Dōtonbori

And Osaka was very rainy for two days.

And it was right near Shinsaibashi, which is like the big shopping street that leads you to the Glico Man in Dotonbori.

So it was a great neighborhood.

And Osaka ended up being super duper fun I think the first couple of days in Osaka were quite an adjustment period of like our Airbnb was on the ground floor so like you get a lot of like the nightlife noises from outside and stuff as well it's also raining so like you know I'm still kind of trying to figure out like you know do I get an umbrella or not.

Osaka was okay.

I think like...

Okay, so this is probably like... hottest take I have about like Japan itself but Osaka was fine I think like the best parts of Osaka are the non tourist parts because I feel like the Glico guy like the Dotonbori area and stuff it's it's gotten way too touristy in a Times Square kind of way

mmm

Twice, actually.

There is this place in Dotonbori, in Osaka.

And...

We went there on our first trip to Japan and we loved it so much that we went back.

No, no, sorry.

In Namba, like Dotonbori.

Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Because usually they have table.

That's another option.

It takes you to Namba if you're staying maybe near Dotonbori in Minami, Osaka, for example.

The Nankai Railway is a great choice.

There are also airport buses.

And the food is really good.

in Osaka especially, keep your first day geographically manageable.

A lot of people go to Namba and Dotonbori, for example, and the surrounding streets around there.

It's an easy place to begin.

President Donald Trump has denied threatening to withhold intelligence on Russian missile launches.

And finally, Osaka's iconic Dotonbori Glico sign is getting an upgraded design next spring, the first replacement in thirteen years.

The overhaul is needed as the current sign's LEDs have deteriorated with age.

Lights on the famous sign will be switched off on November thirtieth to allow renovation work to begin.

The new design is being kept secret until its unveiling, but it will retain the classic image of a runner raising both arms.

The company's first Dotonbori sign was set up in nineteen thirty-five.

The current sixth-generation version was unveiled in twenty-fourteen.

[upbeat music] Those were your news headlines from The Straits Times.

Namba's also great.

But if you wanted to be more near like Dotonbori and that sort of area, it's called Mimaru Shinsaibashi

Central.

Shinsaibashi Central.

It's just more of like a jolly vibe.

So I would challenge, if I had a friend come back, I'd be like, oh, they didn't dive deep enough or maybe they haven't compared it to some other cities.

But yes, upon looks, if you got out, somewhere walked out of your hotel in Osaka and took a photo it doesn't look beautiful and shiny that's why I always say if you're going to do like the Dotonbori cruise do it at night because it's all the neon lights and it's very lost in translation and that sort of thing but um and Kyoto has the charm but I would say dig a bit deeper but then again not everywhere's for everybody not everywhere's for everybody yeah

No, that's right.