Oh my goodness. Where do I even begin?
The night before our trip, we were up late packing our suitcases, double-checking passports, chargers you know, all the essentials. I was so excited and also lowkey stressed, trying to make sure we didn’t forget anything. Cause you know me, I always forget something!
Then we found out… There is no longer a Limousine Bus to Gimpo Airport from our neighborhood.
So guess what? My sweet father-in-law drove us to the airport at 4:30 AM. Yep. 4:30. In the morning. What a hero.
When we finally got there, the check-in counters weren’t even open yet. We waited around for about 30 minutes, half-asleep but buzzing with excitement. Eventually, we got our tickets.
Kaden was able to do the whole online check-in thingy.
But me? Nope. Since I’m technically an “alien” (hello, ARC life), I had to check in, in person, like it was 2005 or something. Classic.
We flew on Jeju Air. For a flopping 1 hour and 45 minutes to land at Kansai International Airport.
It's a small Airport.
Kaden had already bought our bus tickets so we got on a bus to Umeda Station.
Kaden fell asleep on the bus but I couldn't resist the urge to take pictures.
Everything was so clean and aligned. Literally, the lines of the city were straight and so pleasing to the eyes.
We stayed at Hotel Hankyu Respire Osaka.
It was clean, convenient, and the staff were really nice!!
BUT, we got here early so we asked for luggage service and went out to have lunch.
Eel Rice!!! So, apparently, this place has a super high rating and is a popular tourist spot! I had no idea, I just followed Kaden to wherever he took me.
Kaden ordered a big dish, and I got the regular size. However, including the loads of rice beneath the eel, it was a lot of food! AND.. I'm not a big eater, so the portion was a bit big from my end.
I think this was the best 장어덮밥 I have ever eaten!! Ever!!!
After a very satisfying lunch, we headed outside to walk around.
One thing I noticed was that a lot of Japanese people used clear plastic umbrellas. 다들 편의점 우산을 좋아하나? :)
I was always curious of Japans vending machine culture. I heard and saw on so many YouTube videos that there are literally vending machines around each and every corner. I saw drinks, snacks and even ice cream! But I didn't see any of the bread and cake ones.
I really needed a cup of coffee, and as we walked under the never-ending alleys of food stalls and cafes. We stumbled across HARBS!!! OMG!!! The FAMOUS HARBS!!!!!
(Sorry, I don't have a picture; there was a massive line-up.)
HARBS is a cafe that serves cakes, pies and snacks or light meals. It's famous for it's high cakes and pies that are not too sweet but just perfectly flavored for everyone. The line was too long and the estimated wait time was about an hour so we headed to the cafe next door. ANTICO CAFE.
They too had light meals and snacks, but this was when I first tried to order by myself.
So before I went to Japan, I saw a LOT of videos about traveling to Japan and what not to do.
One of the things that a lot of YouTubers mentioned was that Japanese people don't like it when you start talking to them in English right off the bat.
So I started with SuhMeeMaSang~ and asked if I could get an iced Americano and an Iced Cafe Ore (Latte).
The girl who took my order was super nice and was kind.
After walking around and checking out the neighborhood, we walked around and went shopping for gifts. Our rule of thumb is to purchase ALL gifts on the first day!!!
After a long walk, we went to get Onigiri.
We had to get the Onigiri for take out.
They didn't have seats left and were about to run out of ingredients.
We brought it back to the hotel with something to drink from the FAMILY MART on the first floor.
It wasn't the best, but it was pretty good.
The first day ended with a beer and a very comfy pair of PJs 👍🏻😜♥️
Oh my goodness. Where do I even begin?
The night before our trip, we were up late packing our suitcases, double-checking passports, chargers you know, all the essentials. I was so excited and also lowkey stressed, trying to make sure we didn’t forget anything. Cause you know me, I always forget something!
Then we found out… There is no longer a Limousine Bus to Gimpo Airport from our neighborhood.
So guess what? My sweet father-in-law drove us to the airport at 4:30 AM. Yep. 4:30. In the morning. What a hero.
When we finally got there, the check-in counters weren’t even open yet. We waited around for about 30 minutes, half-asleep but buzzing with excitement. Eventually, we got our tickets.
Kaden was able to do the whole online check-in thingy.
But me? Nope. Since I’m technically an “alien” (hello, ARC life), I had to check in, in person, like it was 2005 or something. Classic.
We flew on Jeju Air. For a flopping 1 hour and 45 minutes to land at Kansai International Airport.
It's a small Airport.
Kaden had already bought our bus tickets so we got on a bus to Umeda Station.
Kaden fell asleep on the bus but I couldn't resist the urge to take pictures.
Everything was so clean and aligned. Literally, the lines of the city were straight and so pleasing to the eyes.
We stayed at Hotel Hankyu Respire Osaka.
It was clean, convenient, and the staff were really nice!!
BUT, we got here early so we asked for luggage service and went out to have lunch.
Eel Rice!!! So, apparently, this place has a super high rating and is a popular tourist spot! I had no idea, I just followed Kaden to wherever he took me.
Kaden ordered a big dish, and I got the regular size. However, including the loads of rice beneath the eel, it was a lot of food! AND.. I'm not a big eater, so the portion was a bit big from my end.
I think this was the best 장어덮밥 I have ever eaten!! Ever!!!
After a very satisfying lunch, we headed outside to walk around.
One thing I noticed was that a lot of Japanese people used clear plastic umbrellas. 다들 편의점 우산을 좋아하나? :)
I was always curious of Japans vending machine culture. I heard and saw on so many YouTube videos that there are literally vending machines around each and every corner. I saw drinks, snacks and even ice cream! But I didn't see any of the bread and cake ones.
I really needed a cup of coffee, and as we walked under the never-ending alleys of food stalls and cafes. We stumbled across HARBS!!! OMG!!! The FAMOUS HARBS!!!!!
(Sorry, I don't have a picture; there was a massive line-up.)
HARBS is a cafe that serves cakes, pies and snacks or light meals. It's famous for it's high cakes and pies that are not too sweet but just perfectly flavored for everyone. The line was too long and the estimated wait time was about an hour so we headed to the cafe next door. ANTICO CAFE.
They too had light meals and snacks, but this was when I first tried to order by myself.
So before I went to Japan, I saw a LOT of videos about traveling to Japan and what not to do.
One of the things that a lot of YouTubers mentioned was that Japanese people don't like it when you start talking to them in English right off the bat.
So I started with SuhMeeMaSang~ and asked if I could get an iced Americano and an Iced Cafe Ore (Latte).
The girl who took my order was super nice and was kind.
After walking around and checking out the neighborhood, we walked around and went shopping for gifts. Our rule of thumb is to purchase ALL gifts on the first day!!!
After a long walk, we went to get Onigiri.
We had to get the Onigiri for take out.
They didn't have seats left and were about to run out of ingredients.
We brought it back to the hotel with something to drink from the FAMILY MART on the first floor.
It wasn't the best, but it was pretty good.
The first day ended with a beer and a very comfy pair of PJs 👍🏻😜♥️