Umeda Sky Building German Christmas Market

The first time I have ever been to a German Christmas Market was when I first experienced Christmas in Japan two years ago. I went to the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse Christmas Market. This year, I decided to travel to Osaka during the winter holidays. I didn't have any plans on visiting any Christmas Markets - yet again, I didn't even know of any that were occurring. One of my friends that I met up with informed me that there was a small Christmas Market happening right under Umeda Sky Building! This was a nice surprise since the Sky Building was already on my agenda. 

The name of this Christmas Market was "Willkommenzum Weihnachtsmarkt" and yes, I have no idea how to pronounce it. 

My friends and I decided that we would check out Umeda Sky Building first and watch the sunset at the top, then head down to check out the Christmas Market for some snacks and drinks. And wow, is that a mini merry-go-round I see? 

Walking through to get into the building was easy. There wasn't that many people (yet) since it was still early daylight. It was nice to see all the vendors set up with lots of Christmas decoration! Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday since everyone is in joyous spirits!

Luckily, thanks to my amazing planning, the time we entered to go up to the observatory was perfect - the building was pretty empty. I was expecting to see more people since there was a huge crowd walking towards Umeda. The building is open from 9:30 am to 10:30 pm and entrance fee is ¥1500. 

And once again, thanks to my brilliant planning, we got to watch one of the last sunsets of 2019 and the DECADE in such a beautiful place. It was seriously breathtaking. 

Once the sun started to set, more people started coming to the top of the observatory for their photos. This was our chance to go down to the Christmas Market! As we were going down by the entrance there was an extremely long line to enter. You know we were definitely thinking ahead with our plans. 

Now going back down, there was a giant tree that we saw earlier, but it was now lit up! It had many designs but I didn't capture many photos. 

The location of this Christmas Market was in such a cool place right under the Sky Building. I always appreciated the architecture of this beautiful building. 

Because we had dinner already planned, we decided to just get a drink and something small to snack on. By this time, the Christmas Market was packed and there were long lines everywhere. I only really wanted one thing and that was the hot wine! I saw many people with this "Willkommenzum Weihnachtsmarkt" exclusive mug with hot wine in it. Being the crazy mug collector that I am, I NEEDED to get the mug. I love mugs and anything limited edition or exclusives. 

This is the cute mug that I got with the name of the market and Osaka on it. I can't remember the price of it, but it had to be ¥1000. My friend got the white hot wine, while I got the red. It was perfect for the chilly weather. 

We also decided to get some pretzels and sausages because what's a German Christmas Market with hot wine but no grub! Actually I have no idea what I'm talking about since this was only the second time I've been to a Christmas Market. 

I'm not sure if pretzels in Germany are this plain, but I do wish it had a little salt. The sausage was good and even came with a little bread bun. They had condiments on the side for your liking. 

Overall, this was one highlight of my winter vacation and I am hoping that in the future I am able to attend more of these Christmas Markets! The environment is all about good vibes and is very family-friendly as well! I think it is a nice event to gather around with loved ones and just enjoy the holiday spirit!