Reposted from a reader in a WeChat group: 懒人 33 的吃喝玩乐. Original link.

Nara

Booking our Mt. Fuji hotel took up quite a bit of time, so it was already 11 by the time we headed out. We checked out of the Ritz Kyoto, and once again the staff came out to see us off. The service was genuinely warm. We took a taxi to Kyoto Station and set off for Nara.

There’s no Shinkansen from Kyoto to Nara; the Kintetsu limited express gets you there in about 40 minutes. For the train we took, we tapped in with Suica, then bought the limited express ticket either from the machine on the platform or from the QR-code-linked website.

There were a few people lined up at the ticket machine, so I got in line and bought it online at the same time. I finished the purchase before it was even my turn.

This Kintetsu train was a bit older, but still spacious and very clean.

Once we got to Nara, we first stored our luggage. Big and small train/subway stations all over Japan have luggage lockers, and you can leave things there for several days, which is very convenient.

Nara Station has both card-operated and coin-operated lockers. The larger card-operated lockers were all full, but there was a coin exchange machine in the station, which made things easy. One 800-yen locker could fit one 28-inch large suitcase plus one 20-inch smaller suitcase. Our kid also loved putting the coins into the locker.

One thing to remember: once you close the locker, if you open it again you have to pay again, so make sure you’ve checked everything before shutting the door.

After the drizzly rain the day before, we got beautiful sunny weather that day. After leaving Kintetsu Nara Station, we took a bus from the stop by the exit to Kasuga Taisha. There was staff at the bus stop helping visitors figure out which bus to take.

As soon as we got off the bus, we saw a whole group of deer. Before coming, I was worried we might not run into any deer at all, but once we arrived I realized there was absolutely no need to worry. Deer were everywhere.

The deer near the roadside by Kasuga Taisha were all pretty gentle. They took one look at our hands, saw we weren’t holding any deer crackers, and walked away.

It was our kid’s first time getting up close to wild deer. At first, they only dared to look and didn’t dare get too close.

There’s still quite a long walk from the roadside to the Kasuga Taisha entrance, and there were lots of deer all along the way. Many of them came over to sniff around and see whether we had deer crackers. I told them we really didn’t have any, and they seemed to understand and just turned around and left.

Near the entrance there was a little shop selling deer crackers. It seemed like the standard price all across Nara was 200 yen for 10 crackers. We bought 30. The moment I turned around, there were several deer stationed right outside the shop, including one that looked especially fierce and had its antlers cut off. As soon as the deer saw me carrying the crackers, they crowded around and started nudging me from all sides. One of them even bit my skirt. They were intense. I got so scared that I immediately called my teammate over to rescue me and tossed the crackers to him.

My teammate got bitten through his pants too, and the deer started chasing him. Our kid and I very shamelessly followed behind, laughing and filming the whole thing. I feel terrible for my lifesaver teammate, but it was honestly hilarious. Even after we got back to Seattle, every time our kid and I watched the video we laughed like crazy, while my teammate fumed beside us saying, “What are you laughing at?!”

Once we got to the entrance of Kasuga Taisha, the number of tourists suddenly picked up.

Even the fortune slips had little deer heads on them. So cute.

After entering, we first bought tickets at the special worship entrance ticket booth. I’m not really sure what the difference is if you don’t buy one...

The entrance is up these stairs.

There were deer inside too.

I really love the expanses of red at Japanese shrines.

There was a little dark room filled with hanging lanterns that felt a bit creepy. Oddly enough, our kid, who’s usually afraid of the dark, really liked walking around inside. After doing one lap, they insisted on going back in and doing two more. I have no idea why...

Back at the entrance. In mid-April, the wisteria was still just on the verge of blooming.

We exited from another gate and saw a sign listing the ages considered unlucky this year. If your age was on the list, you were apparently encouraged to go to the little building next door to buy an amulet or something like that. Honestly, this kind of sign probably gets almost everyone to buy one once they spot their own age on it. We checked and thankfully none of the three of us—or my parents—were on the list, so we moved on.

Near the Kasuga Taisha bus terminal, there was a very modern building with a museum and a restaurant inside. Another day without lunch. By this point we were pretty hungry, but dinner was only a few hours away. We ordered a noodle set and a dessert. The noodles were actually pretty good. Our kid was still hungry and sleepy afterward, and tearfully complained that we hadn’t saved much noodle for him...

The dessert looked great, but wow, it was sweet...

After eating, we still had a little time, so once again it was decision time: bus or walk? My better half said we still had deer crackers left, so we might as well walk all the way back to the Kintetsu station.

Most shrines in Japan are actually pretty small. Like this one—it still counts as a shrine.

Whenever we came across a deer, we fed it a little.

This was the entrance to Todai-ji. There were quite a few rickshaws here. If our kid hadn’t been asleep in the stroller at that moment, I would have wanted to ride one too.

Todai-ji is a Buddhist temple, but because of time constraints we didn’t include it in this trip. We’ll save all of that for next time.

There were lots of deer across the street too.

I have no idea whether this diamond marking on Japanese roads also means carpool or not...

Even the roadside ice cream shop had deer-shaped ice cream.

As we were getting close to Kintetsu station, my better half suggested using up the last few deer crackers. These evil parents pushed the stroller right next to the deer and imagined our kid suddenly waking up and getting startled...

The stone marker for Nara Park says, “Scenic Site Nara Park.”

If I remember correctly, this was Nara City Hall. After finally making it close to Kintetsu station, we realized the JR station for trains to Osaka was not in the same place as Kintetsu station, so we still had to walk some more. I was exhausted.

We picked up our luggage at Kintetsu station and headed for the JR station. Thankfully it wasn’t too far. We passed Higashimuki Shopping Street, which was pretty crowded and looked quite lively.

Osaka

The train we took from Nara to Osaka was less like a train and more like a subway. It really wasn’t much different from a regular subway ride, just longer. It took about an hour to reach Osaka-Namba Station. Our hotel in Osaka was very close to a subway station, so we just stayed on the subway all the way there.

Hotels in Osaka were obviously much cheaper than in Tokyo and Kyoto. We stayed at InterContinental Osaka, booked for 35,000 IHG points per night. During our stay, the cash rate was around $500/night. Valuing IHG points at 0.4-0.5, this redemption was not especially good.

We only had IHG Platinum status, and this hotel did not include breakfast. We also didn’t pay extra to add breakfast, since we slept in every morning anyway; by the time we either grabbed a bite or got ourselves ready, it was practically lunchtime. This hotel also had its lobby upstairs, with only valet service on the ground floor.

This hotel really is a paradise for shoppers. The rear exit on the ground floor connects directly to the first floor of ナレッジキャピタル. Turn left after exiting and go up the escalator, and the skybridges connect you to the entire Umeda shopping district. Supposedly Umeda has now surpassed Shinsaibashi as Osaka’s largest and best shopping area. Osaka Station, Umeda Station, and a bunch of malls are all linked by elevated walkways—basically, you can shop all over Japan without ever really going outside.

The hotel said they had already given us an upgrade—specifically, a better view, though I didn’t catch what kind of view it was. The room itself was very nice and quite spacious. The only issue was that stone piece by the desk right after you enter; it was way too easy to bump into.

I guess it was a city view?

The hotel helped add a bed for our kid, but it was not free.

The bathroom was enclosed in glass, with doors on both sides, which made it feel very modern.

After getting settled and resting a bit, it was time to head out for dinner again! We didn’t use Didi; instead, we asked for a car at the valet desk. It was a little slow, which made us two minutes late.

That night we had omakase at Sushi Akazu, at the main location. Tabelog 3.79, and we booked through TableCheck three months in advance. The restaurant wasn’t far from Umeda—just a five-minute taxi ride. It was also located on the basement level of a small building.

The restaurant emailed us a week in advance to ask about bringing our child and what food our kid would need, which I really appreciated. They did mention that our kid might be seated at a table next to the counter, and I was a little worried our clingy child wouldn’t be happy about that. But maybe because we arrived late, the table next to the counter had already been taken by another family’s little one, so our kid ended up sitting at the counter too.

They served our kid udon with an onsen egg, just as we had discussed earlier by email.

They started with sashimi, and it was so, so good.

The restaurant’s name comes from its red-vinegar-seasoned sushi rice. An apprentice was mixing the rice right in front of us, and our kid asked, “Mom, what is that smell? Why is it so fragrant?” It really smelled incredible.

As I mentioned earlier, since it was spring, firefly squid showed up throughout our entire trip. But this was the place that prepared it best—the flavor was just right.

Grilled fish—both the seasoning and texture were outstanding.

This chawanmushi was also incredibly, incredibly good. It was the richer, more heavily seasoned style, and it honestly might have been the best-seasoned chawanmushi I’ve ever had.

Then the sushi started arriving. Compared with Taneda and Wataru in Seattle, this place had especially impressive temperature control. The fish practically melted in your mouth, and paired with the distinctive aroma of the red vinegar rice, it was just amazing. My partner was hooked after the very first piece.

A few times during the meal they asked whether we wanted to add extra items. This bottarga roll was one of those add-ons. Bottarga isn’t usually my thing, but this combination was really brilliant.

And from that point on, it felt like they had switched into cheat mode—every single piece was delicious.

The tuna trio was, of course, a must.

And kohada had to make an appearance too.

My partner ordered a glass of “bijin sake.” By this point we were having such a great time eating that the drink was gone quickly, so another glass was ordered.

A Chinese staff member at the restaurant recommended this shochu with soda, and my partner said it was very good.

This piece was so, so good too—the fish skin was crisp, the flesh was tender, and the rice grains were beautifully distinct and full.

You can tell just from the picture how incredible this was. The uni was sweet, fresh, and melted in the mouth. One piece was deeply satisfying.

This was another add-on: Hokkaido bafun uni. Compared with the previous one, it was even softer and creamier, spreading across the palate with not even a hint of bitterness.

Right before this trip, we had just had this same abalone with abalone liver sauce dish at wataru. This restaurant beat wataru in every possible way. Compared with wataru, the sauce here had absolutely no bitterness and was extremely creamy. The abalone was springy yet tender, and paired with a few strands of pasta, it was simply wonderful.

After finishing it, you could also add rice and mix it with the abalone liver sauce. I added one and was basically at my limit, while my partner added four. The apprentice even asked if he was sure…

Throughout the meal, two staff members kept coming over to play with our kid, making her laugh nonstop. When she said she was sleepy, one of them even brought over a blanket. Then she decided not to sleep after all, and the staff member started playing peekaboo with her using the blanket. All we had to do was enjoy the sushi. The atmosphere in the restaurant was wonderful too—everyone was chatting happily with the chef. At one point I was chatting with the Chinese staff member and brought up the story about wataru beating an apprentice and ending up in jail. The staff member said that in Japan, there’s basically no master who doesn’t hit apprentices. The chef asked what we were talking about, and the staff member translated for him. The chef looked oddly sympathetic toward wataru, like he wanted to say something but held back. Later, the chef retold the story to the other diners, and they joked, “If you go to America in the future, be careful—don’t hit apprentices in the U.S., or you might get arrested.”

miso soup—honestly, I don’t remember anything particularly special about it.

Our kid’s dessert arrived, and the strawberries were cut into heart shapes—so cute.

This piece was beautiful too—crisp and sweet.

Unagi—a huge piece, and nicely seasoned too, but by this point I really couldn’t eat much more…

At the end there was also a hand roll, and you could choose the size. I was absolutely stuffed, so I decisively picked small. My partner somehow still chose large… Again, it looked simple on the surface but had hidden depth, and even though I was full, I forced myself to finish it…

We even finished all the dessert. Human potential really is limitless. By the end, I honestly wanted to stand up and applaud—both for the chef and for myself.

Summary

To sum it up, this place ranks neck and neck in my mind with that yakitori spot in Kyoto. Its greatness isn’t about rare luxury ingredients, but about taking ordinary ingredients and refining them to perfection. Every piece looked simple, but the texture, flavor, and temperature were all exactly right. On top of that, the atmosphere in the restaurant was warm and cheerful, very relaxed, and the staff were all extremely friendly. Adults and kids alike had a great time, and it was one of the happiest meals we had on the trip. The only thing to note is that their sushi rice is on the firmer side, with very distinct grains, so people who prefer softer rice might mind that.

During the meal, seats.aero alerted me that award space had opened up for two days after our return date. But since we were in the middle of an omakase meal, I couldn’t exactly step outside to make a phone call. By the time we finished, ANA customer service had already closed, and by that evening the seats were gone. We missed our chance to stay in Japan two extra days. Still, for a meal like this, I have no regrets.

We only spent half a day in Nara, so our time in Osaka was actually very short—not even a full two days total. But because of this restaurant alone, my partner and I came away with a much stronger impression of Osaka. We’re not people who fall in love easily, but somehow, we fell for Osaka too…

About the Author

This article is reprinted from the WeChat public account of a reader from a WeChat group, Lazy 33’s Food, Drinks & Fun. The articles there are all original and very well written, so if you’re interested, feel free to follow along.

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