Suggested Itinerary

Osaka Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Osaka Castle AM 9:00 It is a castle built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the first man to unify Japan. There are exhibition halls inside of the castle tower, and the top floor overlooks the entire city of Osaka.

AM 10:30 Aqualiner You can take a sightseeing cruise to see tourist and historic sites around Osaka, the city of water.

Umeda Sky Building PM 1:00 There are 3 observation towers that have 39 and 40 floors and a rooftop (170m high). These are building where you can see the best night views of Osaka and are popular date spots for young couples.

PM 3:00 Universal Studios Japan It is the largest movie theme park in the world, built on 441-acre land and filled with Hollywood movie themes.

Dōtonbori PM 7:00 It is a representative sightseeing spot between Namba and Shinsaibashi that symbolizes Osaka. It is a street filled with delicious smell all day long, popular for the tastiest takoyaki and okonomiyaki, Osaka’s most famous dishes. It is where you can see Osaka’s famous neon Glico Man sign.

Day 2

Kiyomizu-dera AM 9:00 It is a Buddhist temple famous for Kiyomizu-dera, and it is said that drinking from the three different waters that flow beneath the stone steps will bring you longevity, health, and scholarship. Cherry blossoms in the spring and fall foliage in the autumn create an excellent scenery.

Gion AM 11:00 If you stroll down the alleys around Gion street, a street that preserves old Kyoto, you can take pictures with geishas and maikos.

Torokko train PM 2:00 You can take a sightseeing train that runs along the streams. Cherry blossoms and fall foliage are especially beautiful.

Arashiyama PM 4:00 Take a stroll along the river around Togetsukyo (meaning “Moon Crossing Over the Bridge”), or look around Tenryuji and Chikurin no Komichi (Bamboo Forest Path). There are many restaurants and cafes nearby, and you can also ride rickshaws.

Day 3

Takarazuka Revue AM 10:30 It is a theater for all-women opera company, as opposed to Kabuki, consisting only of men. It is famous for colorful costumes, stage, and directing, and is especially popular among women.

Ijinkan PM 2:30 Kobe was a representative harbor city that opened its port to foreign trade during the Meiji Period, and subsequently was home to many foreigners, preserving the architecture and lifestyle of many countries.

Nankin-machi (Kobe Chinatown) PM 4:30 Kobe-Sannomiya is one of the 3 largest Chinatowns in Japan. There are many unique shops to feast your eyes on and will stimulate your taste buds, like Chinese food, food ingredients, and miscellaneous goods.

Night view at Mount Rokkō PM 7:00 Go up the observatory on Mount Rokko to see the night view of Kobe, one of the three best night views in Japan. On clear days, you can see not only Kobe and Osaka but also Kansai Airport and the lights of Akashi Kaikyo Bridge.

Day 4 Kasuga-taisha AM 9:00 The bright, scarlet temple resembles a dense forest of cedar trees, and hundreds of stone lamps and prayer lanterns are quite something to see.

Tōdai-ji AM 10:30 It is famous for the world’s largest and tallest wooden building (temple of giant Buddha) and the world’s largest bronze Buddha statue (the giant Buddha). Enjoy the pleasure of strolling around the wide, surrounding deer park (Nara Park) and Mount Wakakusa.

Stroll Around Naramachi PM 1:30 There are a number of small Buddhist temples, shrines, and cool shops in every corner of the old streets. It is a place where you can enjoy a leisurely walk.

Hōryū-ji PM 3:30 There is the oldest wooden building in the world, and you can see the mural (copy) of Damjing, a Buddhist priest. It holds approximately 190 national treasures and 2,300 important cultural properties. It was also the first cultural heritage site to be registered in Japan.