We headed out to catch the nightlife in Osaka and that means the bright lights of Dotonburi… and the Glico running man. Not that we had any idea what that was exactly but it turns out he’s winning a race after eating energising sweets, including Pocky, since 1935 (that’s a damn long race!).

There are of course many not quite so lit up, kind of scary and over the top signs aimed at enticing you in to eat.

However, the kids wanted ramen so we found a chain ramen restaurant called Kamuhura which allowed you to order ramen bowls bigger than your head via a tablet which had English, hence avoiding any awkward actual talking to people 😜 We usually share meals, partly in case we don’t like it and partly because it’s cheaper than paying for food you don’t end up eating, but at this place we couldn’t finish them… although we did get some gyoza & karaage (dumplings & fried chicken). Oh and the beer (just for the adults of course!) 🍺

After all this sensory overload, as is so often the case in Japan, a simple turn down a side street leads you away from the people and the noise, and if you are lucky, you may stumble across a little temple.