DAY 14 - OSAKA

We said farewell to Kyoto in our favourite little coffee shop near our hotel for breakfast, before heading to the station for our final trip on the Shinkansen. They really are beautiful machines.

Another city, another amazing view from our hotel room. Hello Osaka!

Lunchtime in a new city, means one thing.
Time to find the best nearby ramen shop and we ended up at The Turtle King, Ramen Kio Dotonbori.

Plastic food shop.

After a 4-5 days away from the hustle and bustle of the city, being in Osaka has the same crazy mega-city vibe of our time in Tokyo. The main street in Dotonbori is particularly mental, with every restaurant having massive 3D statues and models usually representing the cuisine served within, extending into the street.

Toppo - a popular snack in Japan. Straight chocolate filled pretzels.

Below: One of the nicest underground train carriages I've been on. It felt like stepping back in time boarding this retro yet pristine condition carriages. Next stop: Abeno Harukas 300.

At 300 meters tall and opened in 2014, the Abeno Harukas building is the tallest skyscraper in all of Japan and the 3rd tallest building in the country, after the Tokyo Sky Tree and Tokyo Tower. The views from the 3 storey, open air, observation deck are incredible - both looking out across Osaka and looking back through the building.

Above: Looking up at Harukas 300 from below
Below: Harukus 300 in the distance, taken from our hotel.

Another night, another Japanese beef dinner! The restaurant was Matsuzakagyu Yakiniku, a private dining place which was number 1 on Tripadvisor for restaurants in Osaka. As it was close to our hotel we felt it would be rude not to check it out. The beef in this restaurant is of the Matsuzaka variety and I think this was the best yet. The waiter explained every cut and advised on best way to season and cook it. He said to eat it almost raw, cooking it just a few seconds on each side.

After our meal we asked our waiter to recommend somewhere to go for a drink, instead of giving us directions he took us round the corner and showed us straight to the door. Amazing service. The bar was fantastic, a traditional japanese place with wood panelled interior, no drinks menu and only bottles of spirits to chose from. Like the night before we were the only foreigners in there. Needless to say, the Japanese whiskey was following.