Day 4 • November 23, Sunday

Osaka’s energy felt different. You could really feel how different it was from Kyoto. It was livelier, faster-paced, and very much a concrete jungle.

We took two cabs going to our Airbnb. The one we rode took the expressway, so we asked if we needed to pay a toll, but it turned out to be free. The driver shared that he used to live in the Philippines and even knew a few Tagalog words. It was such a nice, unexpected interaction.

We arrived at our Airbnb around 13:00 and dropped off our luggage. We had planned to buy ingredients and cook, but we realised the place didn’t have a kitchen. Since we were already starving, we headed out to look for a late lunch. The restaurant we wanted was closed and wouldn’t reopen until 17:00, so we had to change our plans.

Luckily, there was a LIFE Supermarket nearby, so we grabbed some ready-to-eat meals instead. Asis and I took ours to a nearby park while the rest of the group went back to the Airbnb. It was such a nice park. It was a Sunday and also Labor Thanksgiving Day, so there were lots of local families spending time there. Kids were running around while others were simply relaxing. Everything felt a little slower for a while.

It was also funny because the moment we opened our food, a flock of doves suddenly flew towards us and scared me. We ended up guarding our meals the whole time because we were worried they’d steal them.

Around 18:00, after a quick nap, we headed to Dotonbori while my mum stayed behind since she was tired from all the walking. Our Airbnb was only about 2 km away, so we decided to walk.

Of course, we did the usual tourist thing and took photos of the Glico Man and the river. The place was so packed that night. Shops, restaurants, and gachapon stores were everywhere. People were crossing from every direction. It was bright, noisy, and full of life. You could really feel how alive Osaka is at night.

We walked around looking for somewhere to eat and eventually found an affordable restaurant that turned out to be really good. Asis ordered grilled dried sardines, while I had grilled red fish.

Even though we’d only been there for a day, Osaka already felt different from Kyoto. It was louder and busier, but it also felt warm. I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did.

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