The next morning, I was rather excited for breakfast. Having frequented the Conrad Tokyo many times, I was curious as to how Conrad Osaka would match up. The selection was very similar, with both having a la carte menu options and a full buffet with hot and cold options. The dining area had wonderful panoramic views of the city providing lots of natural light
A la carte menu
Buffet options
This is the area where the buffet stood out: the carving station. Every morning there was a tasty, tender piece of beef ready to be served
Ordering from the signature menu, the okonomiyaki benedict
Later in the morning, we took a cab to Osaka Castle to do some short exploring
Not sure what brand that is, but it sure sounds like an adult entertainment company. I hope this lad is eternally excited when he wears this jacket
Closer views of the castle
We walked the grounds and ducked into a few small shops into the area before calling it a morning. We decided to find a quick bite to eat as it was almost lunch time
A convenience store allowed us to load up on cold sandwiches and some fried chicken for the kiddos
Taking the metro back for an afternoon nap
Come evening time, I wanted some more shots of the hotel lobby before we ventured out for dinner. As I mentioned earlier, the views from this hotel are breathtaking
Once my impromptu photoshoot was completed, we head towards Dotonbori for some street food, lively atmosphere, and ramen for dinner
Grabbing some wagyu to snack on while standing in line for Ichiran
The wait was surprisingly shorter than we had anticipated, given the large number of people in the area. Maybe people thought this to be a hotspot and would instead go to the branches just a few blocks away?
Omnomnom
Takoyaki vendor
Cheese coin time!
Glico man
Calling it a night
The next day, after a generous filling of beef at the morning buffet, we head out towards Universal Studios Japan
Given that it was New Year’s Eve, many people were lined up for the evening event. As we approached the entrance, the drizzle began to form into a more steady rain. We had taken a gamble by not bringing extra layers, and things looked more bleak as the holiday meant that the Super Mario World area of the park would be accessed by lottery since we hadn’t pre-booked. The last minute decision to go to the park wasn’t looking too good
As I went to get information for the lottery, my wife and the kids went shopping for some silly Mario and Goomba hats. The rain had begun to let up as well
Over to Hogwarts for the wife
Butterbeer here was much tastier than state-side
Meat pie for a snack
Also surprisingly tasty!
Having not been selected for the lottery, we broke the news to the kids who were a bit down. We did walk by the entrance so that they could see some of the decorations though
At this point, we head towards the main entrance of the park and noted people lining up for a parade about to start. Mini-ChongL #2 had just fallen asleep as the minions, cookie monster, Mario characters, and Pokémon came through
After having seen some version of Mario, even though it was just a parade, mini-ChongL #1 was in much better spirits. Over to see some minions
Then some ice cream…with pop rocks
As I was taking pictures of the Christmas tree, a lady somewhat aggressively asked if I could take a picture for her. Shrugging it off as a language barrier, I snapped a few photos for her and handed the phone back. As I go back to adjusting my exposure settings on my own camera and look through the viewfinder, I see the lady checking the phone trying to tell me the picture isn’t good, that she needs a certain pose, framing, and people out of the way. That’s the point where I chose to ignore her and just walk away. I frequently volunteer to help people take pictures with their companions or families, but the level of arrogance displayed by this lady was something else
A final snack
Walking towards the trains that would take us back to the hotel
One last stop at a gift shop where the wife couldn’t resist picking up this guy. We now pretend to light him and toss him around at home, but it also doubles as a hand warmer
Back to the Conrad we go
In the evening, we went to the executive lounge for dinner. There was a fantastic setup where there was a dedicated 1 hour time slot for families with children. This was a great idea and we were more than happy to blend into the crowd. A nice selection of hot and cold dishes was available, and I was surprised to even see salmon tartare
Alcohol
Tea and desserts
Next up: The fabled Ritz-Carlton Kyoto and the Pierre Hermes French toast