Osaka

Just a quick thing, that I really liked Osaka when I was there. In retrospect, I probably should have done more planning to avoid going to Tokyo, and rather flown into the Kansai airport near Osaka and Kyoto.

Basically everyone says that you need to go to Kyoto when you are in Japan, which we are doing later this week, but I did kind of want to experience the big city neon lights of a Japanese city as well. For this reason I set things up so I would have to go to Tokyo several times while I am here. As I found out however, Osaka (which is only 30 minutes from Kyoto) offers much the same crowded neon experience, with cheaper accommodations and over a much more compact area.

Basically, my main problem with Tokyo is that because it is so big, it takes a lot of train riding to get anywhere, and cheap accommodations are not in the best parts of the city. In Osaka I was able to stay in the heart of the entertainment district and everything of note was only a few subway stops away. Also, while Tokyo may have more of the Rodeo Drive kind of high class stuff, Osaka is kind of grungy in a pleasant way that I actually like a little bit better.

Anyway, just a little advice to anyone who every makes it out to Japan.