Dotombori District

We will take a walk through Dotonbori street with its huge billboards, hundreds of restaurants and food stalls selling local foods including the famous Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki.

1 hour

Shinsekai

Shinsekai (新世界, lit. "New World") is a district in Osaka that was developed before the war and then neglected in the decades afterwards. At the district's center stands Tsutenkaku Tower, the nostalgia-evoking symbol of Shinsekai. The area was developed into its current layout following the success of the 1903 National Industrial Exposition, which brought over five million people to the neighborhood within just five months. Shortly after the expo closed its doors, work began to improve and update Shinsekai.

30 minutes

Kuromon Market

Kuromon Market (黒門市場, Kuromon Ichiba) is a covered public market that stretches around 600 meters parallel to Sakaisujidori Street in the Minami area of Osaka. The market has about 150 shops that predominantly sell fish, meat and produce, with other shops also purveying traditional sweets and low priced clothes and homeware. The market dates back to the Edo Period, and today makes for an atmospheric place to stroll around, shop and eat a variety of different street foods.

30 minutes

Ikuno Korea Town

Koreatown at Ikuno. I knew about this place from watching a Korean Variety Show (Superman Returns). This place sells many Korean food items ranging from (at least) 10 different kinds of fermented vegetables (kimchi, radish, cucumbers etc), Korean mochi (ddok, ddok cake, ddokboki), seaweed (gim), sushi roll (kimbab), pancakes, potato chips, red pepper paste, etc.

1 hour

Minami (Namba)

Located around Namba Station, Minami (南, "South") is one of Osaka's two major city centers. It is the city's most famous entertainment district and offers abundant dining and shopping choices. The district is easily accessible as it is served by three train companies as well as three subway lines and a highway bus terminal. The other major city center is Kita (北, "North") which is located around Osaka and Umeda Stations.

30 minutes

National Bunraku Theater (Pass By)

Osaka has been the capital for bunraku, traditional Japanese puppet theater, for many centuries. The popularity of the theater form had grown in the city during the Edo Period when bunraku (like kabuki) was a rare kind of art entertainment for the common public rather than the nobility. The National Bunraku Theater (国立文楽劇場, Kokuritsu Bunraku Gekijō) in Osaka is one of the few places to view the fascinating art form today. English programs and earphones are available. Performances are usually held in three week runs in January, April, June, July/August and November.

Hozenji Yokocho

Behind Hozenji Temple is a group of small, traditional alleyways that has been popular with locals since the 17th century. Despite being just a few minutes’ walk from Dotonbori and Namba, it is often overlooked by tourists. Hozenji Yokocho is ideal to visit in the evening, not long before it gets dark. You can start with a quick visit to Hozenji Temple before finding a local izakaya (traditional pub) to enjoy a drink. If you have time, be sure to check out the statue of Fudō Myō-ō, the god of fury. Locals pour water over the statue, symbolic of purification, and say a prayer. There is a lot to do in this labyrinth of alleyways, so if you’re feeling adventurous, be sure to give this lesser-known area a try.

30 minutes

America-mura

I’m not sure how to translate this name, it literally means ‘America Village (mura)’, but if you apply Japanese grammar, it might be ‘Village America’ instead. Now I’m confused. Anyway, if you are looking for high-end shopping, it’s all here: Prada, Louis Vuitton, you name it. With endless fashionable shops lining the streets, you’d definitely be spoilt for choice. There is even a Big Bang (Korean boyband) Café. Beware though, people tend to dress-up in this area.

30 minutes

Tenjimbashisuji Shopping Street

If you are looking for a quiet, less crowded place to go to or to date, I think this is the place to go to. It was almost deserted around 6pm when I went on a weekday. Tenjimbashi-suji seems to be a relic of an old shopping area that may not be as popular as before, or maybe it was due to the evening hour. I went alone and I felt nice and unrushed, but also unsafe. It may also be possible that one end of this extremely long suji closes earlier than the other end, and I just happened onto the end that became deserted early.

30 minutes

Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine

Osaka's Sumiyoshi Taisha (住吉大社, "Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine") is one of Japan's oldest shrines. Founded in the 3rd century before the introduction of Buddhism, it displays a unique style of shrine architecture, called Sumiyoshi-zukuri, that is free of influence from the Asian mainland. Only two other shrine architecture styles are also considered purely Japanese: Shinmei-zukuri as seen at the Ise Shrines and Taisha-zukuri as seen at Izumo Taisha.

30 minutes