Enjoy Huge Savings with the Osaka Amazing Pass

If you're planning a visit to Osaka in Japan, use the Osaka Amazing Pass to enjoy huge savings.

The 4 features of this pass that I like are:

1) Free entry to 35 attractions
2) Discounts at selected attractions, retailers and eateries (terms & conditions apply)
3) Unlimited rides on the subway, new tram and bus
4) Free gifts from selected establishments (terms & conditions apply)

There are 2 types of passes, i.e. the 1-day pass and the 2-day pass.

We bought the 2-day pass which costs JPY3,300 per pass.

The 2-Day Amazing Osaka Pass.

When you purchase the pass you'll get a guidebook containing instructions on how to use the pass, attractions that you can visit for free, coupons to redeem your free gift, subway map, other benefits, etc.

The guidebook that comes with the Osaka Amazing Pass.

Read the guidebook carefully and plan your trip in order to maximise the pass.

Note that there are many attractions that you can visit for free by using the pass. The choice is entirely up to you depending on the amount of time you have and your interest.

Let me share with you the four attractions we visited and experienced for free with the 2-day pass.

1) Osaka Castle Museum (JPY600):

2) Japan Night Walk Tour (JPY1,000):

I like to follow walking tours whenever I visit a new city.

3) Cruise Ship Santa Maria Day Cruise (JPY1,600):

Visitors queuing up to enter the ship.

4) Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel (JPY800):

We had an amazing view of Osaka city from the highest point of the wheel.

We wanted to use the pass for the Tombori River Cruise. Unfortunately tickets were sold out during the two times we were there.

With the Osaka Amazing Pass I also received a free gift when we visited Hard Rock Cafe Osaka ...

... to get my City-T Guitar V+ bottle opener:

Price: JPY1,800 + JPY144 (tax) = JPY1,944 

Since Hard Rock Cafe Osaka is a participating establishment in the Osaka Amazing Pass, I received this free gift for making a purchase:

The gift was four button badges.
You'll need to present your coupon called Tokux2 Coupon (included in the guidebook) to the cashier to redeem your gift.

If we had paid individually for the four attractions, the cost would have been:

Osaka Castle Museum: JPY600
Japan Night Walk Tour: JPY1,000
Cruise Ship Santa Maria Day Cruise: JPY1,600
Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel: JPY800
Total: JPY4,000

But we paid JPY3,300 for the 2-day pass and also used it to travel across Osaka using the subway for an uncountable number of times. In case you're not aware, subway fares in Osaka are relatively expensive (by Malaysian standards) especially if you purchase individual tickets.

Now you know what to do when you visit Osaka - get the Osaka Amazing Pass because it's a huge saver. Your pockets will be happy, trust me.

Note: All prices are correct at time of posting.

Japanese Beer in Japan

A Japanese colleague told me that I should try Japanese beers when I travelled to Japan. Apparently the taste is different compared to the Japanese beers brewed in Malaysia. 

I was curious at what he meant by "the taste is different", and since my colleague loves to drink, I believed him and decided to give it a try.  

Since I prefer beers that are not too bitter, I made sure I selected the correct ones. Luckily beer cans are labelled in English in Japan!

I had also put in my bucket list for Japan to try at least 3 different types of Japanese craft beer but only managed to try 2 types, one in Tokyo and one in Kyoto: 

Saison by Suntory - this is my favourite beer in Japan because it fits my description of a delicious beer and has a nice flavour to it.

Kyoto beer

Here are the other types of Japanese beers that I had the privilege of tasting:

Asahi 

Kirin Ichiban

Yebisu

All of 'em are more smooth and flavourful compared to the Japanese beers brewed in Malaysia. Now I know what my colleague meant when he said Japanese beer tastes different back in Japan. Maybe it's the water that they use.

Here are the zero alcohol beers that I didn't like because there's no kick:

Ichi

Suntory

Later when I returned to KL, I tried the Azahi Zero and it tasted much better, almost similar to a regular 5% alcohol Asahi.

Just to give you an idea how much beer costs in Japan, here are the prices:

Since we're on the topic of alcohol, I'll end this post with this photo of different types of Japanese alcohol (shochu, sake, yuzushu, etc.) sold in milk cartons in Japan:

A friend asked whether they also have them in smaller packets with straw. I replied that would encourage juvenile drinking.

My Bucket List for Japan

I've been doing lots of research for my trip to Japan this week.

Our 9-day trip will cover Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. Trying to fit in all the must-sees into 9 days is no joke, but doable.

I've also prepared a bucket list of items that I must do while I'm in the Land of the Rising Sun:

• Bathe in an onsen (time to get naked!).

• Watch a sumo wrestling match. Alas there won't be any matches when we're there. So we'll have to make do with watching a practise session, free of charge I suppose.

• Try at least 10 street food in Osaka. In case you're not aware, Osaka is known as the Penang of Japan, i.e. a food paradise. I think I'm gonna put on 3kg after I return from Japan!

• Try at least 3 different types of Japanese craft beer.

• Attend Mass at a Roman Catholic Church.

Please leave a comment if you have any other ideas.