FootPrinTs on FoReign LaNds: Tokyo III + Osaka: 1st Day Tokyo

July 2015

2nd day Osaka Part 1: Kuromon > Osaka Castle Park > Peace Centre>Umeda>Tennoji > Shinsaibashi

Kuromon Market is the place where I settle my breakfast since it is just around the corner from the guesthouse I stay. During my first visit to the market, the curry shop was already closed and it was disappointing. I made it a point to come back again to try their curry since the curry shop was advertised in the Kuromon Market guide.

New Daruni Curry Restaurant

Based on the guide, it was a long established curry restaurant that has been in business since the war has ended.

I ordered Katsu (Fried Pork Cutlet) Curry rice - 750 yen. It was quite pricey as I saw other places that sell at a cheaper price

The menu is very tourist friendly with English menu.

It does not take long before my katsu curry rice arrives. Yummy. I love curry! The pork was crispy and the curry is enough to mix with the rice. I l0ve my curry to be all over my rice.

Raw egg and cooked egg are each sold at 50 yen.

Traditional Japanese sweets sold in the market

This is one of the cheapest takoyaki I have seen. 8 pieces for only 450 yen. Most of the takoyaki sold in Dotonbori were at least 500 yen and above for 8 pieces.

Takeaway for the Takoyaki

Big chunks of octopus are added inside these Takoyaki. Love the brown sauce and the mayonnaise that came along.

After a short rest in the guesthouse, I went to Osaka Castle Park by alighting at Morinomiya Station (Green Line).

Despite the sweltering heat, the park looks scenic and the castle main tower was very far from the station.

Crows in Japan are huge!

On my way to the castle at the park, there was a fruit stall and to my amazement, I finally saw the infamous square watermelon in Japan. I heard that square watermelons were grown to save space in Japanese refrigerators.

Please enlarge the following photos with the explanation signs about the various part of the castle and its surroundings.

To enter the castle museum, 600 yen admission ticket is required. I find it quite costly and did not go in.

I bought 4 boxes of Japanese rice balls as souvenirs for friends and myself to try. I'll write about its taste once I open my box

Up next, I walked over to Peace Osaka Museum. 200 yen admission for adult and foreigners get to carry a device which will explain the various sections of the museum in other languages - Korean, English, Chinese. Overall, I think the museum was not that fantastic. Most of the displays do not have English words. There are only Japanese words. The portable hearing device only describes the exhibits in general. Not all exhibits were given a description.