Japan Adventures – Day 1: Arrival and Exploring Osaka

Smooth Arrival at Kansai International Airport

We touched down at Kansai International Airport (KIX) around 9:40 AM. Thanks to our Visit Japan web QR code, the immigration process was a breeze. We were out of the airport in less than half an hour, ready to start our adventure.

Hello Kitty Haruka Train Experience

Our youngest daughter is a huge Hello Kitty fan, so we opted for the Haruka train. We had pre-purchased our tickets from Klook, which was cheaper than buying directly. You need to be a foreign tourist with a visitor stamp on your passport, and the tickets must be collected individually.

Getting Our Kansai One Pass

Next, we headed to the JR office to buy our Kansai One Pass (the tourist version of ICOCA) and reserved our seats on the Haruka train. We then took the train to Tennōji Station, the closest Haruka train stop to our hotel, and grabbed a taxi to the hotel near Namba.

Cup Noodles Museum Fun

After dropping off our luggage, we made our way to the Cup Noodles Museum. On the way, we picked up lunch from a convenience store. The kids had a blast designing their own Cup Noodles for ¥500 each. They also offer ramen-making sessions, but we arrived too late for the last slot, so reservations are needed.

Exploring PARCO Shinsaibashi

Our next stop was PARCO Shinsaibashi, where we explored the POP CULTURE floor (6F), including Kiddy Land and the Donguri Kyowakoku store (a Ghibli-themed store). We also visited the Pokemon Center Osaka DX on the 9th floor of Daimaru, which is connected to PARCO Shinsaibashi, right next to the Pokémon Café. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a reservation for the café, but it looked amazing!

Strolling Through Dotonbori

After spending a couple of hours in PARCO, we walked towards Dotonbori via Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street. We explored the area, visiting the iconic Glico Man and Don Quijote. By this time, we were all exhausted, so we picked up dinner from a convenience store as Dotonbori was too crowded and the kids were too tired from all the walking. We considered trying the Tombori River Cruise, but it was late, and our kids were tired. Plus, you need to prebook as it gets very busy with the night cruise.