Day 1:
We planned on taking a day trip to Nara on our first day in Osaka. Karen wanted to go see the deer park and me and my parents wanted to see the Todaiji temple so there was something for everyone. We took subway to Tennoji station and then took the JR line to Nara. After arriving in Nara we took the bus to Todaiji temple. There are plenty of buses that run on a loop in the town.
The first thing you see while riding the bus are the deer all around the city – in the parks, gardens and sometimes by the street !!
Outside the main gate of the temple there were plenty of deer wandering around and vendors selling crackers for feeding the deer.
After purchasing entrance tickets (500JPY/person) we entered the gate and came face to face with the with Daibutsuden Hall (Hall of Great Buddha).
After spending some time inside the temple we wandered around the temple grounds watching more deer. Another interesting thing we saw was a replica of the Lion Capital of Asoka which is the national symbol of India and is featured on the Indian currency.
After spending most of the day in Nara we finally returned back to Osaka. After taking some rest at the hotel, me and my parents went to see Dotonbori Street while Karen decided to rest for the day as she was tired from all the walking earlier.
Day 2:
We started the day with Osaka Castle. We took the subway to Tanimachi 4-chome subway station and then after 10 minutes walk we ended up by the Osaka Castle.
After spending some time at the castle we walked some more outside around the moat. We then took the subway to Tengachaya station and from there took the Nankai tram line that stops right outside Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine.
We really enjoyed the grounds at this shrine – very quiet and serene.
After spending a couple of hours at Sumiyoshi Taisha we took the train to Namba station for lunch. There is a mall (Namba Parks) right next to Namba station and there are a large number of dining options at this mall.
After lunch we took the subway back to hotel and took rest till early evening. My parents decided to retire for the night to get some sleep before early morning flight next day while me and Karen decided to go to Dotonbori Street.
We were not about to leave Osaka without trying some octopus in Takoyaki balls.
We walked around the Dotonbori street and finally ended up by the iconic Glico Man neon sign.
After spending about a couple of hours at Dotonbori street we went back to the hotel. Early next day we checked out and took the Kansai Airport Limobus to the airport for our onward flight to Hong Kong.