A complete guide to Kansai. Osaka, Kyoto, Himeji, Nara. Itinerary design, food, entertainment, and scenic spot analysis

I have been to Japan four times, and the first time I went there was always I was worried that something might go wrong, so I went on a six-day Tour of Honshu to check out the sites. I think this is also the first Trip to Japan for most people.
  
Of course it is very boring, very boring, very tiring, very unpalatable, and the schedule is very rushed and not very fun.
  
Later, Japan became unstoppable. In fact, as a child with a little basic knowledge of Japanese, it is still barrier-free to Travel independently in an area with well-developed transportation.
As a travel guide fanatic, I feel that Japan needs a guide full of useful information whether it is transportation, dining, accommodation, or shopping, because generally speaking, the guides we can find at present (including the ones I searched when I went out) They are all about having fun, or travel notes based on photos. After reading them, we may only get a sensory experience, but it is not particularly helpful for actual travel. Many people who go there for the first time and do not understand Japanese may be confused. I was confused when I read the travel notes.
  
I have written here about attractions, time arrangements, itinerary planning, shopping recommendations, brand recommendations, etc., all related to Kansai. At the same time, what I wrote I hereby guarantee that everything I have truly visited, bought, eaten, used and played with is absolutely not false.

I hope it can be helpful to you. I hope you can get useful information from this blog of mine. I also hope you can learn from it. In a diary, complete a Japanese strategy plan that suits you.

There is not a lot of space in this article to teach you how to save money, how to buy tickets, or where to buy cheap tickets. In fact, currently, except for ICOCA+HARUKA, Kaiyukan one-day pass, and Osaka one-day pass, there are basically no useful tickets for everyone’s Kansai tour.
In addition, spending a lot of time researching how to save 10 yuan or 20 yuan for a ride is not worth the gain. Although it is cheaper, you have spent priceless time.
  

Kyoto-Kiyomizu-dera-Sungee-an



Useful Information Blog Zhuheshu

1. Stingy boy (and various Taiwanese bloggers, such as Lin Shibi)
For me, go When playing in Kansai, the most helpful thing is the blog of a stingy boy. At present, he has been recommended a lot in Qionyou’s major Q&A. I also found a Taiwanese blogger once when I was checking information. He has been to Kansai many times and can be said to be a good expert.
  
He has a very detailed introduction to Japan. The most detailed one is for the Kansai region, with many introductions including attractions, meals, transportation and itinerary packages. For this reason, I also specially bought his Keihanna strategy book, the Taiwan version, which can be considered as support. After all, I have received a lot of help from him on several trips to Japan.
  
His blog address: nicklee.tw
In addition, there are many good Taiwanese bloggers, such as Lin Shibi.

2. Renren travels to Japan (and the recent Zhaowensha co-trip series, and various A series of Japanese translated books)
I bought about 40 Japanese strategy books. Apart from books about stingy boys, I think the best ones are: Taiwanese version of the Everyone Travels in Japan series.
  
Including maps, meals, transportation, etc., it is very reliable and detailed. Now I also carry this series of books with me when I go to Japan. The Taiwanese version of the book may be available in foreign language bookstores, etc. It is also sold on Taobao, but the address is not provided. Currently purchased are Osaka, Kyoto, Nikko, Kyushu, Tohoku, and Shikoku.
The new co-trip series recently released by Zhaowenshe is really good (the mainland name is Xiaobanlv). The paper is also super light. It also comes with a portable map. It feels super convenient. I have already bought all the Chinese versions and the N original version (Nikko , Shirakawa, Arita, Shikoku) and the Taiwanese version (Kumano Kodo, Nikko).
  
In terms of sophistication, Renren Travel Japan’s sophistication is higher than Shobunsha’s co-trip series. By the way, the mainland-imported version of Xiaoban Travel in co-trip Tokyo is the version from 10 years ago...
My personal version is I will go shopping and look around, mainly to see what delicious restaurants and special routes are recommended. In terms of food and drink, co-trips are introduced in detail, and Japan Travel for Everyone is an introduction to a big concept. The reason is also because they cover a large area. For example, Shikoku and Kyushu are in one book, while co-trips may be targeted at Arita, Takamatsu published a special book.

3. JTB series, RURUBU series
The Japanese version is sold in Lawson in Japan, and now there are also partial Chinese translations Introduction.
  
A book as big as MINA covers Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo, etc. There is also a small version. It's full of maps, introductions, routes, etc. Even if you don't understand Japanese, the map is still very helpful. If you can read Japanese, you can see that there are many introductions to the shops along the way, which is very helpful.
  
Of course, the most recommended way to buy books is to buy them in Japan. Almost all books have super detailed maps, and many of the domestic and Taiwanese versions are direct translations or Learn from these pictures. I personally think that not knowing Japanese will have little impact on reading these. After all, the most helpful thing is the map, and this type of book series will introduce some hotels and restaurants that Japanese people prefer, allowing Chinese readers to avoid places full of tourists.

Kiyomizudera

Key points in route design

No matter where you go, I personally think that from the perspective of tourism, you should consider making a more reasonable arrangement around the hotel and refer to its location. From far to near, activities near the hotel at night are more in line with the ideas of more people.

Take Osaka as an example. If you live in Shinsaibashi, you go to ride the HEP FIVE Ferris wheel at 8 o'clock in the evening, and you are asked to take the subway back to Shinsaibashi after the end. Maybe you are happy. However, if you have been shopping in Umeda for 3 hours before, bought a lot of things, and went to ride the HEP FIVE Ferris wheel, and then the arrangement is to eat at an izakaya near Umeda, and after eating and drinking, you still have to take the subway back with a lot of things, are you still happy?

Even if you can store it, when you are very tired, are you still happy to buy tickets and take the subway home with your things? This is probably what I want to express. So in the introduction of the itinerary arrangement later, I will still refer to this principle and come to make it.



Japanese shopping brands and small items recommended

1. tokyo hands
This is a comprehensive lifestyle store. Tokyu Hands was previously opened in Shanghai's Meilong Town, but because the products are too expensive, they have recently withdrawn from the market. They sell all kinds of notebooks, paints, stationery, DIY materials, groceries, skin care, electronic products, etc. It can be said that they have everything. The reason why I recommend it is: not many people know about it, so there are fewer tourists and more products (well, in 2017, I will add: now many people know about it, but for one-stop shopping, I still recommend the Shinsaibashi store, which closes late and is also large).

I bought snow towels here (Japanese snow squalane towels, a bit like gauze scarves, wash very clean, and are not too irritating to the face. The Japanese towels I bought so far are pretty good, and one can be used for about half a year), essential oil soaps, animal masks, thermos cups, hair dryers, etc. Overall, it's not bad. There is a building in Shinsaibashi, about 10 floors, all of which are Tokyu Hands. It is diagonally opposite ZARA and the northernmost part of the Shinsaibashi area. There are also some in Hankyu in Umeda.

2. tasaki, mikimoto
I went to Japan in 2023 and found that the price difference of Tasaki has become very small. I suggest that you can consider other brands. A Japanese pearl brand, it looks good and is not expensive. I once bought a clavicle chain from Mikimoto, which was separated into beads. At that time, it was a necklace + bracelet for more than 7k RMB, which was very painful, because I saw that tb had a clavicle chain of more than 4k, so I wanted to buy this at that time, but there was no stock in the past, so I could only buy a new model.

After returning to China, I found that this model is exactly the same, and the domestic counters are: 2w+nearly 30,000. At the same time, I also bought a necklace with a small pendant, just one pearl, about 2k. Domestic: 7k. These two brands are available in many large department stores. You can check the official website for details. Because the counters have changed a lot, I won’t write the details here.

3. copo
There are 2 stores in Shinsaibashi Pedestrian Street. There aren't many introductions to this brand store, and I only found out about it by occasionally browsing the store list on the Shinsaibashi website.It is a socks store that sells socks produced by COPO, as well as socks from ATSUGI and other brands. The prices are very cheap and the styles are relatively complete.I have also seen piglet compression socks that were quite popular for a while.
  
4. afternoon tea, franc franc
A Japanese-style home store with very cute gadgets, such as cups, coasters, lids, humidifiers, etc. wait. These brands have opened stores in Shanghai, but they have all been withdrawn because the prices were too expensive...

5. star jewelry, take up, 4°C
Including many other Japanese brands, the most famous one should be agete. I didn’t recommend it because...I personally don’t think it looks good...

There are many jewelry shops on the 1st floor of all major department stores. In fact, you can buy them all. Not only these two brands, they are all inlaid with gemstones, tourmalines, etc., usually 925. The necklace is not pure gold. The style is very exquisite and beautiful, and the price is not expensive.
  

Nara

6. Recommended small things

【Ryukaku San】
Anti-smog and soothing the throat. Including throat lozenges, strips of medicine, and packages. They are all must-buys because my tonsils are very poor, so I always buy 20 boxes of 20 boxes every time I go to Japan. I only take them when my throat is uncomfortable. In addition, it can also be taken when the air quality is poor. In addition, the winter in Japan is too dry. As a Shanghainese, I am not very used to it, so every time I travel to Japan in winter, I have to take a lot of Ryukakusan every day. ​

[Various cold powders, Lulu tablets]

Personal testing is invalid.
The reason is that every time I catch a cold caused by my tonsils, this antibiotic-free cold medicine has no effect at all. What’s even more frightening is that it will relieve your symptoms and turn you into a People who have no fever reaction at 40 degrees...

If it is used to treat colds caught in the rain, it should still be more useful (in 2017, this part Junjun The test is still invalid... I personally went out for a few trips and got caught in the rain and didn't catch a cold. It was quite effective).

Summary: If it is caused by tonsils or bacteria, it is basically useless. If you catch a cold and then start to have a fever, eating it is basically useless. It is only useful when you have just been caught in the rain and want to take preventive medicine (so it is similar to Isatis root??)

[ Trumpet Brand Zhenglu Wan]
I must buy it every time I go there... Maybe it’s because of my poor gastrointestinal condition Orz... I can take it even if I eat too much, have a stomachache or have diarrhea if I don’t digest it. It’s a miracle medicine...

【Ota Weisan】
It is said to be very effective for stomach discomfort. In personal testing, Zhenglu Pills and Jianweixiaoshi Tablets have not been found to be effective.
  
[Eye Drops]
LZ bought no less than 20 kinds of eye drops, and the ones I use are Rohto’s invisible ones, which have the highest cooling effect. The best to use and the best value for money. The non-invisible one is the round one from Shentian FX.
  
[Purifier]
SHARP has a purifier with negative ion cluster technology. It is a car-mounted purifier in China (the one with the word 25000). I I have purchased one that I can carry with me. It can be worn around the neck or placed in the office. It is very useful. The models include IG-GK1S and IB-CH12, for your reference. In addition, there is also a very beautiful IG-GBP1, which are both included in the 2016 shopping plan.
  
In 2017, I actually saw someone buying a home purifier for shipping...I started thinking about the possibility of me doing this...

[Shiseido-Xinji Series]
The Xinji series including lipstick and foundation are quite good. I bought some once based on the enthusiastic recommendation of BA. , I found it to be surprisingly easy to use. I use Jin Ping's isolation or powder cream. It's in the form of lotion and is super suitable for my dry skin. In addition, the new liquid lipstick released in 2016 is also super easy to use! It won’t fall off in a day!
  
【MEIDA, Qianli's lipstick】
　Go to Takamatsu to have a lipstick in 2017 20 lipsticks I found that media and Qianli lipsticks are the best, among which Qianli is cheap and high-quality, ranking first!
【Toothpaste】
Recommended smile cosmetique. It feels a bit cooling when applied. It claims to be for removing tooth stains. I have repurchased 3 of them so far. They are very easy to use. They have a mint smell (yellow dots) after use. They are not easy to buy. If you see them, you can buy them. Others, including Lion King, can be bought cheaply. Lion King has a granular toothpaste, which only costs a few yuan a piece in cheap drug stores. Be sure to be optimistic about the price. Don’t think that 10 yuan is cheap. In fact, the cheaper ones are at the back.
  
【Bath Salts】
The bath salts in Japanese drugstores are so cheap that they can go to heaven... The price on Taobao is twice as expensive (cheap price It is limited to very cheap drug stores, such as Tokyu Hands, which are not cheap in terms of packages). Of course, there is now Tmall Global, and the prices are about the same, so there is no need to go out of your way to carry it.
  

Nara

Introduction to shopping in Kyoto, Osaka and Himeji

Shinsaibashi area for tourists Really a very good shopping choice. From LV to HM, they have everything, and there are also many drugstores.
  
I won’t write much about shopping in Kyoto, because Kyoto is never the last stop for regular travelers. Well...if you must buy something, go to Kawaramachi.
No one will carry a lot of things back to Osaka on a one-day trip, so I won’t recommend it. If you want to buy something, just buy something small and light, such as jewelry, and forget about the rest. Including souvenirs, I really don’t recommend them...after all, everything is available at the airport...

Osaka-Shinsaibashi area
The Shinsaibashi area is really a very good shopping choice for tourists. From LV to HM, they have everything, and there are also many drugstores.
  
1. Cosmetics: Do not buy cosmeceuticals in Shinsaibashi
Because there are too many Chinese people there + it is originally a tourist area (similar to Shanghai Nanjing Road), and drug stores do not sell cosmetics at original prices, so the price difference in different places (including stores of the same brand and different locations) is still very large.
  
Take DHC’s vegetable slices as an example. I remember that the most conspicuous Matsumoto Kiyoshi in Shinsaibashi sold them for 600-700 yen. Later, I bought them in Nara for just over 400 yen, including Ryukakusan (ten (Several packs per box) costs 600 to close to 700 yen per box, and you can buy it for 400 yen in some places (it’s not very precise, I can’t remember clearly. It’s no wonder if the price is different, but the price difference is definitely It’s very big, Takamatsu Daikoku Cosmetics costs 498 yen per box). Mainly because Matsumoto Kiyoshi has a membership card and is now offering tax-free discounts, so the price is actually too high... Although the goods are complete,...

In addition, The drug store in Kuromon Market is quite cheap and you can buy it there. It seems to be called Central Pharmacy. It is close to Kuromon Sanpei and is diagonally across from it. The characteristic is that it has a large glass cabinet and a sign saying “this store does not accept cash and is not tax-free,” but Very cheap notice.

This information has probably been around for about 3 years. When I went there last year (2016), a Chinese notice was posted, but there was not one the year before. , so there are a lot more people who know about it, and it is estimated that things will not be easy to buy in the future.

My personal attitude towards cosmeceuticals is:
No Obsession, don't be too obsessed with price, don't waste precious time on price comparison, otherwise the gain will really outweigh the loss.

My advice to you is:
First, go to Taobao Be optimistic about the price of cosmeceuticals. Generally, the local price is about half of Taobao’s, which is more reasonable. If it is 70-80% of Taobao’s, it is definitely expensive.

At the same time, remember the price of the products you often buy. For example, Ryukakusan 498 yen is considered cheap. You can compare it with this (but it is different from cosmeceuticals). The store doesn’t mean that this one is cheap and everything is cheap, but you still need to look more). But different drugstores may be more expensive or cheaper, so you need to keep a few comparisons in mind (such as Daiichi Sankyo’s cold medicine, Eve, Incomparable Drops, and various facial masks such as Kaimeijing).

In addition, the prices of drugs are really very different! ! ! ! The difference may be 30%-40% or even higher! So it’s really important to remember the price of your medication! !

In contrast, there is no difference between the open shelves: Kanmei, Qianli, etc., all have clearly marked prices, and they are the same wherever you buy them.
If you don’t know what to buy, you can buy something you haven’t seen before, or a product that says TOP 10, No. 1, on your doorstep, that’s fine. Don't buy those crappy SANA, Kaisei, tofu masks, horse oil, and all kinds of stuff that are put on the door frame, there are a lot of people buying them , and they are not easy to use. They are all "good products that are passed down by Chinese people word of mouth." I guess their ease of use may be the same as Dabao SOD Honey and Huili. The only reason for their popularity is "the products are decent and the price is super cheap." Reason...

Last year, I bought MINON. This year I discovered that this thing unexpectedly became the COSME Awards. In reality, it’s not that easy to use... cosmeceuticals change too quickly, so I still recommend everyone to buy the latest ones. Even if they are sold on Taobao, they are not the latest ones. For Japan, they may have been a few months ago. Even if it’s a list product, it still takes time.

In the end, cosmeceuticals are still suitable for young girls. Personally, I feel that they are no longer good at using them in the past few years. I may not buy cosmetics there in the future, but buy medicines and eye drops instead. Something like that.
  
2. Department store: Daimaru Department Store No. 1

[Takashimaya 】
It is a mid-to-high-end department store. It has everything. It is also close to Namba Station and can be directly connected to the station. It can be used as the last stop for shopping. There are a lot of food upstairs, many of which are relatively famous, so you can try them.
  
The Takashimaya shoe floor has a better display when it’s on sale, and there are a lot of products. You can often buy beautiful and affordable shoes. So I prefer to go to Takashimaya when there is a sale.
  
【Daimaru Department Store】
There are North and South buildings, and there are girls’ brands on the ground floor. I don’t really recommend buying clothes or anything else here, it’s a bit messy, and there are a lot of tourists, so tax refunds are very troublesome. But the elevator is really beautiful, and there are many more Chinese-speaking shopping guides than Takashimaya. If you buy something, she will ask you if you need anything else and will go there with you.
  
So, If you don't speak Japanese well, please go to Daimaru Department Store.
  
【OPA】
One building is a shopping mall for girls’ brands.
  
I think it is more suitable for people under 24 years old to buy.
  
When I went there for the first time, I was very happy to see LOWRYSFARM, MAJESTICLEGON, JEANSIS, etc., and I bought a lot of them. But the second time I went there, I couldn’t buy them anymore. In addition, this building is full of girly brands. The selection is very low and does not meet the one-stop shopping requirements of tea + home furnishings + clothes + food + shoes + jewelry, so I don’t particularly recommend everyone to go here.
  
But if you are a college student, you can consider buying here. There's a lot of stuff, it's cheap, and it's suitable.
  
【OIOI】
It’s in the shopping mall in Namba. Because when I passed by the pedestrian street, the name was weird, so Not many people go there, and it is actually a mid-to-high-end department store. It contains relatively high-end women's clothing brands (high-end = expensive in China ≠ noble ladies in Japan) (brands you buy), and there are also shoes, etc. There are not many people there, so it’s worth a visit.
  
But relatively speaking, the service may be more Japanese-style, which may not be suitable for impatient people.

【BIG CAMERA】
In fact, it can be said to beJapan’s Yongle Suning.
  
If you go there once, you can get a discount on your passport. It's pretty good, but I can't even buy P. They're all bought up by Chinese people... And I feel it's very messy. They have everything. It's hard to find. The shopping guide is indifferent. It's not like Japan at all... The key point is It's because they don't understand and ignore you. I asked you to introduce me to a recommendation? They ignored me and walked away, or asked me to find a Chinese waiter.
  
So there are actually pros and cons of having Chinese waiters. The Japanese will become very lazy...the service will plummet...