Just remember that Japan is way more expensive than Korea. A regular cheap meal will cost you a 1000 yen. The cheapest hotel youll find will proboably cost you at least 4-5000 a night.

You can find lots of hotels on rakuten. I dont know which ones are good and not. Maybe Manifesto or someone else from Osaka know more.
http://travel.rakuten.com/hotel/asia/japan/osaka/shi.html

Cambium

United States16368 Posts

September 29 2011 12:12 GMT

#22

On September 29 2011 18:33 ShloobeR wrote:
I'm going to be staying near Umeda station I think, it's not super far from the embassy and the location looks like I can get to places nearby!

I'm planning to bring about 600,000KRW after flights+hotel, (about Y40,000 according to xe) but I'm happy not to do lavish things while I'm there, I definitely want to check out the city and see what Osaka is all about.

I might not need to be there the full 10 days, it sort of depends on how fast my visa comes through, but 10 is probably a safe bet!

40,000 JPY is not a lot of money, even if you only stay for 5 days.

Public transportation is convenient but not cheap. I recall buying day passes while in Osaka (not sure whether it was for trains or subway), so look into that if you plan on taking the train a lot on certain days.

Umeda is pretty much central Osaka, and there's lots to do around that region. I recall there being a building where you can go up and see the city, and I definitely recommend it.

Namba is pretty close to Umeda, and inside Namba, there's a street called Dotonbori (道頓堀), where they sell a lot of food. Some recommended shops:
1. takoyaki shop with a huge octopus on top of their door
2. grill crab shop with a HUGE crab on top of their door
3. egg tart shop (I think there is only one)
Basically, if there is a huge line outside of a shop, you should line up to and try it out.

Osaka is really known for Okonomiyaki (Osaka-style) and Takoyaki, so eat them if you have a chance. Additionally, ramen can be good; look for lines.

Osaka castle is slightly out of the way, but it should still be easy to get to. If you have a lot of time, check out Amano-hashi-date, it's one of Japan's three most scenic views. It's quite far from the city, and not so convenient to get there, but I think it's worth a visit.

RosaParksStoleMySeat

Japan926 Posts

September 29 2011 13:07 GMT

#23

I've lived in Osaka for the past three years. I know a lot of people have summed it up pretty well, but here are a few things you'll want to consider.

1.) Not staying in a regular hotel, but a business hotel.

Business hotels can be about 3,000 yen/night. This would include your own private room. For a regular hotel, just about the cheapest in Osaka is the APA Hotel, which will run you about 10,000 yen/night for two people. I often used this hotel when I would come to Osaka on weekends to see my girlfriend (when I was living in Tokyo), as it was a decent place to stay.

Don't bother staying in a love hotel. They're expensive and the machine at the front door always demands more money than was listed when you checked in.

2.) Moving around.

Kansai is a great place to travel because after an hour on the train, you can be in a completely different place. Here are some must see sights:

*Nara, especially Todaiji temple and Nara park. Nara is a great place to spend one day, but I wouldn't go there for more than one day.

*Kyoto, especially Kinkakuji and Kiyomizudera. Kinkakuji is a temple made of gold, and Kiyomizudera is absolutely beautiful in autumn. JUST GO ON A WEEKDAY; NEVER A WEEKEND. You can easily spend 2 weeks sightseeing in Kyoto alone.

*Kobe, especially Kobe Harborland. Great place to take your girlfriend, as it has some nice restaurants and scenery. There's also a China Town in Kobe and a great night view that is accessible by cable car.

*Osaka, of course. The only thing is that while Osaka may be a big busy place, there is very little to actually do here ... the three big places are Umeda (Osaka station area), Namba/Shinsaibashi (accessible VIA the Midousuji subway line), and Tennoji (again, Midousuji line). Osaka castle is also a pretty fun place to go; it's extremely popular during the cherry blossom season. But, again, Osaka is all about eating, shopping, and clubbing...

*Skip Wakayama.

*Skip Shiga.

3.) Eating.

The Osaka foods are okonomiyaki and takoyaki. Japanese style pasta is also pretty fun, and I'm sure you're going to eat plenty of ramen while you're here. Omelet rice is another one of my favorites.

You're from Korea so I'm pretty sure you won't care for the Korean BBQ places or the tonkatsu places, but you may enjoy those.

If you have any more specific questions go ahead and PM me. Hope you have a great time!

Chill

Calgary26003 Posts

September 29 2011 19:17 GMT

#24

My advice:

Don't go into the girls-only car on the subway by accident. It's extremely awkward.

kainzero

United States5211 Posts

September 29 2011 20:21 GMT

#25

horai 551!
http://www.551horai.co.jp/

shaved ice takoyaki!
http://news.walkerplus.com/2009/0812/15/

NMB48!
http://www.nmb48.com/

fugu!
[image loading]

tsuutenkaku!
[image loading]

kushikatsu in the tsuutenkaku area!
[image loading]

Manifesto7

Osaka27178 Posts

September 29 2011 20:48 GMT

#26

On September 29 2011 22:07 RosaParksStoleMySeat wrote:

*Skip Wakayama.

Boo. Wakayama is awesome! There are a lot of cool places you can go.

Probulous

Australia3894 Posts

September 30 2011 00:06 GMT

#27

On September 30 2011 04:17 Chill wrote:
My advice:

Don't go into the girls-only car on the subway by accident. It's extremely awkward.

Lol you too!

I had my Sri Lankan mate with me which made people stare even more

ShloobeR

Korea (South)3850 Posts

September 30 2011 07:49 GMT

#28

Ok finally finished my booking at the place, it's like a youth hostel kind of thing but it looks more like a Korean 고시원 on the inside, (1500Y / night!) that would suck except I live in a gosiwon now as i write this so I probably won't notice! But the location seems really good (10 minutes from Umeda station)

Thanks for the comments guys, some really cool ideas here, unfortunately I don't think I have the budget to travel outside of Osaka (as Mani pointed out it's not a lot of money) But I'm happy to spend 5 days going around the city itself!

Especially looking forward to trying that Okonomiyaki : )
And I had NO idea that japan has a girl only subway carriage that is AWESOME (except I can imagine WHY they have one which is less awesome)

Invitation still out there! If you're around let me buy you a beer one night!