Logistics
案内Accommodation
2 min to subway · 3 min to Kaiyukan
$707 total — $353.50 pp
Money & Transit
ICOCA Card — tap to ride
Qantas Money or CommBank Travel card for spending
Flight option: Brisbane → Osaka as alternate
Map
地図
Hotel
Festival / event
Osaka
Nara
Kyoto
Time-Sensitive Events
行事Omizutori Fire Festival — Nara
★ March 12 — biggest night
Osaka Spring Grand Sumo Tournament
Book early
Osaka — Things to Do
大阪Iconic / Must-see
¥1,200
Castle
Osaka Castle
+ plum grove
Free
Night
Dotonbori
+ Hozenji moss shrine, Bunraku Theatre
¥8,900+
Theme park
Universal Studios Japan
Super Nintendo World — needs Express Pass or app Timed Entry
Free
District
Shinsekai
+ Janjan Yokocho · Tsutenkaku Tower ~¥1,000
¥2,700
Aquarium
Kaiyukan
3 min from hotel
¥800
Views
Tempozan Ferris Wheel
See-through gondolas · bay area
Shrines & Culture
Free
Shrine
Sumiyoshi Taisha
Ancient Shinto
¥600
Museum
Museum of Housing & Living
Edo-era Osaka recreation
¥1,800+
Art
teamLab Botanical Garden
Night-only · in Nagai Botanical Garden
Shopping & Streets
Free
Electronics
Den Den Town
Anime / tech
Free
Arcade
Tenjinbashisuji Shotengai
Longest shopping street in Japan
Free
Vintage
Amerikamura
Streetwear / youth
Views, Onsen & Chill
¥2,000
Skyline
Umeda Sky Building
Floating garden observatory
¥2,310+
Onsen ✦ near hotel
Solaniwa Onsen
Osaka Bay Tower · tattoo-friendly with cover stickers sold at reception
¥1,500
Onsen
Spa World
Shinsekai · themed European/Asian bath zones
¥500+
Arcade
Round 1 Stadium
Pay per game · arcade · bowling · karaoke
Experiences
体験- Wear a kimono
- Stay at a proper onsen hotel
- Visit a shrine at night
Nara — Day Trip
奈良Getting there
Kintetsu Nara Limited Express · Osaka-Namba → Kintetsu Nara · ~30 min
~1 hr door-to-door from the hotel. Last express back: ~10:30 pm.
Omizutori — Otaimatsu fire ceremony
Nara Park & Deer
Free
Park
Nara Park
Free-roaming sika deer · they bow for crackers
¥200
Snack
Shika Senbei
Deer crackers from park vendors
Must-see Temples & Shrines
¥800
Temple
Tōdaiji — Daibutsuden
15m bronze Buddha · one of world's largest wooden buildings
Free
Hall
Nigatsudō Hall
Omizutori venue · panoramic daytime view of Nara
¥500
Shrine
Kasuga Taisha
Thousands of stone & bronze lanterns line the paths
¥500+
Temple
Kōfuku-ji
Japan's 2nd-tallest wooden pagoda (50m) · ¥1,600 combined ticket
Slow Side of Nara
Free
Old town
Naramachi
Restored machiya townhouses · cafés · craft shops
¥1,200
Garden
Isuien Garden
Traditional pond garden · Yoshikien next door is free for intl. visitors
¥150
Hike
Mt. Wakakusa
Short climb · best city panorama
¥700
Museum
Nara National Museum
Buddhist art & artefacts
Kyoto — Day Trip
京都Getting there
JR Special Rapid · Osaka → Kyoto Station · ~30 min · ¥580
Hankyu Limited Express · Umeda → Kawaramachi (central) · ~45 min · ¥410
~1 hr door-to-door from the hotel.
Highlights
Free
Shrine ✦
Fushimi Inari Taisha
10,000 vermilion torii up the mountain · open 24h · magic at dawn/dusk
¥500
Temple
Kinkaku-ji
The Golden Pavilion
¥400
Temple
Kiyomizu-dera
+ Higashiyama old lanes (Sannenzaka, Ninenzaka)
Free
Nature
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
Adjacent Tenryū-ji garden ¥500
Free
District
Gion
Geisha district · Hanamikoji street, Yasaka Shrine
Free
Lane
Pontocho Alley
Narrow lantern-lit dining lane on the Kamo River
Free
Market
Nishiki Market
"Kyoto's kitchen" · 400m of food stalls
¥500
Temple
Ginkaku-ji
Silver Pavilion + Philosopher's Path
¥1,300
Castle
Nijō Castle
Shogun residence · "nightingale floors"
Group by Area (if it helps)
East side
Fushimi Inari → Kiyomizu-dera → Gion → Pontocho
West side
Arashiyama (bamboo + Tenryū-ji) → Kinkaku-ji