiyomizu Dera and Robert Yellen Gallery |
| Day 8 – Osaka | Osaka Aizen Festival and Tennoji Park |
| Day 9 – Osaka | Pottery classes and Osaka Aquarium |
| Day 10 – Noboribetsu | Fly to Hokkaido and go to Noboribetsu Onsen |
| Day 11 – Sapporo | Morning in Noboribetsu. Travel to Sapporo. |
| Day 12 – Sapporo | Odori Park and Mount Moiwa |
| Day 13 – Hakodate | Goryokaku and Mount Hakodate |
| Day 14 – Aomori | Nebuta Museum and Factory |
| Day 15 – Akita | Enjoyable train ride – Shiricami Resort |
| Day 16 – Sendai | Day trip to Matsushima Bay |
| Day 17 – Nico | Tourism in Nikko City |
| Day 18 – Tokyo | Niko in the morning and then head to Tokyo in the afternoon. |
| Day 19 – Tokyo | Free day around Ueno |
| Day 20 – Thailand | Fly to Thailand |
That’s all for today. I’m on the road for six weeks. I might miss a post or two. Have a great summer!
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