Why Japan is always a good idea for fun

The last time I was in Osaka was back in 2019, when I went with my mom and daughter Gabbie. This year, I wanted to go out of the country for a few days with girlfriends to celebrate my upcoming 59th birthday. And what better place to unwind, eat, relax, and shop than Osaka? 

We left Wednesday afternoon and, after a two-hour delay in NAIA, arrived in Kansai airport past 8 p.m. Japan time. By the time we checked in at Swissotel, it was close to 10 p.m. and we were all famished. Because the weather in Osaka was nice and cool, the unanimous choice was hot piping ramen to fill our tummies. So we walked to Namba — about 10 minutes away from our hotel — to try Hanamaruken (open 24 hours), the ramen resto my cousin Sandy Daza recommended highly.

When we got there, lo and behold, there was still a line at 11 p.m.! I almost forgot that Osaka is the land of “falling in line.” The good places to eat always have lines, and Hanamaruken was no exception. We tried to wait for a table but gave up after 15 minutes and headed for the ramen place next door. It was a good decision because their ramen turned out to be delicious. After our midnight meal, we leisurely walked back to the hotel and enjoyed the cool weather while people-watching. By 2 a.m., I was in lalaland.

The following day, we took advantage of the delicious, hearty, and filling breakfast buffet at our hotel before heading out for some “retail therapy.” We walked towards Shinsaibashi-Suji shopping street, Osaka’s most popular shopping area. It is estimated that there are 60,000 visitors on weekdays and around 120,000 visitors on weekends! Not surprisingly, I bumped into lots of Pinoys there.

First stop was GU, the cheaper sister brand of Uniqlo. I love going to GU since their goods have the same quality as Uniqlo but are more affordable. Also, since they do not have a GU store in Manila, the chances of bumping into someone wearing the same clothes are slim. I was amazed at their check-out counter, where you just lay down your shopping basket and the counter automatically totals all your purchases like magic!

By 3 p.m., we were hungry and wanted Luke’s Lobster rolls for lunch, only to find out that it has permanently closed! I was so disappointed because Luke’s was on my must-to-eat list. My friend Tet suggested we eat in Gyukatsu Motomura, which is a restaurant that serves gyukatsu wagyu beef that diners cook on a hot stone. And I am glad we tried it because the beef was melt-in-your-mouth delicious and the cooking-on-stone concept was unique. After our late lunch, we walked back to the hotel to rest our weary legs (and wallets).

For dinner, we attempted to eat at Haramaruken again and this time were successful. After around 20 minutes of waiting, we got a table and were able to savor the delicious but reasonably priced bowls of ramen, gyoza and even fried rice which are very popular among both locals and tourists. 

The following day, we went to discount store Don Quijote — “Donki” for short — for more affordable shopping. Donki is nothing short of amazing, and no trip to Japan is complete without a visit there. At Donki, you can find anything and everything like household goods, cosmetics, branded items, food, electronics, clothes, even sex toys! It was a pleasant two hours of shopping for pasalubongs, chips and chocolates.

After our afternoon nap, we scoured the pharmacy stores to buy the bilins of our loved ones. My daughter Gabbie had a long list of Japanese products she wanted me to get, such as shampoo, conditioner, hair oil, eye cream, toner, moisturizing cream and sun block. In fairness, they were all reasonably priced but quite heavy to lug around, so we returned to the hotel to drop off our purchases and had dinner at a nearby restaurant that served Japanese burgers.

On our last day, we went to Muji, a lifestyle store that sells household goods, apparel and food. And though there are Muji branches here, Muji in Japan is undeniably cheaper. Since I am putting the finishing touches on my home renovation, I was on the lookout for accessories. I ended up buying hand towels for the powder room, bathmats and containers for the bathroom, a few T-shirts and chips, and office supplies (I love Muji’s pens). 

We then went to BicCamera, a shop that sells cameras (obviously), watches, cellphones, electrical gadgets and appliances, souvenir items, toys, cosmetics and more. It has seven floors to give shoppers ample time to explore. Initially, I had no plans of buying anything. But since my companions were taking their time to check out cameras, I ended up buying ear pods and bluetooth speakers for my kids. I was amazed how much cheaper they were in Osaka compared to Manila… about 30-percent less! Even the cameras my friends bought were at least P10,000 cheaper than if they bought the same models here.

Shopping in Osaka has been made more convenient in the stores I visited. They include a tax-free lane for tourists so that all purchases over 5,000 yen can avail of the items tax-free, which is 10 percent less. All you need to do is show your passport and you can automatically avail of the discount. That’s way more convenient than the system in Europe, where you can only get your tax refund at the airport and must endure the hassle of showing the items to the customs officer.

Japan is always a good idea for shopping, eating, and bonding. No wonder Filipinos have christened it “JaFun.” Domo arigato, Osaka!