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Anonymous
>>45033 The two hotels I've stayed in in Osaka are Hotel Kinki (sic) and Hotel Kuramoto. Kuramoto is in the Kita/Minami area close to Dotombori and Kinki is up in Umeda. Both can be recommended, both are close to a shiatload of restaurants, etc. For nightlife, Minami is probably a bit better, though you can find good spots in Umeda too.
Shinkansen to Tokyo is 2h35min from Shin-Osaka station so a day trip is doable allthough I'd recommend putting aside a few of your 11 days in Osaka for Tokyo. Sightseeingwise there's not a whole lot to see in Osaka, except of course Osaka itself, so you could affor a few days in Tokyo. For sightseeing you can always head to Kyoto and Nara, 30-45 minutes by train. 1 day is enough for the basic sights in Nara and depending on how many temples you can stomach before getting fed-up you might consider 2 days in Kyoto. Gijon and Pontocho are also nice ares to stroll around in Kyoto in the evening.
Eating....Menus/display portions are generally always outside the restaurants with prices attached, you'll find plenty of cheap eats, especially in Osaka. Tokyo can be a bit more expensive. Just find a place you'll like and dive in. Conveyor belt sushi is always a good choice and pretty cheap, as are ramen dishes in small lunch restaurants/franchise places.
Taxis are affordable and the metro is very convenient in Osaka.
I wouldn't bother with the dollars unless you have them readily at hand, otherwise you'll just pay a comission twice. Euro has been doing pretty good against the yen too, so just get yen in Holland before heading out, as finding an ATM for international credit cards can be a bit of a hassle in the evenings (although somebody mentioned that 7-11's have international ATM's now that wasn't my experience the last time I was there in June).
Hope this helps.
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