We woke up feeling quite tired, mostly because the futons were not very comfortable. But we couldn’t miss the traditional Japanese breakfast, which was included with our stay. When we checked in, the staff had given us yukatas, which are usually worn to the public bath, but everyone seemed to be wearing them around the ryokan. So we put ours on to blend in, even though we were just heading to breakfast, not the bath.
Breakfast was another Japanese course meal, a simpler version of dinner. It was quite a large meal for the morning and, once again, very fish heavy. I enjoyed it, but Antoine mostly relied on rice and a few dishes he didn’t mind. After breakfast, we took some photos in our yukatas with the cherry blossoms view from our room, which felt like a very proper ryokan experience.
Today was all about seeing the deer. Nara is known for having deer roaming freely around the parks, shrines, and even the mountains. For our first stop, we drove up to the top of the mountain where our ryokan was located. As we walked up from the parking lot, we started spotting a few deer here and there. At the top, there were more of them, and we got excited and took plenty of photos.
Next, we headed to the famous Nara Park. There were significantly more deer here, along with significantly more tourists. They sell deer crackers around the park, which has made the deer very demanding. They follow you, bow to ask for food, and occasionally bite if they feel ignored. We experienced all of it. I was a bit scared of being attacked, while Antoine confidently handled them like a seasoned deer master. That confidence did not fully protect him, though. One particularly determined deer bit him after smelling crackers in his front pocket. I managed to capture the precious moment in a live photo.
Our last stop in Nara was Koriyama Castle ruins. But first, lunch. Antoine found a very local ramen place while I was driving. It was so local that there was no English menu at all. We used Google Translate to figure things out and ended up ordering ramen, gyoza, and fried chicken. Everything was delicious, which made the effort feel very worth it.
The castle ruins were much quieter and less touristy, which made it a nice change of pace. At the top, we got a beautiful view with cherry blossoms and the remains of the castle in the background. It felt like a peaceful way to wrap up our time in Nara before heading to Osaka.
When we arrived at our hotel in Osaka, we were genuinely happy to see a proper bed again. The hotel also had a coin laundry, which we desperately needed at that point due to a growing shortage of clean underwear. Feeling quite tired from the low quality sleep on the futons, we took a nap while the laundry was running. With clean clothes and refreshed body, we headed out for dinner.
The streets in Osaka felt more lively and full of character than Tokyo, with bright Japanese signs and lights. Among the many options, Antoine found a nice little restaurant serving oysters and meat dishes. I had oyster rice, and Antoine went for miso pork. Both were excellent. To make our tummies even happier, we found a mochi shop for dessert. It was in the basement of a department store. It turned out to be a maze to get there, but we managed to find it just before closing and secured our fruit mochis. They were very good and completely justified the effort.
Before heading back, we stopped by Don Quijote. I didn’t fully understand what it was before going in, just that it was a big store that sells everything. The moment we entered, it was complete chaos. Shelves packed and bright signs everywhere, and way too many things competing for attention. It was both overwhelming and strangely addictive. It was incredibly hard to find what I actually needed and very easy to pick up things I didn’t need. I ended up with some makeup products, while Antoine loaded up on snacks, including one for Hazel. After spending far more time and money than planned, we finally managed to pull ourselves out. Back at the hotel, we fell asleep, very grateful for the bed.