Wed Nov 11 · Osaka
Castle, then the market
- 8:15 AMBreakfast: Jackson, an old-style coffee shop 5 minutes from home. Morning set $6 to $7 (¥900 to ¥1,100). Cash only, smoking allowed.
- 9:00 AMWalk to Osaka Castle, about 20 minutes. Tower $8 (¥1,200), then Nishinomaru Garden $2 (¥300) for the postcard view.
- 12:00 PMSubway to Nipponbashi, 8 minutes, $1.21 (¥190). Kuromon Market for lunch: Sushi Kuromon Suehiro set $11 (¥1,800), or graze: takoyaki at Wanaka $4, wagyu skewers $5 to $10. Cash.
- 2:00 PMHome to rest.
- 5:30 PMDinner: Okonomiyaki Shin-chan, 8 minutes from home, $25 to $35 (¥4,000 to ¥5,500) for two, cash. Or Okonomiyaki Fukutaro in Sennichimae, the pork negiyaki, $7 (¥1,080).
- 7:00 PMMidosuji Illumination, trees lit for 4 km (free), and Hozenji Yokocho, the lantern alley. Subway home.
or the Shimakaze day trip, see below
Option: Shimakaze luxury train to Ise
Kintetsu's fanciest train, with leather seats, panoramic windows and a café car (Matsusaka beef curry, sweets). Leaves Osaka-Namba 10:40 AM (it also stops at Osaka-Uehommachi, close to home), Ise at 12:18 PM for about 4 hours at Ise Grand Shrine and the Okage Yokocho food street, back in Osaka 6:21 PM. About $135 round trip for two. Doesn't run Tuesdays. On sale now; check seats on the Kintetsu site. If they do this, the castle and Kuromon move to Thursday.