Boys Trip Part Deux

Miles and I had so much fun on our first boys trip last October to Tokyo, we decided to do another one – this time to the Kansai region of Japan to take in the sights and sounds of Osaka and Kyoto. Ashley and I had visited the two cities eight years ago on a family holiday, but most of that trip was spent in Kyoto so I was looking forward to getting to know Osaka a little bit better. The city of nearly 19 million has long played second fiddle to the Tokyo megalopolis, but I wanted Miles to experience another side of urban life in Japan as well. The metro system may not be as convoluted, or the streets less crowded, but the energy and vibe of a major Asian city, whether its Osaka, Tokyo, Hong Kong, or Seoul, is unlike anywhere else I’ve been in the world.

The plan was to spend a couple days in Osaka sandwiched around one full day in Kyoto. I had a few kids’ activities planned for the first day to ease us into the trip, and then a more relaxed (in theory) day of sightseeing on our last day. We stayed in the Kita area of town, a key transport and business hub for the city, but tucked away in one of those quiet neighbourhoods that seem to always be hiding in plain sight in Japan. After settling into our hotel (Umedaholic Hotel – very cozy and comfortable, with great breakfast options and free snacks in the lobby) and getting a good night’s rest, we headed out bright and early the next day to get a jump on our agenda.

Kaiyukan and Kids Plaza

Our first stop was the Kaiyukan, Osaka’s massive aquarium. When it opened in 1990 it was the world’s largest public aquarium, and it’s still in the top 15 by capacity today (according to Wikipedia). A nice older Japanese lady sat down beside us as we were riding the train towards Osaka Bay and chatted with Miles about whether he was going to the aquarium – an easy assumption to make, I guess, for any kid riding the Chuo Line out that way. It wasn’t the first time Miles has experienced what I would call just general courtesies in Japan – last March when we were taking the train from Narita Airport into Tokyo a woman made room for Miles to sit down and put her arm around him to keep him steady, and then last October there was a little old lady that said he was kawaii on the train coming back from Nikko – but I notice these things because I haven’t seen it happen much anywhere else, and certainly not in Hong Kong.

We made a quick stop at 9 Borden Coffee, about halfway between Osakako Station and Kaiyukan, and had an excellent flat white, before heading into the wonderful world of aquatic education. The aquarium is divided into 16 main exhibits that cover a wide swathe of ecosystems, including the Great Barrier Reef, the Californian coastline, the Amazonian rainforest, the Arctic, and the Pacific coastline closer to Osaka’s shores. The massive Pacific Ocean tank is the marquee exhibit, featuring whale sharks, hammerheads, rays, sunfish, and other impressive sea creatures. More interesting for Miles were the various stamp stations spread out around the aquarium. I’d say we spent about 60% of our time there looking at the wildlife and 40% searching in hidden corners and hallways for the next stamp to add to his little stamp book. We were basically done with Kaiyukan after about an hour, which worked out since we needed some time to head back into the city for our next destination: the Kids Plaza Osaka.

The Kids Plaza Osaka is multi-level activity centre located in the Kita ward, not far from our hotel. Admission for Miles was 800 yen (14o0 yen for adults), and to me it was well worth it. There are a ton of exhibits and sections dedicated to teaching kids about science, different cultures, disabilities, jobs and society, digital art, computers, etc., and there’s a massive jungle gym-type structure in the middle that spans all three floors of the plaza. All of the activities were well thought out and there were a ton of staff around to help out and give guidance. We went on a weekday afternoon so it didn’t feel very crowded at all, and Miles had plenty of space to run amuck for a couple of hours and do whatever his heart desired.

Umeda Sky Building

In the late afternoon we headed over to Umeda Sky Building, which has an observation deck on its roof. I always like to get up high and look out across the landscapes of the places I’m visiting, especially in these super-dense Asian metropolises. There’s something about endless cityscapes that capture my imagination, and I think Miles gets a kick out of it too. It’s quite meditative to observe a city like Osaka from such heights – the distance from all of the noise and activity at street level is like a breath taken before the plunge. I feel the same way on the rare occasions I’m at the Peak in Hong Kong. It almost builds the anticipation of re-entering that hive of activity, the buzz of a city alive with millions of people all living out the minutiae of their lives in unison. We sat and watched the trains pull into the nearby station below for a while, before following our hungry stomachs back down the escalators and lifts and into the city once again.

Osaka Castle and Tamatsukuri Inari Shrine

After spending our second day of the boys trip in Kyoto, we were back in Osaka to cap off our holiday. First on our agenda: the very symbol of Osaka itself, Osaka Castle. The actual structure itself has been rebuilt a number of times, most recently in the 1990s when the city government completed a restoration project to create a modern museum interior. Ashley and I didn’t have time to check it out when we were in Osaka eight years ago, so I definitely wanted to swing by with Miles this time around. I did have thoughts about going inside the castle at some point, but the lengthy line at the gate was enough to make me think twice. The castle is nestled inside of a park that’s quite nice to walk around in, and the elevated terraces provide decent views of the surrounding city.

A little to the south of Osaka Castle and its environs lies Tamatsukuri Inari Shrine, a neighbourhood temple said to house the castle’s Shinto guardian deity. Like the aforementioned castle the shrine has been rebuilt a few times, but it is far quieter, with the only visitors aside from us a handful of locals greeting the caretakers and popping in and out of the main hall. The serene atmosphere was a nice change of pace from the crowded paths of Osaka Castle earlier in the morning. It’s nice to spend time in places like these as well, in addition to the popular tourist attractions. I’m no snob when it comes to traveling, I love me a great big shiny building or feature that will look good on my socials, but there’s room too for lived-in neighbourhood spaces that offer perspectives that aren’t dictated by how big a crowd they can attract.

Shin Sekai and Dotonbori

Speaking of big, shiny buildings – there were two other places I wanted to bring Miles to, purely for the aesthetics: Shin Sekai and Dotonbori. These should be no stranger to anybody who has been to Osaka, and probably to the more adventurous or well-traveled they are very old news, but I couldn’t resist popping by and checking these places out. I’d already been to Dotonbori with Ashley and her family when we were last in the area nearly a decade ago, but there’s something about being present in a globally-resonant space that makes me feel like I’m a part of something bigger. It may be that this has something to do with the lingering effects of the Covid lockdowns in Hong Kong not too long ago, when the sense of isolation from the rest of the world grew quite acute, especially in 2022 when it seemed like everywhere but Hong Kong had decided to move on from the pandemic already. Perhaps I’m still feeling that isolation, somewhat, even as one could argue that Hong Kong is showing life again. In any case, I don’t think I visited Shin Sekai and Dotonbori for the views so much as I wanted to be where I thought the rest of the world might be, if that makes sense. Miles was pretty quick to lose interest, and I didn’t really need to stick around for long in either place.

Osaka Wandering aka What Miles Actually Wanted To Do

Despite all my planning, the thing Miles most enjoyed doing on our boys trip was taking the lead on our last afternoon and deciding on where we were going and how we would be getting there. He’s got a love for public transit maps (he has a binder full of metro system maps from around the world, including Tokyo, London, New York, Seoul, Hong Kong, Boston, and Osaka, that he studies and reproduces on a regular basis) and in his down time he’ll often pretend-play at being a train conductor guiding passengers from one end of a city to another. To be able to do this in real life was the culmination of his life’s ambitions.

He’d already had some time to study the Osaka train map as we criss-crossed the city over the last couple of days, and he knew exactly which lines we had yet to ride and which stations we could use to transfer. That day we rode on every single line that Osaka had to offer. Getting off and exploring at street level was purely optional, and when we did it was more a case of me negotiating a break to get a snack or squeeze in a quick sightseeing trip. We also got so many train stamps. It was my privilege and my joy as a father to give Miles the opportunity to live out his little boy dreams that day.

Final Thoughts

We had a couple hours in the morning on our last day to walk around the quiet neighbourhood streets in the vicinity of our hotel. Naturally we visited all the Lawsons and FamilyMarts to load up on snacks and souvenirs (Japanese convenience store socks are legit!) before picking up our bags and taking the train back to the airport. I think I’d pretty confidently qualify this boys trip as a success – we got to explore a new part of Japan together, eat good food, ride a lot of trains (really a lot), check out a few sites of historical/cultural importance, and just spend good bonding time as father and son. I don’t know how much longer we’ll continue to do these trips – last year’s was more spur of the moment, and this year it just seemed like a good way to spend his school holiday – but I will definitely treasure these experiences I’ve had with him, and I won’t say no if the opportunity to do another one comes up!