Throwback 2020 #NicGoesToOsaka
Let's make this even more confusing and chaotic by posting this blog post about our time in Osaka during our trip in 2020... Yes, 2020 🥹
I wasn't able to conclude this trip since I often start a lot of things and rarely finish it 🥴 and it's been 3 years already and I have already finished my recent trip to Japan hahahah, but we're here now and let's get it done.
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| Can't find this anymore huhu |
Prior to reaching the castle you'll go through multiple fortresses and gates, better wear comfy shoes because you'll be doing a lot of steps.
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| Dweeb. |
And yes, you can actually go inside the castle since it's a museum and you can go to the top to see a panoramic view of Osaka. There's an admission fee, but when we visited we purchased an Osaka Amazing Pass initially for bus and train rides it enabled us to visit multiple landmarks without paying for additional admission fees.
You can also indulge and buy some snacks within the vicinity of the Osaka castle, like this Takoyaki. Actually within the inner fortress there's a building with a café at the top, it looks quite fancy that's why we assumed that it's expensive and did not bother checking it out LOL 😆
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| Best pairing: Matcha parfait and Czech beer 👌 |
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| Clear skies enabled us to see a lot of Osaka |
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| No other tourists! I have all the space I need with Glico Man! |
THE NEXT DAY
Now this one is interesting, I bought our ticket for buy 1 take 1! Yep, I got our tickets for only PHP 3,500.00 pesos at that time, and I remember due to the increasing number of people getting infected by COVID-19 almost all the amusement parks in Japan will cease to operate starting Feb. 28 until April (which was later extended since at that time people were assuming lockdowns will be done by then...lol), and guess what day we went? FEB. 27, 2020!!!! WAAAH! So basically this is the last day the park will operate!
Despite the early days of the pandemic, you can definitely feel the vibe around us especially the amount of people in the park. Sure, we still had to wait in line for some rides, but compared to our recent trip, the February trip in USJ was such a breeze!
Of course we spent a lot of time at the Wizarding World! I got so emotional seeing Hogsmeade and the majestic Hogwarts castle, it was the moment that I realized that a dream of mine just came true ✨💗 An answered prayer indeed! ✨
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| I suggest you buy a cup of Butterbeer and ask for the memorabilia cup instead of these which were sold at the shop after the Forbidden Forest ride. |
Of course we spent a lot of time at the Wizarding World! I got so emotional seeing Hogsmeade and the majestic Hogwarts castle, it was the moment that I realized that a dream of mine just came true ✨💗 An answered prayer indeed! ✨
While visiting this part of the park we visited Ollivander's to see if we'll get chosen by the wand, luckily we weren't chosen because I think spending PHP 2,400 for a piece of stick is a massive waste of funds- instead we bought our Hogwarts house's scarves! Mine is Hufflepuff and Ken is Gryffindor, and surprisingly we got a lot of use from those scarves, we ROI-d them! Hahaha!
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| I dunno why I look so pissed, I swear I was over the moon that day!!! |
Nowadays to get this shot, without people in your background, you need to be a wizard to crop them out! I kinda miss how less crowded USJ was and how cozy the weather was when we went in Feb huhu 🥹
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| Get this drink + cup for around ¥ 1,000 |
The Spiderman ride has got to be one of the most underrated rides in Universal Studios Japan! It's sad that they'll be removing this ride starting next year, 2024!!!! I suppose it's because Disney has full reins on Marvel and other superhero IPs as well. I'll be missing this ride!
I wasn't able to take a lot of photos since I had a lot of fun going on rides and just enjoying the moment. Among the attractions, one of the fun ones is Waterworld which is a show with cool effects, I definitely suggest people to check it out when they visit the park. On the other side, the ride I don't recommend is the Minions one, I think the 1 hour queue to ride it was a waster of time though 😑
THE LAST DAY
Walking around an almost empty Dotombori is quite surreal, because even in the wee hours of the night nowadays it is still packed with tourists eating or drinking in noisy bars.
We did not go far away from our hotel during our last day since our flight was at 8 p.m. that night, hence we decided to spend our remaining yens on all the yummy food we see. We got really good Kobe beef, Melon Pan, Paul's cheese cake, Takoyaki, and lots of Alfort Bourbon chocolate!
It was exactly last month when we left for Japan, and 2 weeks since we arrived and I still miss that glorious place! I am already checking out flights and clearing schedules to see if I can squeeze in a quick trip to any city in Japan before August 2024, because ... 🫰 Hehe we'll talk about it in another blog 👌
Love Always,
Nicole
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