Si Cinderella (L) at si Anastasia (R)! ;)) We are ALL so blessed to have this guy in our lives, no doubt about it. <3

Namba Parks is a massive shopping and office complex with a stunning eight-level rooftop garden spanning several city blocks perched atop boutique shops, specialty stores, and restaurants.

Comme des Garçons, French for (“like boys”), is a Japanese fashion label founded and headed by Rei Kawakubo. Comme des Garçons is based in Tokyo with the Japanese flagship store in Aoyama, Tokyo’s high fashion district.

My Bae is so different from her Giblings when it comes to shopping. One-time-big-time sya kung bumili, lol. Kaya after her purchase, she was back to the poor house & just watched while the giblings nag #shoppamore in the following days! ;)) It’s ok Bae, quality over quantity. :-* Yan ang purchase na sulit at nagtatagal. 🙂

Walking around shopping means walking around eating too, so I guess it’s owwkaaay. 😛 One of the handy snacks we discovered in Osaka (and super loved) is this bun from 551 Horai, one of the most popular barbecue pork bun stores in Japan selling more than 110,000 buns every day (pila pa more hay!). These buns consist of diced pork and minced onion enveloped in a sweet white bun and are handmade in front of customers. Another favorite is this..

Uncle Rikoru Japanese Cheesecake. In Osaka, Japan, a man nicknamed “Uncle Rikuro” has been making these jiggly cheesecakes for 27 years. The cakes are so popular that there are always lines around the block. The cakes are best served hot, fluffy and jiggling. Wag kayong mag-panic, it’s very similar to the Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake available here in Manila so you can get your fix there (baka nga they are one & the same?).

Busy, busy street. Dōtonbori or Dōtombori is one of the principal tourist destinations in Osaka, Japan, running along the Dōtonbori canal from Dōtonboribashi Bridge to Nipponbashi Bridge in the Namba district of the city’s Chuo ward. We’re lucky (thank you Ate) that our apartment is just a 15-minute walk away, so it’s been our fave hangout place.

The Glico Running Man is one of the most well known landmarks in Osaka. This huge brightly lit sign has glowed over the Dotombori canal in Osaka’s premier shopping and entertainment district for more than 80 years. The current sign is recognized as the 6th generation and the first to use LED technology, where the previous versions were all neon. The running man advertises Glico, the manufacturer of one of Asia’s most famous confectionery companies. Glico’s most popular product is Pocky, which is the confectionery coated pretzel sticks which are very popular in Japan and abroad. The back story to why the running man was chosen to be Glico’s mascot is said to derive from Gilco’s first product, a candy caramel. Company founder Ri-ichi Ezaki created the snack in 1922 as an energy product by adding glycogen from oysters to the snack. It was said each treat could give you energy to run 300 metres, so a running man has been used to this day as the companies mascot and logo. Syempre pa, peechur peechur kami! 😛

Kaitensushi is literally translated as rotation sushi, and is basically a conveyor belt sushi. Diners get to sit around a counter, and sushi in small plates will be on continuous parade before them. Behind the counter are the chefs. It was a really busy place so we had to wait a while to be seated, even at an off hour.

The first level has three counters. We were led to the first counter which had 6 seats available (I suggest breaking your party into smaller groups if you want to get seated immediately, or as soon as possible). There’s a second level and a third level too, and the third level has private rooms. Customers can reserve the private rooms and enjoy private party menus of Daiki Suisan’s sushi selections. I think they even have shows featuring their expert chefs work their way around Bluefin tuna. At the time, we didn’t know about this, so we just decided to stick to the conveyor sushi on the first level. If you go, make sure to explore. Kami kasi dahil sa gutom (and with the almost always long wait to get seated), we just focus on eating & block out everything else hehe.

Similar to Genki Sushi here back home, you have access to hot/cold water, green tea powder, and pickled ginger right on your counter. But the similarity ends there (Genki Sushi doesn’t have a ROTATING conveyor belt featuring an assortment of sushi choices). You then get to choose your sushi priced by plate with the cheapest priced at Y100 (47 pesos/2 pc.) IKR, so cheap, and so fresh too! Simply unbelievable! The most expensive is priced at Y500 (235 php/2 pc. – still relatively cheap considering the quality).

Since there were 2 pcs/plate, Kap & I decided to split every order so we can try an assortment, and a wider range. (Syempre naman may strategy!) And this is what we were able to cover, lol! ;)) 11 plates between us, PIGS!

The biggest discount shop group in Japan open 24 hours a day, Don Quijote! Find the landmark of Osaka Minami (in Dotonbori) -the yellow ferris wheel, and you’ll get to Donki! Once you enter the shop, it’s IMPOSSIBLE to get out without a package (or rather a BIG box filled with everything imaginable). Daily necessities, sundries, jewelry, appliance, little restaurants, there is nothing you cannot find at DOn Quijote! ADDRESS 〒542-0084 7-13 Soemon-cho, Chuo-ku Osaka-shi, Osaka, 542-0084, Japan TRANSPORTATION: 5-min walk from Exit 14 of (subway) Namba station.

When visiting Osaka, I suggest you go to Donki at least twice. Once, at the start of your journey (just so you get an idea of the pricing of goods), and another one at the end (to actually buy your pasalubong). Anywhere else and the prices are already jacked up, believe me. We went around but always landed back in Donki to buy stuff!

On our initial visit, Kap concentrated on the topmost floor which sold watches & other luxury/branded item, liquor, and yes, ADULT TOYS! @_@ Tignan nyo yang ngising yan. May masamang balak!

Hibiki & Yamazaki are 2 of the 5 most popular Japanese whiskeys. CLICK HERE to know what the other top 3 are & how much they go for.

I was expecting another looong walk to get to our dinner destination but was quite pleased when I found out (the short way) that it was smack right in Dotonbori grounds. As in halos katabi lang ng Donki. Yeheey! #pagoda

The Giblings have been gently preparing their dad for this day. :)) They have warned him repeatedly back in Manila that it will be an expensive dinner, but that it was a one-time thing so Kap finally relented. He was out-voted! 😛

What can I say? It was really pure heaven, this meal at M’s. We knew we were in for a treat after having tasted the beef sushi for starters. And the garlic fried rice with Matsusaka beef tidbits? OMG – must order! PLEASE DO NOT MISS IT!!! You have to taste it to know that I am very serious.

After much deliberation & numerous computations, Kap deemed it more economical if we got the set menu, so he settled on this Special Course for the fambam. Y5.8k per person or 2.8k php. Mas sulit pa kaysa sa Spiral buffet any time, any day, I kid you not.

Yan na nga ba ang sinasabi ko. Nung nahimasmasan na bumubulong-bulong sa tabi. I think he was still computing the damage in his head (15k for ONE meal) HAHAHAHAHA! Oh Honey, just let it go. Ika nga, YOLO. ;))

To my wonderful husband & children, I thank God each & every day that He gave me YOU. To spend our earthly days together, and by God’s grace, on to everlasting life in Heaven. <3