Western Japan - Osaka & Kyoto

Located in the Kansai region, Osaka, with over 19 million inhabitants, is the second largest city in Japan after Tokyo. As such my recommendation is NOT to find a place to stay in the city itself but to look for accommodation in Shin Osaka, just about a 15 minute ride on the bountiful trains to and from the city.

If you are planning for a vacation there, do prepare a few things before-hand:
1) a Japan SIM card for finding your way around using Google Maps and 
2) a  Japan Rail (JR) West five-day pass to cover your trips from Kyoto, nara, Kobe, Himeiji all the way to Hiroshima and Miyajima.
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Both of these are available at the JTB Travel Saloon on the third level of Takashimaya Shopping Centre at the heart of Orchard Road.

The most visited place in Osaka must surely be Dotonburi (famous for the Glico Running Man display above), near the  Namba station. Both sides of the Dotonburi canal are lined with  abundant shopping centres and eating places. My recommendation is to go for the fresh seafoods grilled to perfection by the special charcoal grills.

The next must-visit place is of course the Osaka castle. Allocate enough time for your to climb up to the top through an array of secondary citidels, gates and turrets.

No trip to Western Japan is complete without a visit to the famous Arashiyama Bamboo Grove.  It is one of Kyoto's top tourist sites. It is also a place where couples renew their vows for each other.

The most Instagrammable site in all of Kyoto must be the Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine. It is also one of the most important Shinto shrines in all of Kyoto.