Tag: Osaka

Leaving Osaka: River Café, Muji Shopping, and Yakitori in Tatsuno

Sunday, February 22nd, 2026Thursday, April 9th, 2026food, Japan, Japanese food, Osaka, postaday, TatsunoFood, Slice of Life, TravelingLeave a Comment

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO50
“Chicken Nanban” Osaka, 2026

Time to leave Osaka and head home to Tatsuno. But not before one more good meal. 🍗

River Café specializes in chicken nanban, so of course I had to get the classic set. It was delicious and filling, exactly what you want before a two-hour train ride. Definitely worth a visit, just come early because the line can get long.

After lunch we squeezed in a bit more shopping, including a stop at my favorite store: Muji. I love their clothes because they are simple, good quality, and actually fit me well. This location at Grand Front Osaka had a really cool section with sample home rooms, kind of like IKEA but make it Japanese minimalist. I spotted a pair of shoes that caught my eye and took a photo for future reference.

Then it was time to grab our luggage from the station locker and make the trip back to Tatsuno. Once we got home and dropped everything off, we headed to a neighborhood yakitori spot for dinner and drinks. 🍢 A long day, but a really good one.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO50
“Cool Shoes” Osaka, 2026

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 2.2200000286119mm, f/2.2, 1/270 sec, ISO40
“The Train Home” Osaka, 2026

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/35 sec, ISO1000
“Local Manhole Cover” Tatsuno, 2026

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/5 sec, ISO1000
“Yakitori Restaurant” Tatsuno, 2026

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/50 sec, ISO250
“Evening Drinks” Tatsuno, 2026

A Day in Osaka

Saturday, February 21st, 2026Thursday, April 9th, 2026food, Japan, Osaka, postaday, travel, travelingFood, Slice of Life, TravelingLeave a Comment

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 27mm, f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO800
“Shitennoji Entrance” Osaka, 2026

We spent a full day in Osaka recently, and it did not disappoint. 🙏

Our first stop was Shitennoji to pay our respects to Mariko’s late grandparents and father. It’s a massive temple complex, and we happened to visit on a flea market day, so the grounds were super crowded. Rows of old dishes, trinkets, and who-knows-what stretched across the courtyard. Mariko and Bay came away with some new dishware. I browsed through boxes of old watches but didn’t find any treasures. It was mostly junk.

From there we wandered over to the Kuromon area for lunch and a little exploring. I did score a new stamp for my collection book, which was one of the highlights of my day. 🗺️

We wrapped things up with more shopping in Namba before meeting Mariko’s mom for yakiniku dinner. The food was great, and by the end of it we were thoroughly full and thoroughly happy. A good Osaka day by any measure!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 27mm, f/5.6, 1/1400 sec, ISO800
“Shitennoji Pagoda” Osaka, 2026

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/6400 sec, ISO64
“Shitennoji Torii” Osaka, 2026

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/1800 sec, ISO80
“Okonomiyaki” Osaka, 2026

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/60 sec, ISO125
“Stamping” Osaka, 2026

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-T10, 27mm, f/4, 1/220 sec, ISO800
“Making Sushi” Osaka, 2026

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/6400 sec, ISO80
“Dotonbori” Osaka, 2026

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 2.2200000286119mm, f/2.2, 1/60 sec, ISO1250
“Namba Parks” Osaka, 2026

Umeda Shopping: Nintendo Store, Loft, and Tsutaya

Friday, February 20th, 2026Friday, April 3rd, 2026Hobonichi, Japan, Nintendo, Osaka, postaday, Splatoon, stationerySlice of Life, Stationery, TravelingLeave a Comment

Photo info: Apple iPhone 15 Pro, 6.7649998656528mm, f/1.8, 1/120 sec, ISO80
“Inkling” Osaka, 2026

We spent the day shopping in Umeda, Osaka, and it was a really good time. 🛍️

First stop was the Nintendo Store. We were in there for a while, just soaking it all in. I’m a big Splatoon fan, so I picked up a keychain and a notebook. I had my eye on a mini skateboard too, but no luck on that front.

From there we headed to Loft, where I found exactly what I was looking for: the Tomie A6 Hobonichi cover! Just the cover by itself, which was perfect since I can swap it right onto my current setup. Yatta! I also grabbed a Tomie Weeks (March start), which is super cool. I’ll use it for Japanese vocabulary notes. I still need a pencil board and an A5 cover to complete my Tomie Hobonichi collection, so the hunt continues. 👀

The last stop was Tsutaya Books, and wow, what a place. The layout is circular, so you just browse in one direction and loop back to where you started. They had an amazing wall of fancy fountain pens, a solid selection of more affordable pens, and even a camera section where I checked out the latest Fujifilm and Sony gear. Highly recommend if you ever find yourself in Umeda.