BLOG -- My Trip to Japan V.4 -- ADVENTURE PART 5 (Nipponbashi / Den Den Town, Namba, Dotonbori)

Here is Part 5 of my Japan blogs. These were all new places I experienced while in Osaka, all walkable from our hotel. I had wanted to visit Nara and see all the deer but we skipped it 'cuz I was feverish. :(

NIPPONBASHI / DEN DEN TOWN

DAYS SPENT: 0.5

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This is Osaka's version of Akihabara. Unfortunately, we got there pretty early so most shops were closed. We were also there on a Monday, so some of the shops might have just been closed that day. We still got to check out some shops.

PLACES VISITED:

Volks Osaka Showroom

This is similar to the Volks shop in Akihabara but with varying merchandise. I actually found SINoALICE merchandise, but only one. The area selling second-hand figures and goods was much larger and many of the prices were so much lower! The process of buying the second-hand goods also felt more streamlined. At least, I noticed a sign with English instructions on how to buy. If there was a similar sign at the Akihabara location, I missed it. I highly recommend checking this out, especially for the second-hand goods area.

The entrances. The left entrance leads to the second-hand goods. The right entrance is for new goods.

So many second-hand goods!

Instructions on how to buy from the second-hand goods area. Pretty much, you take a sheet of paper and fill out the required info. If there are multiple items in a case with the same number and price, fill out the number and price once. When you hand the paper to the employee, the employee and you will go to the case and you can point to what you want.

So many One Piece figures!

OTHER PHOTOS:

A shot of Den Den Town.

This just looks cool.

These look really neat.

If I'm reading this right (I can only read "Mac Card" and the "12"), the grand prize is a McCard for... 12 burgers? Or 12 months? I'm guessing the latter since the Switch Lite is the 2nd prize.

I don't understand the appeal of train simulation games, but I am curious.

Super Potato Retro-kan! There were tons of retro games in there.

NAMBA

DAYS SPENT: Several mornings and afternoons

OVERALL THOUGHTS: When figuring which hotel we'd stay at for Osaka, I wanted to be pretty close to Dotonbori. Dotonbori is in Namba so our hotel would be in Namba. Overall, it was a great location, with lots of shops and food places within walking distance. 

For those wanting to maximize the JR lines, you may want to stay at a hotel closer to the Osaka Loop Line or closer to JR Namba, if you don't mind changing lines. It was about a 10-13 minute walk to JR Namba from our hotel. 

PLACES VISITED:

Various Shopping Streets (Shotengai)

Whenever I came upon these shopping areas during previous trips, I thought they were rarities. It took running into many of them in Namba for me to realize it was more common  than I thought. The term for this is a shotengai. A shotengai consists of lines of shops and vendors. Often there would be a canopy between the shops and car traffic is usually not allowed. Nakamise Shopping Street in Asakusa is a shotengai. The Sun Mall connecting to Nakano Broadway (I had a photo of this in one of my older Japan trips) is also a shotengai. All this time I had been walking through something cultural and I had no idea!

One shot of a shotengai.

Another shot.

There's a hotel in this one!

This shot is to remind myself how to get to a certain stall in one of the shotengai.

OTHER PHOTOS:

This stall sold some really good steamed pork buns. It's closed on Thursdays.

A potato treat that my boyfriend got and really enjoyed.

I love the lights!

A shot of Namba.

A vending machine selling coffee. There are so many options!

DOTONBORI

DAYS SPENT: 2 + many evenings

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This area was THE reason we went to Osaka. One of the main locations in some of the Yakuza games is based off Dotonbori. I had to see this place for myself. What. A. Wonder! It could take maybe 15 minutes to walk from one end to the other, but with all the sights and shops to see and food places to dine at, you could end up spending hours. As I walked through the heavily crowded streets (there were tons of tourists), I felt like I was in the Yakuza games. I recognized several places and was in complete awe.

If you enjoy food and shopping, Dotonbori is highly recommended. If you want to see beautiful lights shimmering on beautiful waters, Dotonbori is highly recommended. If you want to see lots of people, Dotonbori is highly recommended. I would definitely come back again :)

Crab! I recognize this from the Yakuza games.

I recognize this, too!

This as well! It's a ramen shop. I wanted to eat some, but the line was too long.

I don't remember what this place was called in the Yakuza games but I believe it served a lot of deep-fried dishes.

This was also in the Yakuza games. 

A gift shop for the above figure.

This takoyaki stand was also in the Yakuza games!

We were trying to get this cicada from a crane game but it landed on a pin just above the hole. I had to ask for assistance to get it.

This shot really invites me back to the Yakuza games. I've run down those stairs and streets countless times...

Dotonbori at night. So beautiful!

Here's a video of the Dotonbori waters at night..

That's it for Part 5. The Adventure portions are now done!!! If you've been reading all these entries, you are awesome!!! XD Three more entries and these Japan blogs will be done! Will I finish them all before the year ends? x3

Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or comments about any of these places I visited, feel free to say something in the comments box or fill out a contact form!

Take care, stay safe, and until next time! :)