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Osaka & Kyoto — A Tale of Two Cities

Which occupy a season of my twenties and a very special place in my heart.

Vincent Van Patten
9 min readDec 21, 2024
Running along the Kamogawa, Kyoto’s main river in the morning.
Running along the Kamogawa, Kyoto’s main river, in the morning.

A few weeks ago I thought I was taking my final trip to Osaka while living in Japan. Expectations were high for a night out with the big five — what I and my four best friends whom I’d met in my training group teaching English call ourselves.

We had a jolly ol’ time, but after a couple of rough nights in my hostel I left Osaka feeling sick with a sour taste in my mouth, swearing to put my hostel days behind me for good.

If that was my last taste of Osaka during this chapter, so be it. This past week, however, I ended up unexpectedly visiting the big O, as my girlfriend Coco and I had a trip to Kyoto planned and ended up adding a night in Osaka on the way.

With zero expectations, it ended up being a pitch perfect sayonara to a city that holds a very special place in my heart, where for the past two years my spirit would flourish and my soul would dig.

Osaka, forever my Japanese hometown; I couldn’t have asked for a better experience gallivanting beneath your neon lights for one last night while living in Japan.

Coco and I explored Dotonburi, the beating heart of the city with its endless food stalls and neon billboards lining the…

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Vincent Van Patten
Vincent Van Patten

Written by Vincent Van Patten

Exploring what lights my soul on fire while living a nomadic life. vincentvanpatten.com

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