There was one essential Japanese activity we hadn’t done yet on this trip, the onsen experience. Since traditional public onsens don’t allow mixed genders, we booked a private bath in Osaka. We went for the earliest slot at 9am, since we’re usually up around 7 anyway. We arrived just before opening and joined a queue of locals patiently waiting for their morning bath.
As soon as it opened, everyone moved in with impressive efficiency, taking off their shoes and placing them neatly into shoe lockers. We followed along, trying to look like we knew what we were doing. At reception, we got the key to our private bath, which was on the rooftop, open air but still private enough to fully relax. We got into the warm bath, and Antoine decided to add more hot water to make it warmer. It quickly went from pleasantly warm to too hot. We ended up doing cycles of getting in and out to keep us warm, then cool down. After a while, we rinsed off and left feeling very refreshed, slightly boiled but relaxed.
Next, we took the metro to Shinsekai Market. As soon as we got out of the station, we saw a Mega Don Quijote. Regular Don Quijote was already chaotic enough, so naturally we got curious. We decided to “just have a quick look.” But in the blink of an eye, we somehow ended up at the cashier with £75 worth of snacks, souvenirs, gifts, and even dog toys. The craziness of Mega Don Quijote completely undid our calm post-onsen state, but at least we got most of our shopping done in one go.
We then walked towards Shinsekai Market, hoping for some street food, but nothing was really open or tempting at that time. So we moved on to our next stop, Namba Yasaka Shrine, known for its giant dragon head. We took a few photos and quickly moved on again, heading towards Kuromon Market. It was raining nonstop, so the umbrella we bought in Nara finally proved its worth.
On the way, we spotted a dumpling shop called 551 Horai, which I had seen on Instagram. We decided to try their gyoza and buns. The buns were decent, but the gyoza were incredible, easily the best we had all trip. There was no space to eat inside, so we stood under a bridge, shielding both ourselves and the gyoza from the rain. Not exactly a great setup to eat, but still very delicious.
Kuromon Market is famous for seafood, and I had my heart set on grilled eel rice. Unfortunately, the place I wanted to try was sold out by the time we arrived. We found another stall selling it and squeezed into a tiny corner to eat. Antoine bravely tried a piece of eel and immediately regretted it. I guess some things are just not meant to be.
We continued walking towards Dotonbori, passing through increasingly crowded streets. The streets were crazy crowded, not just in terms of people but also with the bold signs and lights on all the buildings. It almost felt like walking through a real life version of Don Quijote. We found the famous Glico running man sign and took the classic tourist photos, arms up and all. After a while, the crowd became a bit too much, so we escaped to a wider street where we could finally breathe.
Next, we stopped by a department store that had a Pokémon Center. We had a quick look but resisted buying anything since we had already done our Pokémon shopping in Tokyo. There was also a matcha café in the same building that I wanted to try, so we got a matcha parfait. It looked beautiful and tasted great, although it might have been slightly too ambitious in size for a dessert.
After that, we headed back towards our hotel area and did one final round of snack shopping for the night and the next day. Antoine was still thinking about the 551 Horai gyoza, so we went back for more. We also picked up a beef sandwich, strawberry mochis, and another cake called Baumkuchen. On the way back, it started pouring again, and we did our best to protect the food under the umbrella while our shoulders got completely soaked. Priorities.
Finally back at the hotel, we enjoyed our snacks while watching For All Mankind on Antoine’s laptop. Then we repacked our luggage for the next day and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.