KIX Day 1/10 - Touching down

Sifting through 5,000 photos from our June Osaka trip was a journey in itself, but looking back reminded me of just how much fun we had and made me miss Japan so much. 

And since one post couldn’t possibly fit it all, I’ve broken our adventure down into a day-by-day, 10-part series

Kick off the journey with us on Day 1 as we land late at night on our SQ flight from Singapore!

We didn’t want to deal with late-night trains, so we checked straight into the airport hotel to recharge

The room was huge by Japan standards, coming in at a spacious 58 m²

We had a comfortable stay here. They provided absolutely everything we needed to refresh after the flight, including two cozy sets of pajamas for each guest. Free minibar too!

Before heading up to bed, we went down to get our ICOCA cards ready for tomorrow's travel. Of course, we couldn't resist a stop at the convenience store and went a bit crazy shopping for konbini food for supper! 

KIX Day 2/10 - Osaka Namba

Excited for our first full day in Japan! We checked out of our airport hotel, rode the Nankai Rapit train to Shin-Imamiya, and checked into our next accommodation right in the heart of Shinsekai.

We checked into our Agoda homestay and were greeted by a massive flight of steep stairs. Luckily, we had our own Mr Strong Man to carry all the luggage up!

With two bathrooms available, the teens took the third floor beds while we stayed on the second, saving ourselves from the extra stairs!

Our first proper meal in Osaka!

We ate at the nearby Gyukatsu Daifuku once we dropped our luggages. 

Their Gyukatsu was so good!

After a satisfying meal, we took our teens to Den Den Town. They had been eagerly anticipating this specific stop and begging to visit it the moment we arrived

My girl even told her papi to prepare plenty of shopping money for her

We were there for hours, and they didn't even complain about being tired once!

It’s great being able to stroll through Den Den Town all the way to Namba. We are breaking off into two groups there. 

My girl and I are visiting the Mipig Cafe, while the guys grab coffee elsewhere since pigs aren't really their thing!

MiPig donut included in the ticket

It was absolute chaos at the pig cafe! 

They seriously never used to be this aggressive, it was completely different this time.

The second we sat down, they swarmed us like a pack of little zombies.

Ending our Mipig Cafe visit! Glad that madness is finally over. The boys definitely got lucky by skipping out on this one!

Very crazy rain and strong winds at Dotonbori 

Osaka must do: Taking a photo with the Glico Man!

A quick bite and and then we hopped on the metro back for a good night's rest

KIX Day 3/10 - Day trip to Katsuoji Temple

Today we are taking a day trip to Katsuoji Temple, which is famous for having tons of Daruma dolls everywhere!

Knowing we had a long journey ahead, we fueled up with a quick breakfast at a cosy little coffee shop nearby

We rode a 45min metro to Minoh-kayano Station, and bro managed to grab a quick power nap along the way

Take a direct 20-minute bus at platform 8 to get to the temple. Before leaving the train station, make sure to top up your ICOCA card with at least 1,600 yen for the round trip, as you cannot add funds while on the bus

Nestled on a mountain, the temple welcomed us with fresh air and absolutely beautiful weather today

The highlight of the day was definitely the blank postcard that came with our tickets. We had a blast going to every checkpoint, adding stamps layer by layer to reveal a beautiful postcard design

Needless to say, we took so many photos here.

The place is gorgeous, and every single corner turns into a perfect photo spot

The thousands of red Daruma symbolize victory and resilience: "Fall seven times, rise eight times"

Here, victory means overcoming your own weaknesses

Visitors paint one eye when setting a personal goal, and return the doll to the temple with the second eye painted only after achieving success

Ahh... The perfect peace and quiet up in the mountains 

You could see the Daruma dolls were tucked away in the most unexpected places

They were found at almost every crack, wall, and tree branch we passed

All in all, escaping the city bustle for crisp mountain air and views made the trip unforgettable

Checked Katsuoji Temple off the bucket list today! Instead of doing the trek out to Minoh Falls, we decided to pivot and head straight back into the city to explore Shinsaibashi.

Saving our energy is key for an action-packed day at USJ tomorrow!