Osaka

1. ~9:00a●Kuromon Ichiba market breakfast

   Osaka's kitchen market — grilled scallops and uni straight from the stall, otoro sashimi, and a skewer of wagyu, grazed counter to counter.

2. ~11:00a◆Osaka Castle

   The golden-trimmed reconstructed keep in its moated park — the museum inside tells the story of Hideyoshi's unification of Japan, with a city view from the top.

3. ~1:00p●Takoyaki & okonomiyaki

   The city's twin street-food icons — molten octopus takoyaki balls from a Dotonbori stall, and a savory okonomiyaki pancake griddled at your table (Mizuno is the Michelin-listed classic).

4. ~3:30p✦Shinsekai & Tsutenkaku

   The retro neon district under the old 'tower reaching heaven' — kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers; never double-dip the communal sauce) at a Daruma counter and pure Showa-era atmosphere.

5. 7:00p✦Hajime ⭐⭐⭐ (or Taian ⭐⭐⭐)Anchor table

   Osaka's three-star fine dining — Hajime's poetic French-Japanese 'nature' menus, or Taian's intimate teppan counter. Either anchors the trip; book a month-plus ahead.

6. ~9:30p✦Dotonbori lights & the Glico sign

   The canal of giant animated signs after dark — the running Glico man, the mechanical crab — Osaka at its most gloriously over-the-top.

Osaka's word for itself is kuidaore — 'eat until you drop' — so pace yourself across the stalls. Dotonbori is the neon heart; come back after dark when the signs are lit.

1. ~9:00a✦Nara Park & the bowing deer

   Forty minutes from Osaka — the free-roaming sacred deer that bow for shika senbei crackers (buy a stack and be prepared to be mobbed politely).

2. ~10:30a◆Todai-ji & the Great Buddha

   The world's largest bronze Buddha in one of the largest wooden buildings on earth — try to squeeze through the 'Buddha's nostril' pillar for good luck.

3. ~12:30p●Kakinoha-zushi lunch

   Nara's specialty — persimmon-leaf-wrapped pressed sushi — and kuzumochi, the local arrowroot sweet, in the old town.

4. ~2:00p→Kasuga Taisha & Naramachi

   The lantern-lined path to the vermilion shrine in the forest, then the preserved merchant lanes of Naramachi with their craft shops and cafés.

5. ~6:30p●Back in Osaka: kushikatsu or sushi

   Return for dinner — a kushikatsu counter, or battera (pressed mackerel sushi), an Osaka classic, in Namba.

Nara is the easy, magical day trip — the deer are wild but accustomed to people; hold crackers high and they'll bow. Todai-ji's scale has to be seen in person.

1. ~9:30a◇Shinsaibashi & Amerikamura

   The grand covered Shinsaibashi-suji arcade for everything from depachika to knife shops, and the youth-culture vintage and streetwear of America-mura nearby.

2. ~12:00p◇Doguyasuji & a knife shop

   The kitchenware street — hand-forged Japanese knives, takoyaki pans, and lacquerware; have a blade engraved to carry home.

3. ~1:30p●Kappo or kaiten-zushi lunch

   A casual kappo counter for chef's-choice small plates, or a high-quality conveyor-sushi spot — Osaka does both better than its reputation suggests.

4. ~3:30p✦Osaka Bay — the aquarium & wheel

   Kaiyukan, one of the world's great aquariums, built around a whale-shark tank, and the giant Tempozan Ferris wheel over the bay.

5. ~6:30p✦A sake or whisky bar

   Osaka's standing bars (tachinomi) for local sake flights and small bites, or a hidden whisky bar — the unhurried, grown-up side of the city's nightlife.

Osaka is a great shopping city — Doguyasuji's knives and Shinsaibashi's arcades are highlights. The bay and aquarium are an easy half-day, especially good with kids or on a hot afternoon.