Osaka 1 - Food Recommendation for Budget Travellers

Food is absolutely one of the main highlights of my Japan graduation trip. We took JR train from Kyoto to Osaka. To know more about your transportation options, click here

Osaka is the last stop of my Japan trip, I am going to miss this beautiful country so much after the end of the trip. My first post about Osaka will be dedicated to FOOD! Some foods that are being shared here are actually not limited to Osaka only, everyone can try to google and look for the branch that is more convenient for you. 

1. Kura Sushi
Somehow this was only my second sushi meal in Japan so far. Back in Singapore or Malaysia, when we think of Japanese cuisine, sushi is definitely the first thing that comes to our mind. However, to my surprise, sushi in Japan is not as affordable and thus, as a budget traveller, we try not to have sushi for meals. That was only before we found Kura Sushi. Pricing at 100 yen per plate of sushi, we can finally eat all we want without feeling guilty or worrying about budget. Check out their website for the locations of their outlets. We actually went twice during our Osaka stay. Wouldn't say that it serves the best sushi in the town, but certainly worth the value. 




This is my favourite.



Reviving our childhood memories.

2. Street food at Dotonburi
No need to mention much, this is a must-visit place in Osaka. As compared to tranquility of Kyoto, Osaka has a completely different "vibe" - busy and vibrant. I was amazed by the huge colourful signs, such as the dancing crab, giant octopus etc.









Say yes to more takoyaki!

Chillax, man!


The creme brulee was exceptionally good.

Hello, the famous Osaka man!

3. Chibo Okonomiyaki
Osaka is the birthplace of okonomiyaki,a type of Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients and comes with different toppings. How dare you to tell people that you had visited Osaka before but you didn't have the chance to try the popular okonomiyaki? Just pick any of the recommended restaurants and you can hardly go wrong. I referred to this website when I was doing research about the trip. However, just be ready to queue up!







4. Mister Donut
My favourite breakfast in Japan? Look the mouth-watering doughnuts displayed!!! Remember to try the seasonal doughnuts - it's green tea series during our visit. A green tea lover like me totally went crazy. 





5. Uncle Rikuro's Cheesecake and Pablo Cheese Tart
Well, I tried both Uncle Rikuro and Pablo. It's very hard to draw comparison as the the products are very different. Uncle Rikuro's baked cheesecake, the legendary jiggling cheesecake (if you have seen the Youtube video), is eggy and fluffy. Pablo cheese tart has a crispy, flaky pie crust with creamy cheese fillings. My advice is to try the original flavour because the matcha flavour is not as impressive.

Personally, I prefer Pablo over Uncle Rikuro's, simply because I don't like the egg white taste, which is quite prominent in Uncle Rikuro's. Perhaps it's just my personal preference. 






Sorry for the blur photo due to the dim lighting of our room.

6. Yakiniku Rokko
Dear carnivores, are you craving for BBQ? Come here to get your cravings satisfied. Their dinner buffet is a fantastic deal. The restaurant is rather small and has limited seats, hence it is advisable to call in for reservation. But... none of us actually bought a sim card in Japan and so just forget about booking. Thankfully, we were very lucky to get an empty table without having to wait. Subsequent groups of customers had to leave in disappointment. The quality of food served was good and the service was prompt. Didn't take a lot of photos because we were too busy indulging in our food.




Before I end the post, just want to share some random attractions we had visited in Osaka. Wanted to write a new post dedicated to these places but soon I realized I have nothing much to write about. LOL. 

Pokemon Centre
Nah, not a huge Pokemon fan, Digimon is always number 1 in my heart. Nonetheless, as an avid traveller, I should still visit this place. It isn't very big and basically it is just a store selling Pokemon-related stuffs. If you want to get yourself a soft toy, guess this is the place to go. We spent about 15 minutes inside taking photos and that's it.



Hahaha, so cute!


Osaka Castle
We went to the castle one day after our Himeji trip. As you can imagine, our thought was "oh well, here's another castle, so what's the difference?". Exactly, this time without a tour guide, we were clueless. Still, it is one of the landmarks of Osaka and admiring the architecture of the castle is enjoyable.




I forgot the price to obtain the hardcopy photo.


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