Day 7: Osaka + Nara

Nara

Morning side trip to Nara, a former capital of Japan known for the deer that roam around everywhere and a shrine with giant Buddha statues built in the 700’s AD. It was pouring rain most of the morning.

And why not some strawberry olive oil ice cream for the walk back to the train

Osaka: quest for dinner

Tried to hit up a few of the recommended places on my list, but had no luck on my first two. One was closing 2 hours early, and the second told me they were fully reserved (despite there being a bunch of open seats).

Wandered into a random place and grabbed some yakisoba noodles and a highball to ease the pain.

Tenpei

Walked a mile or so in the rain to another place on my list — Tenpei, whose menu is three items: gyoza, pickles, beer. The minimum order is 20 bite size gyoza, and I ended up adding another 10 because they were so good.

Craftroom

They turned the basement of what looks like an abandoned shopping mall into a food hall of sorts. It looked to be almost all locals at the various restaurant, but there is also a highly rated cocktail bar tucked in the corner.

Fermented lemon sour; Umami cocktail — Kobe beef bourbon, PX sherry, banana: Okinawa rum daiquiri

After three drinks, hit up another spot in the basement for some kushikatsu — random fried meats and veggies. And apparently another highball? That seems unnecessary.