Osaka, 18.04.24

Osaka, 18th April 2024

We arrived in Kansai Airport around four o'clock in the afternoon directly from Singapore. Immigration was no problem and waiting times not too bad as Kansai is not an enormous airport. We emerged right onto the railway platform and managed to get two tickets for the local train to Namba Station where our hotel was located. Very parochial of me to book the Swissotel Osaka! 

These ticketing machines looked a bit daunting but were quite easy to operate as there was an English button and all instructions came up in English and the station names had all a number next to it. 

The train filled slowly on the way into Osaka, probably mainly workers returning home. The journey was sort of dreary and grey. Just suburb after suburb, housing, apartment blocks, office blocks, factories and shopping centres. Not much greenery at all. 

Namba station was very very busy but we found the hotel soon enough as the lifts came down right into the station. Two floors up and one gets to the reception, lounge and cafe. No problem to check in and we were given room 1704! Now I was very surprised at that. How did they do it? Seventeen is my birthday and four is my birthmonth! Maybe a coincidence? Well I was very pleased with the Swiss even though we were in Japan!

First we checked the facilities of the bedroom and then of the hotel. There was a bar right at the top and we were given two vouchers for welcome drinks. But that had to wait. We wanted first to explore the neighbourhood of the hotel and get something to eat. 

Where to go? Several small roads looked enticing, full of people, restaurants and all kind of shops. We let us to be carried along by the masses always on the lookout for a small bar or restaurant. Down a side alley we saw a queue in front of a food stall and on top was even a Michelin recommendation. Why not. They served a kind of skewer with three balls of something on it and we ordered two and tasted it inside the restaurant. But it was very disappointing and we left most of it. They were in fact dumplings filled with squid. 

Not long after we found a dark little bar and judging by the pictures of the food we thought that it might be a match for us. We got two seat along the bar and ordered two beers. What a surprise! A lovely beer served in a glass with handle. Nice froth on top, fine bubbles, no bitterness and very dry. Just like some German beers. This was going to be our go-to drink for the whole trip!

We ordered skewers of vegetables. They were coated with some crumbs and deep fried and all very delicious. Apparently they deep fry just about anything and everything in Osaka.