Japan is truly a tourist’s haven that offers a compelling array of scenic spots, historical artifacts and culinary treats. This is what our family reaffirmed after an eventful sojourn to Osaka through our latest sojourn to the Land of the Rising Sun.

I am pleased to share with readers some highlights of our most recent visit.

After a breezy hour-long drive from central Osaka, we reached Kibune in northern Kyoto that is famous for its nagashi-somen, flowing or floating noodles favored by local and foreign tourists. Our family went to Hirobun restaurant, and joined hundreds of eager patrons in waiting for our turn — even if it took more than an hour of squatting on a bamboo platform set over the rushing mountain river.

Indeed, it was a unique interactive summer experience where you catch chilled thin white wheat noodles, flowing down a bamboo flume using chopsticks. Set over the rushing mountain river on kawadoko or raised platforms. Among locals, it is a refreshing seasonal tradition to beat the summer heat.

When it was our turn, we sat in front of a split bamboo slide through which ice-cold mountain water flows, then waited for the chef to drop small, bite-sized bundles of noodles from the top of the chute. You must act quickly to catch them with your chopsticks, then dip them into a chilled savory broth (tsuyu) and eat them.

The end of our meal was signaled when brightly colored red or pink noodles flowed down the chute — a fitting end to a unique dining experience.

When we returned to our van, we did not realize how filling it was until our driver-guide asked if we were ready for lunch at a popular local restaurant. We begged off and requested him to drive on to our next planned destination: a temple-garden nestled in the foothills of Kyoto.

But, of course, our family’s most recent Japanese sojourn had other high points in terms of savoring the native cuisine. Ichiran restaurant was a short walk from our hotel in central Osaka. True to its high-profile billing, it offers a quintessential solo ramen dining experience.

Located right on the Dotombori Canal in the heart of Osaka, there are few places like Ichiran when it comes to dining and here’s why: You eat your ramen in a booth, alone. You queue up and buy a ticket at the vending machine near the entrance. Fill out a questionnaire on exactly how you’d like to customize your ramen, while you wait for a booth to open up. After being escorted to an empty booth, an Ichiran employee will slide your ramen bowl through a window in front of you, make a deep bow, and shut the blinds after. One is free to relish the ramen in one’s one way; slurping is perfectly okay as you can do it in the privacy of your own cubicle space.

We had a comfortable stay at the Candeo Hotel along Osaka’s main street, adjacent to the historic Daimaru building, a favorite shopping destination among locals and tourists. The temple located at the base was uniquely built directly over and around the 200-year-old wooden main hall of the Shippozan Daifuku-in Mitsutera Temple, now known as Mitsu-ji Temple, has been preserved within the building's lower three floors.

A full day was devoted to visiting the Rinku Premium Outlet, built and operated by Mitsubishi Estate-Simon Co. Ltd. The outlet facilities are located in Rinku Town, across the shore from Kansai International Airport overlooking Osaka Bay.

The outlet has a total shopping area of 50,100 square meters, and with approximately 250 shops, it has earned for it the distinction of being western Japan’s largest outlet mall.

Since the easing of the Covid pandemic, we have travelled to Japan several times, visiting Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Sapporo, Nagoya and Hiroshima. Uncannily, each visit to every city yields a trove of pleasant memories brought on not just by aesthetic delights such as majestic Mt. Fuji but by the matchless hospitality and kindness of the Japanese people who, by dint of their gracious hospitality, collectively entice visitors like us to come back time and again.

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