We arrived in Osaka on a cold and rainy Sunday afternoon. Okinawa was a bit cool. Osaka in March is downright cold. Cold weather was not in our Asia plan, so we do not have warm-weather clothes. The high the day we arrived was in the 40s (that’s single digits for all my non-American friends). It took us about two hours via public transit to go from the airport to our Airbnb.
Our Airbnb is a traditional Japanese house with bamboo floor mats and sliding doors. We have two stories that allow us to spread out. The boys stay upstairs, and Michael and I stay downstairs. The rooms have heaters, but the living. area/kitchen stays chilly because it is a big area to heat.
The day after we arrived, we decided we needed a down day. We went grocery shopping, but otherwise, we were hibernating. The next day Michael and Lucas went to play pickleball and made some new friends. Luckily, the pickleball is indoors. Michael, Lucas and Henry played pickleball a few more times, and Michael led a pickleball drilling session. They also practiced in the street in front of our house. We are up to eight pickleball paddles. At least we are getting use out of them.
Henry and I went to Mipig, a cafe where guests interact with tiny pigs. The cafe owner started the cafe to promote pigs as pets in Japan. Henry and I sat on the floor with blankets on our laps and waited for the pigs to come visit. We were not allowed to pick up the pigs, but several came over and sat on our laps. After the Mipig cafe experience, we found a vegan bakery and enjoyed a brownie. We also went to check out the Pokémon Cafe. We were not able to eat there because you have to make a reservation months in advance, but Henry picked out a cute, squishy friend from the gift shop.
We made the mistake of leaving our house on the vernal equinox, a national holiday in Japan. The mall was packed wall-to-wall with people. We managed to find a restaurant that did not have an hour’s wait, but then we retreated to our house.
We visited Osaka Castle, one of the most famous landmarks in Japan. This five-story castle has a history that dates back almost 450 years! One of the most fascinating features of Japanese culture is the sheer breadth of its rich history – across the country, there are thousands of shrines, temples, and castles dating back hundreds of years, each with an interesting story to tell. Lucas and Henry do not get as excited about the shrines and temples as I do, but they appreciate the history and like the war stories.
We took a day trip to Kyoto in search of cherry blossoms. The Cherry Blossoms are late this year. We saw a few in our first two weeks in Japan, but as of the end of March, they are sparse. Luckily, we are in Japan for a couple more weeks to catch them when they fully bloom.
We clocked about 20,000 steps in Kyoto. We walked through Maruyama Park, Chion-in Temple, and Kyoto Imperial Palace. The restaurant we went to for lunch (Gomarco Salon) has vegan options (a rare thing). The food is delicious. The restaurant cooks with sesame seeds and sesame oil giving the food a unique flavor.
Since the weather has been cold and rainy, we have taken the opportunity to chill out in Osaka. Lucas and Henry are getting time to play online with their friends. We can only go, go, go so much. We have seen a lot in Osaka and we rode a lot of trains, but we have also been recharging our batteries.
We are in Osaka for another week. We will be participating in a worldschool pop-up hub. It is a week-long event where we hang out with other families who love to travel. we are also heading to Universal Studios Japan! The weather is warming up, so we are also hopeful that we will see more cherry blossoms!
