Seoul, Kyoto, & Osaka Journal. June 19th, 2026

Last minute shopping and bus ride to the airport

MAP

We checked out and left our bags at the front desk again. 

We all went to the 13th floor of the South Gate Building's Daimaru Umeda department store. The Nintendo OSAKA flagship store is located here, and they don’t sell the actual Nintendo games, but character goods, such as Mario plushies. Pokemon, Capcom, One Piece, and Tomica stores are also here. After that we went to the fifth floor and relaxed on the Toki-no-hiroba Plaza, a glass ceilinged astroturf park that spans above 11 tracks of the Osaka Station. 

Back at the hotel, we did some more shopping at Uniqlo and Yodobashi.

Then we picked up our bags and headed to Hankyu Sanban Gai to catch the Limousine Bus. We paid for tickets at the machine, and then we were able to get onto the very next bus. We were given tickets for our baggage, which was marked with our destination terminal at KIX and  put below. The bus followed elevated highways along Osaka bay - at some points quite high above the ground - a little scary actually. There were interesting industrial scenes to view along the way, though: refineries, cement plants, docks, and cranes. When we arrived, we were soon able to check in for our flight leaving us plenty of time to get something to eat at the gates.

Summary

It was fun travelling with extended family. Together we planned an excellent itinerary. 

I didn’t really know what to expect from Seoul, but everything about it was fun; the history, the food, the culture, and the style. It was pretty easy to get around without any real language skills. Everything was modern and convenient. 

I had been to Kyoto many times, but this was a good time to explore some quiet out-of-the-way places that I hadn’t seen. 

Previously I hadn’t spent more than a few hours in Osaka. I found it to be gritty (well as gritty as you can get in Japan) but also relaxed and exciting at the same time.

I look forward to travelling again with the same travelling companions and to visiting these three world class cities again.