OSAKA

Kim had some work to do in Kobe this week. We stayed at the Hilton located in the heart of Osaka. Osaka is apart of the Kansai which is made up of Kobe, Kyoto, and Osaka. It is the second largest metropolitan city in Japan and is known for its gourmet food. I just had to tag along.

We took the Shinkansen from Nagoya. The train ride in itself is quite and experience. First of all, it is not cheap and roughly 6,500 yen or ($70) one way. The trains are always clean and always on time. There are 3 different types of trains and we rode the N700 Series which are the newest and fastest trains in the fleet. It takes about 1 hour to get to Osaka from Nagoya. People on the trains don't usually talk or at least have loud conversations. Most Japanese usually sleep or drink. Kim works and I usually sleep :)

Osaka is know for its food culture. Kim and I found some very nice and affordable restaurants in the area. 2 in particular were about a 10 minute walk from the hotel.

EN is an izakaya style restaurant. Izakaya is a type of Japanese eating style similar to small plates or tapas restaurants. When you enter EN, you are required to take off your shoes. It is an interesting restaurant with all sorts of things going on. We went on a Wednesday night and it was packed. There are private dining rooms, tables, bar seating, and floor seating. As I mentioned before you take your shoes off which makes it awkward cause it is a nice, modern style restaurant. The prices are very reasonable at 500-700 yen a plate. Kim and I tried several dishes. Our favorite being the curried fried chicken. After about 2 bottles of sake, some beer, and a bunch of food, our bill was only 6000 yen or $65. Not bad for a fun night out in Osaka.



Our next recommendation is a yakiniku restaurant called Don Don (or Don 2). Yakiniku is another Japanese style of cooking where you are served plates of sliced raw meat and you cook it yourself. Again, another crowded restaurant so we sat at the kitchen counter which is probably the best seat in the house. They give you a ceramic pot with red hot coals. Kim and I chose the seafood and meat platters. Sitting at the counter, you can watch the cooks slice and prepare all the food. Everything comes out neatly presented on a plate along with different dipping sauces. While we were eating, I saw a dish of nice marbled beef. I asked the chef if we could have an order of it and it was the most tender piece of meat I've ever eaten. It is so good that you sear the meat and eat it almost raw. Flavorful and cool center made it like butter! After all of that and another 2 bottles of sake and beer out grand total was just under 10,000 yen or $100.