Ahjumma..... Fighting!: Japan Trip 2018

Narita Airport Terminal 3
Vanilla Air
Kansai Domestic Airport
Osaka - Dotonbori

Time to say goodbye to the happiest place on earth (though my husband will not agree) ~~~

Thank you for your hospitality

Shuttle buses to Disneyland run as early as 7am!
And there are people who can wake up that early!

One last picture before we leave

Today, we will be travelling from Tokyo to Osaka. It was a choice of flying domestically or travelling on a shinkansen (bullet) train.
With a young child and plenty of luggage in tow, there were a few factors to consider when choosing the right transport mode.

Travelling time
Train - Shinkansen ride with transfers ~ 4 hours
Flight - Flying time (1.5hrs) + airport shuttle service (Disney to Narita (1hr) /Kansai to Namba (45mins) ~ 3.5 hours

Cost
We didn't buy the JR Pass as we didn't have that many destinations to within a week. Thus, purchasing a shinkansen ticket (reserved seat) on a single trip will be expensive.
Train - Shinkansen ride with subway transfer ~Yen 15,000 per pax
Flight - Domestic flight on low cost carrier (with 20kg checked in baggage allowance) + airport shuttle service ~ Yen 11,520 per pax

Comfort
Taking the shinkansen would require multiple transfer from Disney resort to Osaka and we were not confident of managing the process of dragging luggage across platform, up the steps AND holding on tight to a young child in crowded train stations. Plus not missing the train! I think I will be very stressed from all the rushing around.
Thus, we opt for the more comfortable way of travelling on a airport bus and flying where you only need to load and unload luggage.

And so, we took the first airport limousine service out from Disney Ambassador Hotel doorstep and the smooth bus journey had all of us snoozing in comfort.

We arrived at Narita Airport Terminal 3 on time and the image that greeted us puzzled us. The terminal was very bare - you can even see pipes and electrical wiring on the ceiling. The check-in counters and shops looked like they were on a makeshift condition. We were not sure if this terminal was going through a revamp or meant for budget carrier (thus explaining the lack of aesthetics). It was definitely the other side of Japan that we saw. Though minimal, everything was still under control and organised.

And today, we will be flying on Vanilla Air - a Japanese budget carrier which is wholly owned by All Nippon Airways.

Energised after an hour nap on the bus

After the smooth and organised check-in, we proceeded to have breakfast at the foodcourt.

This coffee vending machine had me
wondering which button to push

A rare request for cheeseburger

My breakfast

After our hearty breakfast and a quick visit to the restrooms, we proceeded to our boarding gate and was led to a shuttle bus waiting for us at the tarmac. Oh dear! We certainly didn't expect this. It was cold outside and we have packed our coats/jackets neatly in our hand carry baggage already. Upon reaching the aircraft which was parked at a remote bay, it was a mad dash for the steps up the plane. It was a great chance to take a photo with the aircraft up close and personal but the princess was too cold to do anything.

It was a relatively smooth 1.5 hours flight to Kansai. The seats were comfortable and spacious for us. It was a blessing that the princess slept throughout the flight and we took the opportunity to rest as well.

Into the skies

After touching down at Kansai Airport, we picked up our checked in baggage, collected our pre-booked (through Klook) wifi router and bought our bus transfer tickets to our hotel.

Need a drink?
No worries - vending machines are everywhere!

While waiting for us to collect our baggage

And she's hungry again ~~~~~

Waiting for Daddy to collect the wifi router

At the bus stop

Our hotel is just next to OCAT

A cold day

Osaka - here we come!

Osaka, Japan's second largest city after Tokyo, is divided into Minami (South) - Namba and Kita (North) - Umeda.
Minami - Namba is the city's most famous entertainment district while Kita - Umeda is the transportation hub and business district.
On this trip, we decided to stay in the Namba area where I still have vague memories of the area.

After 45 minutes or so, we arrived at the OCAT Terminal Namba. Our hotel- Hotel Monterey Grasmere Osaka is located just next to the OCAT Terminal building.

Upon checking in, we rested in our room for a while before making our way out for an early dinner at 4.30pm. And what better place other than Dotonbori for food!
Dotonbori is one of Osaka's most popular tourist destinations. A street that runs parallel to the canal, it is a place where foodie goes! You will be spoilt for choices here! There are many restaurants, retail and entertainment shops around the area. You will see many interesting signboards here. This is also the place where the famous Glico Man neon sign is.

Relying on GPS (yeah to wifi on router), we headed to the famous Ichiran Ramen.
Placing your order on the vending machine may seem intimidating as the words are mainly in Japanese and you can get more nervous when you see long lines waiting behind you. We were lucky to have met a staff who can speak English well, so ordering was a breeze.
We realised later that you can order additional ingredients when seated and just top up the amount accordingly.

The vending machine

Not sure which one to choose?
Just circle the recommended

Our individual counter seat

Our designated coat hanger

After you finished circling your choices, you leave
your order chit on the table.
The staff will "draw up" the bamboo blind to collect
the order

The counter divider can be opened up for more
space when dining with family and closed for more privacy
when dining alone

Perfect food on a cold day

Itadakimasu~~~~

After a satisfying dinner, it's time to burn those calories off by walking along the canal towards Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade - the famous shopping street.

Although we were so full from dinner, we had to stop
here when we saw takoyaki!

Takoyaki!

Such a cold day ~~~~
But the piping hot takoyaki warmed us a little

We tried to take our images on the TV screen

And was joined by some friendly (or drunk?) locals

Dotonbori canal

Trying to take a shot with the famous "Glico Man"
but failed miserably

The famous Glico Man neon sign

So crowded!

It didn't take very long for our next food pit-stop as the eagle-eyed Mummy spotted the next target.

Now, Pablo Cheese Tarts is a big hit in Singapore. The queue can be as long as an hour just to get your hands on those custard-like cream cheese tarts and that's exactly the reason that always deter me from buying whenever I passed by the shop at Orchard Road. While I'm still waiting for the hype to fade out in Singapore, I spotted Pablo café at its origin place. What's even better - there's no queue!

What a contrast to the Singapore café!

The original cheese tart

The cream cheese didn't ooze out as I expected it to be.
Still tasted good though.

Left the café feeling so satisfied

We then continued our shopping spree ......

In Sanrio shop

As night falls, so did the temperature. It was probably 4 degree Celsius and the cold made us hungry again. So we went back to Dotonbori again searching for our supper option.
We settled for Osaka Ohsho. You cannot miss this shop at Dotonbori as there is a big gyoza sign outside the shop.

Soup noodles

Chicken salad

Yakisoba

Gyoza

Super satisfied look

Trying to imitate the poster behind us

It was about 10pm when we finished our supper. As we made our way back to our hotel, we made a detour to the nearest convenience store for some snacks in order to deal with the princess constant hunger pangs. But somehow, our snacks purchase looked more like a picnic!