Trip to Japan : Day 7
Hi there, it's me again, updating after months.
Yep, you did not read wrong, I skipped over day 6 as all we did was to go to Shinsaibashi to shop. My goodness was it good.
Do not miss it out as it's heaven for shopping.
Day 6 Agenda : Instance Ramen Museum & Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
So we woke up at 9am and started heading towards the Instance Ramen Museum in Ikeda, surviving on onigiris for breakfast.
Ikeda Station.
A really cosy town.
Took a picture in case we lost our way.
So yes, we glance at the map and starting walking over.
It's really not all that far, about 10 ~ 15mins if you're slowly strolling along the way.
On the way there.
Sakura can be seen everywhere!!
The Instance Ramen Museum!!
Oh yes, Momofuku Ando welcomes you.
Just in case it's not clear enough.
It's free entry so feel free to waltz in.
The must-have plastic food sample.
Their chicken mascot. Too cute!
Now you know where to buy all these.
Difference between Kanto and Kansai.
Tens and thousand of all the Instance Raman. I honestly don't think you can look at each and every one of them.
I'm already dizzy.
We did pick out ones which we think taste the best though.
The hut where it all started... of the exhibition..
Wanna go in?
Yep, you can touch and play around with them.
Old School.
This is how instance noodles first came out. It's the Chicken Ramen!
Ingredients...
There's actually a space! Bet you didn't know that.
The very first instance ramen vending machine.
Even videos is shown in the cup.
Now, they even have it for astronauts. Instance Ramen in space!
That was about it, it wasn't a big place and the only other attraction is the built-it-yourself-instance-ramen which had a long snaking queue so we gave up rather easily. It's too early for queuing and we're hungry. We're always hungry. Which explains why I look so swollen in every damn picture taken.
So we went around the back, where all the noodles vending machines were. And choose one. Just one. For the 3 of us.
It helps that me and KK are not big cup ramen people.
How the process goes : You get the cup ramen from the vending machines, pick up your disposable chopsticks from the holder attached to the machine, bring the cup over to a tap where you drizzle hot water all over your freeze-dried ramen, select a table and wait for 4 mins. Drinks are optional.
Our ramen and optional drinks. Yep, there are empty bowls provided as well.
Don't worry if you can't figure anything out, there're staff around to guide you. Not sure if they do english though.
MY GOODNESS. The ramen is fantastic! Me and KK was blown away. So much so that KK has been looking throughout Singapore wondering if there's anywhere that sells this. And she's still looking.
It's realllllllly good! I'm really bad at food reviews so I'll skip it but you have to try if you're there by any chance! I'm drooling just typing this while staring at that picture...
Do leave some space in your stomach for the instance ramen in this museum as they do provide some ramen that are only special in certain places, like Hokkaido.
So after that wonderful ramen, we started making our way over to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.
The first thing we do after stepping out of the station is to find ourselves some takoyaki. Can you believe it that in all the days we've been here... okay, it's only day 2 but... we never got any takoyaki?? Everything is wrong!! You eat takoyaki when in Osaka! Do as the tourists do yeah?
Luckily for us, the store right outside the station sells it.
Not the best.. but it's cheap and there's 10pcs and curbed our craving.
We then ask the Auntie manning the store for directions and off we go! It's an okay day, chilly but at least there's the sun!
This is just right outside the Kaiyukan but it's down for the day.
The mall right next to the Kaiyukan.
Just right up ahead!
We see it!!
¥2300 per Adult. Pretty average ticketing price.
Hello!
Greeted us in front of the entrence.
Yea... I never got the answer about what it's made of from BB.
Feeding time!
See the decals on the glass panels?
There will be whale sharks. And stingrays.
Not to sure about this though. I thought they live way way way under the sea?
My Doraemon sling bag. We placed our larger bags in the lockers, makes it easier to move around.
Where the otters are.
Look guys, I'm not going to put up all the fishes because I took millions of pictures and I'm pretty sure what you see in here, you'll be able to see it in any other aquarium. So yeah...
I'll show you a seal though... Or issit a sea lion?
Some tiny fishes among huge corals.
And then we got hungry. Again. So we pop right in the tiny cafe situated along the way.
What I got.
Takoyaki again!! Way much tastier version.
And hotdogs too, to share.
After that we continue our path. Going up the escalator, we were hit by an extreme fishy smell. Like you're standing next to a fish stall in the wet market.
I was wondering about the smell when I saw the reason. There was an open space where seals come up and play.
This was that we saw when we're going up.
This is after we went up.
This cute little guy did not even budge the entire time we were there!
Just floating straight up with it's head over the water.
On this floor were animals. Like this sloth.
Saru 猿.
And weasels...?
After all that we reach the end and started browsing though the souvenirs. I got myself a jellyfish nano brick to built.
As it was evening when we're done with the Kaiyukan, we pop right over to the mall next door for dinner. It's Sushi ticked off next in our must-eat list.
My set!
BB's Set!
Our sets! KK can't eat raw fish so she got the Chicken Namban set.
It was good! The restaurant was a tatami seating area so we had to remove our shoes to enter. I'm extremely worried about the smell. Lets hope nobody notices it...
After eating, we went around the mall a little and found ourselves at an omiyage shop on the 1st floor. We started picking out edibles but as BB picked up a box, the uncle tending the store spoke.
" あれ不味いからやめてほがいい。” " That's awful so it's better if you don't get that. "
I did a double take and spun around.
”なに？なに？なにがまずいですか？” " What? What? What's awful? "
BB showed me the box she held (not to sure of it's cake or candies) with an amusing smile on her face.
”なにがオススメですか？” " What's your recommendation? "
”そうですね。。これは悪くない。" " Right... This is not bad. "
This is the first time I saw someone who was that honest about the things they're selling. We laughed and each picked up a box the Uncle recommended.
I spotted magnets for relatives as magnets are rather rare here and run out to tell KK as she's looking for magnets to get her colleagues as well. She brought a rather startling number of them.
”ええ？日本人じゃないですか？” " You guys are not natives? "
”いえいえ、シンガポール人です。” " Nope, Singaporeans. "
Turns out the Uncle thought we were Japanese. He then said.
" Ah! I know english. "
And he did! To tell the truth, that uncle had the best english I've heard throughout my entire trip. He can even explain the meaning of a phrase Ninjas used in english to a malay couple. Since he's using english, maybe to practice or to put his knowledge to use, we went full english mode with him as well. He's quite happy with us that he gave us a pack of 3 crackers as a gift. Either that or we spent quite a sum at his shop.
That experience was really the highlight of our day and yep, we snacked on the crackers that night while watching the TV and waiting for our washing to be done. The cake he recommended was quite tasty as well.
And that's it for Day 6!! Day 7 is USJ!!!!!!!
Yep, you did not read wrong, I skipped over day 6 as all we did was to go to Shinsaibashi to shop. My goodness was it good.
Do not miss it out as it's heaven for shopping.
Day 6 Agenda : Instance Ramen Museum & Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
So we woke up at 9am and started heading towards the Instance Ramen Museum in Ikeda, surviving on onigiris for breakfast.
Ikeda Station.
A really cosy town.
Took a picture in case we lost our way.
So yes, we glance at the map and starting walking over.
It's really not all that far, about 10 ~ 15mins if you're slowly strolling along the way.
On the way there.
Sakura can be seen everywhere!!
The Instance Ramen Museum!!
Oh yes, Momofuku Ando welcomes you.
Just in case it's not clear enough.
It's free entry so feel free to waltz in.
The must-have plastic food sample.
Their chicken mascot. Too cute!
Now you know where to buy all these.
Difference between Kanto and Kansai.
Tens and thousand of all the Instance Raman. I honestly don't think you can look at each and every one of them.
I'm already dizzy.
We did pick out ones which we think taste the best though.
The hut where it all started... of the exhibition..
Wanna go in?
Yep, you can touch and play around with them.
Old School.
This is how instance noodles first came out. It's the Chicken Ramen!
Ingredients...
There's actually a space! Bet you didn't know that.
The very first instance ramen vending machine.
Even videos is shown in the cup.
Now, they even have it for astronauts. Instance Ramen in space!
That was about it, it wasn't a big place and the only other attraction is the built-it-yourself-instance-ramen which had a long snaking queue so we gave up rather easily. It's too early for queuing and we're hungry. We're always hungry. Which explains why I look so swollen in every damn picture taken.
So we went around the back, where all the noodles vending machines were. And choose one. Just one. For the 3 of us.
It helps that me and KK are not big cup ramen people.
How the process goes : You get the cup ramen from the vending machines, pick up your disposable chopsticks from the holder attached to the machine, bring the cup over to a tap where you drizzle hot water all over your freeze-dried ramen, select a table and wait for 4 mins. Drinks are optional.
Our ramen and optional drinks. Yep, there are empty bowls provided as well.
Don't worry if you can't figure anything out, there're staff around to guide you. Not sure if they do english though.
MY GOODNESS. The ramen is fantastic! Me and KK was blown away. So much so that KK has been looking throughout Singapore wondering if there's anywhere that sells this. And she's still looking.
It's realllllllly good! I'm really bad at food reviews so I'll skip it but you have to try if you're there by any chance! I'm drooling just typing this while staring at that picture...
Do leave some space in your stomach for the instance ramen in this museum as they do provide some ramen that are only special in certain places, like Hokkaido.
So after that wonderful ramen, we started making our way over to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.
The first thing we do after stepping out of the station is to find ourselves some takoyaki. Can you believe it that in all the days we've been here... okay, it's only day 2 but... we never got any takoyaki?? Everything is wrong!! You eat takoyaki when in Osaka! Do as the tourists do yeah?
Luckily for us, the store right outside the station sells it.
Not the best.. but it's cheap and there's 10pcs and curbed our craving.
We then ask the Auntie manning the store for directions and off we go! It's an okay day, chilly but at least there's the sun!
This is just right outside the Kaiyukan but it's down for the day.
The mall right next to the Kaiyukan.
Just right up ahead!
We see it!!
¥2300 per Adult. Pretty average ticketing price.
Hello!
Greeted us in front of the entrence.
Yea... I never got the answer about what it's made of from BB.
Feeding time!
See the decals on the glass panels?
There will be whale sharks. And stingrays.
Not to sure about this though. I thought they live way way way under the sea?
My Doraemon sling bag. We placed our larger bags in the lockers, makes it easier to move around.
Where the otters are.
Look guys, I'm not going to put up all the fishes because I took millions of pictures and I'm pretty sure what you see in here, you'll be able to see it in any other aquarium. So yeah...
I'll show you a seal though... Or issit a sea lion?
Some tiny fishes among huge corals.
And then we got hungry. Again. So we pop right in the tiny cafe situated along the way.
What I got.
Takoyaki again!! Way much tastier version.
And hotdogs too, to share.
After that we continue our path. Going up the escalator, we were hit by an extreme fishy smell. Like you're standing next to a fish stall in the wet market.
I was wondering about the smell when I saw the reason. There was an open space where seals come up and play.
This was that we saw when we're going up.
This is after we went up.
This cute little guy did not even budge the entire time we were there!
Just floating straight up with it's head over the water.
On this floor were animals. Like this sloth.
Saru 猿.
And weasels...?
After all that we reach the end and started browsing though the souvenirs. I got myself a jellyfish nano brick to built.
As it was evening when we're done with the Kaiyukan, we pop right over to the mall next door for dinner. It's Sushi ticked off next in our must-eat list.
My set!
BB's Set!
Our sets! KK can't eat raw fish so she got the Chicken Namban set.
It was good! The restaurant was a tatami seating area so we had to remove our shoes to enter. I'm extremely worried about the smell. Lets hope nobody notices it...
After eating, we went around the mall a little and found ourselves at an omiyage shop on the 1st floor. We started picking out edibles but as BB picked up a box, the uncle tending the store spoke.
" あれ不味いからやめてほがいい。” " That's awful so it's better if you don't get that. "
I did a double take and spun around.
”なに？なに？なにがまずいですか？” " What? What? What's awful? "
BB showed me the box she held (not to sure of it's cake or candies) with an amusing smile on her face.
”なにがオススメですか？” " What's your recommendation? "
”そうですね。。これは悪くない。" " Right... This is not bad. "
This is the first time I saw someone who was that honest about the things they're selling. We laughed and each picked up a box the Uncle recommended.
I spotted magnets for relatives as magnets are rather rare here and run out to tell KK as she's looking for magnets to get her colleagues as well. She brought a rather startling number of them.
”ええ？日本人じゃないですか？” " You guys are not natives? "
”いえいえ、シンガポール人です。” " Nope, Singaporeans. "
Turns out the Uncle thought we were Japanese. He then said.
" Ah! I know english. "
And he did! To tell the truth, that uncle had the best english I've heard throughout my entire trip. He can even explain the meaning of a phrase Ninjas used in english to a malay couple. Since he's using english, maybe to practice or to put his knowledge to use, we went full english mode with him as well. He's quite happy with us that he gave us a pack of 3 crackers as a gift. Either that or we spent quite a sum at his shop.
That experience was really the highlight of our day and yep, we snacked on the crackers that night while watching the TV and waiting for our washing to be done. The cake he recommended was quite tasty as well.
And that's it for Day 6!! Day 7 is USJ!!!!!!!