Overnight in Osaka
Cherry blossoms and Japan go hand in hand much like chocolate and peanut butter. Both are great on their own but the combination is what makes it spectacular. Over a year ago, we set out to try and time a trip to Japan to see the famous cherry blossoms and nailed it.
The End.
Just kidding ha. Timing this trip was STRESSFUL. One week earlier or later meant we’d be staring at dead branches or green leaves, both readily available in our backyard in early April. There are lots of sights that try and predict when the blooms will be perfect but like predicting the weather in Spring in Texas, it’s a total crapshoot. Toss in the lovely side effects of climate change and mileage flights and you start to see why this was stressful for two type A planners like ourselves. (fairly certain I could qualify in the Google Sheet Olympics)
Fast forward to early April and all signs were looking like we had timed the trip perfectly. We happily took our seats on Al Nippon First (miles, I cannot stress miles enough guys) and flew from DFW - Houston - Tokyo - Osaka. I was so excited to be in Japan again for many reasons but I’m not going to lie and say food wasn’t like the #1 front runner in that list.
We landed in the evening to Osaka and had just one evening and the following half day before we boarded a train to Kyoto. As beautiful and serene as Japan can be, they really hate large spaces for sleeping. We were “upgraded” at our hotel, which meant the bed didn’t touch the wall on both sides of the room. (true story) Our suitcase was stored directly in front of the door and we decided to seize the opportunity to not go to bed early and instead….eat.
There’s an area in Osaka called Dontorobi, where our hotel was, and it’s a long walking street of every kind of Japanese food one could want. It took us a while to settle on a place (sushi, duh) and despite some rain, we really enjoyed seeing how crazy the storefronts were in an attempt to attract diners.
Pro tip: try a freshly made melonpas - a sweet, semi-dense pastry that is filled with soft serve ice cream. SO good and a perfect after dinner treat to send you straight into a food coma.
Like a donut/pastry, it’s light, sweet, and so so so so good. And tastes nothing like Melon. Curtis got his with ice cream because you never say no when ice cream is an option.
Full and heading back, we couldn’t help ourselves to walk into one of the…arcades? Game stores? Vending machine aggregation locations? I have no idea what they’re called but they’re what an anxiety brain feels like so it was nice to explain to my lovely husband that this is what it’s like in my head most times. Literal chaos. (Side note: we proceeded to spend the next week in search of another cat sushi toy because we passed on this one. Never pass up on a cat sushi vending machine) Watch the video with sound for full affect!
The next morning we woke up early (jet lag) and headed out to Osaka Castle for our first glimpse at the cherry blossoms. They surround the castle en masse and create a very romantic feel because as the wind blows, the blossoms fall off and mimic the look of snow. It was pure bliss!
Just when the morning couldn’t get any better, we stumbled across a sparkling wine station from one of our favorite makers, Chandon, who were offering glasses of their limited edition Sakura-themed wine. Don’t offend me and ask if we participated - we never turn down champagne.
By this point, we had worked up quite an appetite and we’re getting ready to head to our next city, Kyoto. I had read about this little restaurant known for their curry noodles that had a cult-like following and a line to get in so naturally we walked past 412 empty restaurants to go see this one. Normally I hate participating in things like this (because I generally am not a fan of people) but the price, setup, and extremely high number of crazy good reviews led us to Tokumasa Morinomiya. A small line was outside but since it was around 2pm, I think we were joining the tail end of lunch so score! We were seated within 10 minutes of arriving at the bar and given a container to put our stuff in so it didn’t have to sit on the floor. (adorable detail)
We were given a menu outside to review but we both knew we wanted the #1 item listed - the Curry noodles. Before I get into the meal, please take a moment and read through the descriptions because they had us giggling so much. :)
Like I had high expectations ya’ll. I was fully expecting to go into a long winded explanation of what I was tasting and flavor profiles (my friends absolutely love it when I do this…#sarcasm) but after the giant tray was sat in front of me and I took a bite, I was unable to speak.
Holy noodle heaven.
People often say a dish is “complex” when they can’t pick out flavors, but I kid you not, I tasted straight up old school complex Japan. Mama’s dishes she learned from her grandparent’s cooking. Couldn’t replicate if given a 3-star Michelin kitchen and chef line-up cooking. Oh and on TOP of that? They gave us each a tempura shrimp. But not like any tempura shrimp - this one was made by a man that I swear was 103 years old and made each one carefully and with wisdom. In other words, the best shrimp.
I ate every single ounce of this dish. Picked up the bowl and legit drank the broth. I didn’t care how fat & American I looked in those moments - I was devouring the best meal I had ever had.
We paid our bill that was less than $15 for both of us including drinks (for the best meal I’ve ever had!) and left wondering how we’d ever top that.
We then proceeded to the train to head to Kyoto (the trains are stupid nice) and was met with a money machine and this. Wonder where we’ll end up?
