Cliff(y) Goes Dining

Melt-in-the-mouth deep-fried wagyu beef! Have you ever tried kushikatsu (Japanese deep-fried kebabs)? The Shinsekai neighbourhood of Osaka is famous for that. Besides the mandatory visit to Dotonbori, indeed I walked down the road to try kushikatsu for the first time in my life. There are several branches of the eateries located not so far away from one another, and unfortunately, I'm not exactly sure which branch did I go to. 

Creamy octopus balls rich in taurine! Thanks to the Japan Rail pass that allowed me to travel from Nara to Osaka in no time, I managed to cover the iconic Osaka Castle on the same day. The evening was spent wandering around the famous Dotonbori area. Immersed in the lively atmosphere with illuminated signboards and neon lights everywhere, I stopped by at one of the most popular takoyaki (Japanese octopus balls) shops.

Time for okonomiyaki with three main ingredients! From Kyoto, let's move to Nara. On my day trip there, I went to Todaiji Temple to see the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana. I also took a stroll at Nara Park, not forgetting to buy some shika senbei (lit. deer crackers) to feed the cute and adorable creatures roaming freely around the park. Before saying goodbye to the city, I had lunch at an eatery along one of the main roads to the park.

Colourful breakfast of vegetables, beef balls and omelette with rice! When I was in Kyoto, I stayed at Hotel Sasarindou (3*) which is just 5 minutes away from Gion Shijo subway station. For a Japanese hotel, the guest rooms are pretty spacious not to forget that there's a big jacuzzi inside some, if not all of them.