Osaka
2026-07-17
Today we went to Kyoto to attend some workshops my mom signed us up for. The matcha tea ceremony that my sister was supposed to attend was at 11:00 but we arrived 6 minutes late, so we had to reschedule to 12:30 and went to eat lunch at Okoshiyasu. I had 9 small dishes, steamed rice, and miso soup. The owner spoke a bit of English and we also met a Finnish couple who were here on a work vacation. After lunch, we dropped my sister off at the tea ceremony and ate shaved ice at Kikusui. Then, we picked my sister up and went to the ring-making workshop. We made rings from coins by punching a hole in the middle of the coin and shaping it into a ring. Afterwards, we went to a Kintsugi workshop where we repaired a broken plate with urushi lacquer and powdered gold. Our guide was a university exchange student from Spain. She likes Rhythm Heaven (a Nintendo game). After the workshop, we went to eat dinner at Gyukatsu. Then, we went to the seventh floor of Takashimaya to play a demo of Rhythm Heaven in the Nintendo shop. We then went to Round1 to play maimai. After an hour of playing we went back home. On the way, we bought croissants from Mignon at Osaka Station. The only flavors left were blueberry and sweet potato and they were delicious.
Lunch at Okoshiyasu:
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Shaved ice at Kikusui:
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Kamo River from Shijo Bridge:
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Ring made from quarter dollar:
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Kintsugi:
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Dinner at Gyukatsu:
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2026-07-18
Today I woke up at 11:00 and we went to eat lunch at Sapporo Soup Curry Jack. I had the chicken veggie curry and it was delicious. Then, we went to Namba Walk and I bought a wide-brimmed hat from Uniqlo. We walked around a bit and went to Daiso before going to Maccha House, where I had matcha tiramisu. After eating, we went to Round1, but left because there were too many people playing maimai. We went to GiGO and it was the same deal, so we just played maimai at GiGO. After playing for an hour or two, we ate strawberry daifuku from Strawberry Mania. Then we went back to the hotel to drop off the shopping bags my mom got while I was playing maimai with my siblings. For dinner, we went to Gyoza no Ohsho near Daikokucho Station. I had mapo tofu and gyoza. Finally, we headed back home.
Lunch at Sapporo Soup Curry Jack:
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Gyoza no Ohsho:
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2026-07-19
Today I went with my mom and brother to Shin-Osaka Station and ate gyudon at Matsuya. Then, at 13:00, we rented two bikes for the day for 500 yen each from Ekirin-kun. Me and my brother biked north-east along Yodo River while my mom went shopping. We made a couple stops at convenience stores to buy water. We took a quick bathroom break at Torikai Service Center at 15:00. Then, we went to McDonald’s and I had a Samurai Mac, fries, and a milkshake. We rode to the monument marking the birthplace of the Kurawanka boat before heading back towards Shin-Osaka Station at 16:00. The ride back somehow felt a lot worse. In total, we biked 18.6 miles today. We returned the bikes at 18:30 and met up with my mom and sister at Round1 in Namba. After my sister finished her game of maimai, we went to eat at Tendon Tenya, where I had the Tareduke Oedo Tendon. Then, we went home and ate the cheese tarts that my mom had bought.
Biking along Yodo River with Torikai Bridge in the background:
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McDonald’s:
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Tareduke Oedo Tendon:
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Pablo Cheese Tarts:
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2026-07-20
Today we went to Kyoto again to attend a sushi-making class my mom signed us up for at 11:30. We arrived 30 minutes early so we had breakfast at McDonald’s, where I had a Filet-O-Fish. Then, we went to the class while my mom went shopping. The class was held in Sushi Kizaemon, a sushi restaurant that opens at 17:00. The chef taught us how to make nigiri and we each made nine of them. After making them, we ate all our nigiri and then went to our next workshop, which was making replica food at kotokoto+. We made replica tempura by pouring melted, yellow wax into a bowl of water and using the wax to wrap our replica food item. Then, we went to Round1 to play maimai. After playing for an hour, we went to Edion and I bought a disposable film camera. We then ate okonomiyaki for dinner at Okonomiyaki wa Cocoyanen. After dinner, we took the train to Osaka-Umeda Station and went to Daiso. It was the biggest Daiso I’ve ever been to and we spent 1.5 hours there. I also learned that Daiso had a mascot named Daizo. After shopping, we went back home and ate the Rikuro cheesecake my mom bought yesterday.
The nigiri I made:
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Cloud blocking the sun in Kyoto:
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The replica tempura we made at kotokoto+:
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Okonomiyaki:
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Daizo:
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2026-07-21
Today we went to Oh Mochi to pound our own mochi at 11:30. It was a fun experience and the fresh mochi tasted really good. Afterwards, we ate takoyaki in Dotonbori. Then, we played maimai at Round1 for an hour while my mom got a massage. We then went to Sogo Shokai to buy a matcha bowl my sister wanted. For dinner, we ate udon at Hanamaru. We walked around and went to Gee Store, where I got a coin pouch with Nijika on it. Then, we met up with my mom’s friend who was also visiting Japan with her kids. We went with my mom’s friend and her first daughter to Saizeriya and ate dessert. After dessert, I went with my siblings to play more maimai at Round1 and my mom went shopping with her friend.
Mochi pounding:
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Finished mochi:
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Takoyaki:
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Bocchi the Rock merch at Gee Store:
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2026-07-22
Today we went to Shinsaibashi for a chopstick-making workshop at 12:00. We were 30 minutes early so we ate Matcha Mont Blanc ice cream from Ujien honten. In the workshop, we used a kanna and a wooden jig to cut two blocks of wood into chopsticks and used sandpaper to smooth the edges. Then, I wrote my name and we oiled the chopsticks. We then went to eat souffle pancakes at Toichipancake Kitahorie. Then, we went to GU because my mom wanted to buy clothes for my sister. My sister refused so we went to GiGO to play maimai. After an hour, we went to eat dinner at Coco Ichibanya. I had tonkatsu curry with spicy garlic. After eating, my mom bought face masks from OS Drug and a cheesecake from Rikuro. Finally, we headed back to the hotel.
Matcha Mont Blanc ice cream from Shinsaibashi Ujien honten:
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Kanna and jig:
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My finished chopsticks:
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Toichipancake Kitahorie:
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Tonkatsu curry at Coco Ichibanya:
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Sunset:
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2026-07-23
Today we went to Izumi-Chuo Station to meet my mom’s friend, Eimi, at 10:00. Eimi picked us up from the station and drove us to Costco. After shopping for two hours, I got Hokkaido soft serve ice cream from the Costco food court. Then, we went to Bistro309 for lunch and I had a hamburg steak with fondue. After eating, we drove to Kanbukuro to eat shaved ice with Sakai kurumi mochi. Apparently, the shop was founded in 1392. We then drove to Workman Plus because my sister wanted to look at jackets with fans in them that we commonly see Japanese construction workers wear. The jackets were around 3,000 yen but the fans and batteries were expensive, each about 5,000 yen. Finally, Eimi drove us to Minato Station and we took the train back to our hotel. We dropped off our shopping bags and gifts from Eimi before going to Matsunoya for dinner, where I had tonkatsu. After dinner, I went back to the hotel while my brother and sister went to Namba Round1 to play maimai. I then ate the peaches we got from Eimi.
Costco Wholesale Izumi Warehouse:
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Costco food court:
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Hamburg steak with fondue:
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Shaved ice with Sakai kurumi mochi:
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Workman Plus:
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Minato Station:
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2026-07-24
Today we ate lunch at Gyoza no Ohsho near Daikokucho Station. I had mapo tofu and gyoza again. Then, we went to Tenjinbashi and saw people carrying mikoshi for the Tenjin Matsuri. We ate shaved ice at Nakaniwa Cafe before going to Kimono ING to buy kimonos and give the owner gifts. We then went to Denden Town and I bought Shigure Ui merchandise at K-Books. I also bought stuff from animate and Suruga-ya. After shopping we had taiyaki and then went to Matsuya, where I had a tuna and salmon roe rice bowl. We went home and I had more peaches from Eimi and the Rikuro cheesecake from 2 days ago.
Tenjin Matsuri:
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Shaved ice from Nakaniwa Cafe:
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Shigure Ui merch from K-Books:
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animate in Denden Town:
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Tuna and ikura rice bowl from Matsuya:
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2026-07-25
Today we went to Grand Front Osaka to eat Rojiura Curry Samurai, but it was too crowded, so we ate at Fukutaro Okonomiyaki instead. I had a beef and octopus okonomiyaki. Then, we browsed Kinokuniya. Sadly I can’t buy anything because I can’t read Japanese. We then went to Yodobashi Camera and I bought a 300-piece Frieren puzzle and frame. On the way back to the Metro station, we saw a street performer singing “Blue Bird.” We went to Namba Walk and ate at Kamukura. After eating dinner, we went back to the hotel to drop off our bags and then went to Temmabashi to watch the fireworks for the Tenjin Matsuri. It was extremely crowded and there were a lot of police doing crowd control. It was also hard to find a good place to view the fireworks that wasn’t obstructed by high-rises. After the fireworks finished at 21:00, we went back to Namba Walk and bought drinks from Gong Cha. Then, my mom went shopping at Matsumoto Kiyoshi and Don Quijote. We got home around 23:30.
Fukutaro Okonomiyaki:
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Frieren puzzle from Yodobashi Camera:
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Kamukura:
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Bonfire boat at Tenjin Matsuri:
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Fireworks at Tenjin Matsuri:
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2026-07-26
Today we ate Soup Curry Jack for lunch again. After eating, we went to Round1 and played maimai for an hour while my mom shopped. Then, we got drinks from KOI Thé. We then went to Shin-Osaka Station to play badminton at Yodogawa Sports Center from 18:00 to 21:00. After three hours of playing, we ate dinner at Sukiya and then went home.
Garlic gyudon from Sukiya:
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