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Taken on May 19, 26. This is the flower water offering at Omiya Hikawa Shrine. I didn't have enough time, so I hope to take a leisurely stroll next time.

The Ultimate Guide for First-Timers in Osaka: 5 Days and 4 Nights 🔥 ✈️ Arriving on a 7 AM flight; an all-inclusive experience of food, fun, and entertainment ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📌 Basic Information 🏨 Accommodation Recommendations ▪️ Namba / Shinsaibashi Area (Convenient transportation and late-night shopping) ✈️ Arrival Time ▪️ Landing at Kansai Airport at 07:00 🚃 Transportation Recommendations ▪️ Osaka Amazing Pass ▪️ Combination of subway and JR ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🗓 Day 1 | Arriving in Osaka, Shinsaibashi, Dōtonbori 07:00 ✈️ Flight arrives at Kansai International Airport Complete immigration and collect luggage 08:30 🚆 Take the Nankai Electric Railway to Namba 09:30 🏨 Arrive at the hotel and drop off luggage 10:30 🛍 Stroll through Shinsaibashi Shopping Street ▪️ Drugstores ▪️ Trendy fashion brands ▪️ Souvenirs 12:30 🍱 Lunch Recommendations ▪️ Unagi rice ▪️ Japanese set meal 14:00 📸 Walk along the Dōtonbori riverside ▪️ Snap a photo with iconic signs ▪️ Take a picture with the Glico Man sign 16:00 🚶 Stroll around the nearby area Experience the atmosphere of Osaka 18:00 🍢 Dinner Recommendations ▪️ Okonomiyaki ▪️ Takoyaki ▪️ Classic kushikatsu 20:00 🛒 Visit Don Quijote duty-free store Shop for snacks, cosmetics, and daily necessities 21:30 🏨 Return to the hotel to rest 22:30 🌃 Experience the nightlife at the club ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🗓 Day 2 | A Day Trip to USJ (Universal Studios Japan) 07:00 🌅 Early start to head to USJ 07:30 🚉 Arrive at the park and queue for entry 08:00 🎢 Enter the park on time Priority rides: ▪️ The Wizarding World of Harry Potter ▪️ Super Nintendo World 12:00 🍔 Lunch inside the park ▪️ Three Broomsticks Restaurant ▪️ Light snacks 13:30 🎮 Continue enjoying popular attractions ▪️ Jurassic Park ▪️ Super Nintendo World ▪️ Minion Park 16:00 🛍 Shop at the park stores Buy souvenirs and take photos 17:00 ✨ Enjoy the night parade and light show 19:00 🚆 Leave the park and return to the city 20:00 🍢 Dinner Recommendations ▪️ Kushikatsu from a famous shop in Shinsekai 21:30 🌃 Experience the nightlife at the club ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🗓 Day 3 | Osaka Castle, Kuromon Ichiba, Umeda Night View 09:00 🏯 Visit Osaka Castle Park ▪️ Tour the main keep ▪️ Stroll through the Japanese garden 12:00 🍣 Lunch Recommendations ▪️ Sushi ▪️ Wagyu set meal ▪️ Japanese pork cutlet 13:30 🐟 Food tour at Kuromon Ichiba Market ▪️ Sashimi ▪️ Seafood sushi ▪️ Grilled seafood ▪️ Seasonal fruits 15:30 🎡 Head to the Shinsekai area ▪️ Tsutenkaku Tower ▪️ Retro shopping street 18:00 🌆 Visit the Umeda Sky Building observation deck 19:30 🥩 Dinner Recommendations ▪️ Wagyu barbecue ▪️ Green onion grill 21:00 🌃 Enjoy the night view of Osaka 22:30 🍸 Experience the nightlife at the club ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🗓 Day 4 | Tennoji, Kaiyukan, Osaka Port 09:00 ⛩ Visit Shitennoji ▪️ Worship at the ancient temple ▪️ Stroll through the Japanese garden 11:30 🍜 Lunch Recommendations ▪️ Soba noodles ▪️ Japanese light meal 13:30 🌊 Head to Osaka Port 14:00 🐋 Visit Kaiyukan Aquarium 16:00 🎡 Ride the Tempozan Ferris Wheel Enjoy the view of Osaka Port 18:00 🌅 Stroll along Osaka Port Enjoy the sunset view 19:00 🦀 Dinner Recommendations ▪️ Seafood izakaya ▪️ Grilled fish dishes ▪️ Seafood rice bowl 21:00 🏨 Return to the hotel to rest ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🗓 Day 5 | Umeda Shopping and Return Home 09:00 🧳 Check out of the hotel Store luggage 09:30 🛍 Shopping in Umeda Department Store District ▪️ Souvenirs ▪️ Snacks ▪️ Desserts 12:00 🍜 Lunch Recommendations ▪️ Osaka-style ramen ▪️ Japanese snacks 14:00 🏨 Return to the hotel to collect luggage 14:30 🚆 Take the Nankai Electric Railway to Kansai Airport 16:00 ✈️ Complete tax refund and last shopping at duty-free 17:30 🛫 Board the flight home End of the 5 days and 4 nights in Osaka ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🍜 Must-Try Food List in Osaka 📍Dōtonbori ▪️ Takoyaki ▪️ Okonomiyaki ▪️ Kushikatsu ▪️ Tonkotsu ramen 📍Kuromon Ichiba ▪️ Sashimi ▪️ Seafood sushi ▪️ Grilled scallops ▪️ Fresh-cut fruits 📍Shinsekai ▪️ Famous kushikatsu ▪️ Japanese fried foods 📍Umeda Area ▪️ Wagyu sukiyaki ▪️ Omi beef set meal ▪️ Japanese desserts 📍Street Snacks ▪️ Crepes ▪️ Taiyaki ▪️ Japanese shaved ice ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 💡 Useful Tips 🚇 Subway and buses are the main transportation It is recommended to charge your IC card in advance 🎢 Arrive early at USJ There are many people queuing for popular attractions 🍱 Many shops in Japan close earlier at night It is advisable not to have dinner too late 🛂 Remember to bring your passport for duty-free shopping This makes it easier to process tax refunds 🤭

Spring begins. A place enveloped by the lake and sky. Kussharo Prince Hotel. Experience the scenery unique to this season. Reservations can be made from the profile URL. 📍Kussharo Prince Hotel https://www.instagram.com/kussharo_ph/...

【Let's Go to the Shibazakura Festival!】 In neighboring Takinoue Town, the Shibazakura Festival is held for a month in May when the shibazakura (moss phlox) is in full bloom. On Sunday, May 17th, Nishiokoppe Village set up a booth alongside Engaru Town and Omu Town, selling drinkable yogurt made from grass-fed milk, as well as crafts made from deer leather and antlers. The shibazakura peeking out from under the tent was incredibly vibrant and a sight to behold! It seemed to be about 80-90% in bloom. We arrived at just the right time, almost at full bloom. The pink shades of the shibazakura ranged from deep colors to lighter hues, creating a beautiful spread across the park. Upon closer inspection, the petals were adorned with raindrops, allowing us to enjoy the fresh shibazakura that we wouldn't have seen on a sunny day. On this day, Setoushi-kun was also invited! Setoushi-kun, who got to meet Piccolo, Ikura Sujiko-chan, and Monbemom, looked quite happy. (A little Setoushi-kun was able to meet Anji-kun.) We even managed to capture a moment that looked like he was holding hands with Ikura Sujiko-chan!✨ The Shibazakura Festival will be held until May 31st. For those who haven't visited yet, please head to Takinoue Town to see the shibazakura!🚙 #Shibazakura #Shibazakura Festival #Yuru-chara #Setoushi-kun

I spent a few days in Tokyo this time, and I can honestly say it was more comfortable than I imagined. Tokyo is a fascinating city where you can experience in one day: ☀️ Clean and pleasant streets during the day 🌃 An incredibly lively nightlife at night 🍣 Delicious Japanese cuisine 🚃 An extraordinarily convenient transportation system What surprised me the most is that Tokyo is not as chaotic as people think. In fact, many places are very quiet, clean, and orderly. — 📍 This time, I mainly visited a few places: ✨ Shinjuku One of the busiest areas in Tokyo. Department stores, izakayas, drugstores, and ramen shops are all concentrated here. Walking near Kabukicho at night, you really get a feeling of: "Ah… this is Tokyo" (laughs) Especially when the neon lights come on, the atmosphere feels straight out of a Japanese movie. — ✨ Shibuya It's full of young people. Everyone has a great sense of style, and just walking down the street feels like being in a Japanese drama. The shock of seeing the Shibuya Crossing in person is completely different from what you see in videos. Plus, there are many cafes and department stores nearby that are perfect for a leisurely stroll. — ✨ Asakusa If you want to experience traditional Japan, you really have to come here. Kaminarimon, the big red lantern, and Nakamise Street are exactly the places tourists want to take photos when they first visit Tokyo. There are many people wearing kimonos, and the whole atmosphere is very Japanese. — ✨ Tokyo Tower & Skytree The night view of Tokyo is truly impressive. Especially standing at a high point and looking at the city lights, you get a feeling of: "How can Tokyo be so grand?" I recommend going at night, the atmosphere is really nice. — 🍣 You really can't go wrong with food in Tokyo This time I had sushi, barbecue, izakaya, and ramen. Honestly, many places in Japan are delicious even if they're not famous. Convenience stores are also amazing, and even late at night, anything you buy is tasty (laughs). — 🚃 As for transportation At first, looking at the Tokyo subway map can be overwhelming. But you get used to it after a few rides, and Google Maps can almost always guide you directly. Plus, Japanese trains are so punctual that it's a bit scary. — If you ask me: Is Tokyo suitable for independent travel? I would say directly: Absolutely suitable. Whether you come alone, with a partner, or with friends, you can find your own way to enjoy it. Tokyo is not the kind of place you "only visit once." Instead, it's a city that makes you want to come back after you leave.

The view of the fishing port seen from Armor Station in Kami Town, Hyogo Prefecture, was breathtakingly beautiful.

This is Horokanaicho in Hokkaido. You can encounter nostalgic rural landscapes that tickle your memory.

This is Horokanaicho in Hokkaido. You can encounter nostalgic rural landscapes that tickle your memory.

A special season unique to spring has begun at Enoura in Kanagawa Prefecture. About an hour from Tokyo. During this time, you can witness the "spawning of the Japanese common squid" in the waters of Japan. Usually drifting quietly in the sea, the squids begin to gather in shallow waters for spawning as spring arrives. Underwater, a unique tension and a quiet presence of life spread throughout. Divers can observe the squids heading to their spawning grounds and the eggs laid on branches up close. Spawning has just begun. Over the next few weeks, small lives will develop within the eggs. In a few weeks, you will also be able to see tiny baby squids swimming inside the eggs. Watching underwater feels like peeking into a small story within the sea. Moreover, this scenery can only be seen during the short period of spring. It's not at an aquarium, not in a video, but a seasonal landscape you can experience in the actual waters of Japan. On this day, we encountered clownfish, sea slugs, and even "underwater Doraemon." It's another side of Japan that you won't find just by visiting Tokyo or Kyoto. A day spent at the sea, a little away from the city, will surely become a special travel memory. Enoura is a diving area that can be visited as a day trip from Tokyo. Hokule'a Shonan offers small-group diving tours suitable for beginners. They also provide English support, making it popular among travelers from abroad and foreign residents in Japan. Come to the spring-only waters of Japan. Why not go see the quiet drama of life? 📍 Enoura (Kanagawa Prefecture) 🚃 Day trip possible from Tokyo 🤿 Small group tours with English support #Near Tokyo #Day trip #Extraordinary experience #Japanese common squid #Squid spawning

"The Sotomo Strait and Monji-gasaki illuminated by the morning sun, with the silhouette of the Kanmon Bridge" Photographed: July 22, 2024 Monji-gasaki is located on the Kyushu side of the Sotomo Strait, the narrowest part of the Kanmon Strait, where Kyushu, as an island, is closest to Honshu. At the tip, there is the Hesaki Lighthouse, which combines the morning sun, the tidal currents at your feet, and passing ships, making it one of the photo spots in the Kanmon Strait. This favorite shot taken from the Karato side of Shimonoseki City, capturing the morning at the gateway to Kyushu, was submitted to the 22nd NEXCO West Japan Photo Contest and was awarded the Grand Prize in the Best Shot category for highways. (It was also used in the calendar distributed by NEXCO West Japan, made from award-winning works, for September of last year (2025).

Taken on May 19, 2014. After visiting Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine, I relaxed at the Starbucks Kanetsuki‑dōri Store. I had a chai latte and a chocolate terrine. The chocolate terrine is said to be very popular.

Taken on May 19, 2014. This is the pinwheel next to the main hall of Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine.

Some of Japan’s hidden gems are not places — but quiet moments noticed by the right people.

The Railway Museum is super fun.

They love to eat dango.