Deep in downtown Osaka, under the unmistakable shape of an old-fashioned tower is a semi-hidden, narrow shopping street. 180 meters long and just about 2.5 meters wide, Nanyodori Shotengai (nicknamed Janjan Yokocho) is a covered shopping alley packed with wonders of the past and cheap Osaka food.

The official name of this street is Nanyodori Shotengai, however it is known to most as Janjan Yokocho. Around the 1920s, it was connecting the Shinsekai area with the Tobita red light district. At the time, shop owners used to attract  the customers' attention by yelling and playing the shamisen, a three-stringed Japanese instrument. "Jan jan" is the onomatopoeia used to describe the jangling sound of a shamisen.

Osaka Castle is arguably Osaka's most prominent landmark and belies bloody power struggles leading up to the 1603 foundation of the Edo era. While its history dates back to 1583, the landmark main tower that is the castle's icon was only re-constructed in 1931.

Today, the history museum adjacent to the castle documents its rich history, while the surrounding park and green space are a hub for Osakans to jog, cycle and relax.

For colours, crowds, and consumerism, you can’t beat Dotombori, Osaka’s most popular shopping, entertainment, nightlife, and culinary destination. If you’re visiting the city, you shouldn’t miss this place. Named for the Dotombori Canal that runs through the middle of it, Dotombori is the colorful and crowded entertainment district located mostly on the east side of Midosuji.

The Dotombori Arcade runs parallel to the canal on the south side and it’s lined with some of Osaka’s most famous and largest restaurants, which compete for business with huge signs and giant mechanical crabs. This is a popular area for Japanese and non-Japanese tourists alike to do a food crawl.

If you want to see the heart of Osaka, take a stroll along the Dotombori Arcade in the evening. Be sure to spend some time standing on Ebisu-bashi Bridge just taking it all in. 

Minami is Osaka’s shopping, dining and nightlife center – one of the city’s two downtowns. It’s a world of neon lights, colorful people and some of the best food on earth.

Located around Namba Station, Minami (ミナミ, "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 other major city center is Kita (キタ, "North") which is located around Osaka and Umeda stations.

If you visit just one shrine in the Namba district, make it Namba Yasaka Shrine (Namba Yasaka-jinja). Its enormous lion head-shape building and cherry blossom trees dotted around the shrine grounds make it one of Osaka’s most distinctive places of worship.

While the shrine itself isn’t all that large, it’s the 12-meter tall, 11-meter wide lion head-shaped building that’s the main draw here. Why a lion? Apparently, the huge open mouth will swallow any evil spirits plaguing you, leaving you only good luck for succeeding in business or school-related ventures.

Besides the cherry blossom season, the best time to visit this shrine is on the third Sunday of January. On this day, you’ll witness a giant Tug-of-War Ritual, in celebration of the god Susano-ono-Mikoto who killed the serpent god Yamato-no-orochi and freed the Japanese people from hardship. It’s an impressive thing to watch, and raucous good fun all around.

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (海遊館, Kaiyūkan) is located in the Tempozan Harbor Village of Osaka's bay area, and is one of Japan's most spectacular aquariums. It introduces various forms of life inhabiting the Pacific Rim in a well organized and impressive way.

Marine life is displayed in over a dozen tanks, each representing a specific region of the Pacific Rim. The central tank, representing the Pacifc Ocean, is nine meters deep and home to a whale shark, the aquarium's main attraction.

The Osaka Museum of Housing and Living is located within the Osaka Municipal Housing Information Center building that faces the Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street on 6-chome Tenjinbashi, Kita ward. Visitors to this museum can experience the ever-changing housings and townscape of Osaka from the Edo period to the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras. The biggest attraction is the detailed and faithful recreation of “Osaka” from 1830 to 1844 which was the latter part of the Edo period.

The Osaka Museum of History (大阪歴史博物館, Ōsaka Rekishi Hakubutsukan) opened in 2003 in a tall building next to NHK Osaka and just across the street from Osaka Castle. The building offers excellent views of the castle from its top floors.

The museum exhibits are visually oriented with several large models. They chronicle the city's history, beginning in ancient times when Osaka served as Japan's first capital and site of the Naniwa Palace and ending with exhibits on the city's bustling shopping arcades of the early Showa Period.

Shinsekai might mean 'New World', but it’s one of Osaka’s older, more retro neighborhoods. Increasing tourism to the area means it’s far less seedy than it used to be, but there’s still some retro post-war charm to be found here and there.

Shinsekai used to be considered one of Osaka’s seediest, most ‘dangerous’ neighborhoods - though ‘dangerous’ by Japanese standards generally pales in comparison to other similar neighborhoods in cities around the world. Developed before WWII and then neglected for decades afterwards, it’s home to a cluster of retro, raucous eateries, dive bars, and a number of delightful surprises to stumble on.

For something completely different, head down to the Tennoji Area to check out Shinsekai. The name means “New World” but Shinsekai is a funky retro entertainment district where you can get a glimpse into what Japan was like before it got rich.

Shitennoji (四天王寺, Shitennōji) is one of Japan's oldest temples and the first ever to be built by the state. It was founded in 593 by Prince Shotoku, who supported the introduction of Buddhism into Japan.

The outer temple grounds are free to enter, but admission to the inner precinct, the Gokuraku-jodo Garden and the treasure house is paid.

Shinsekai is the place to experience the Osaka of old, and Tsutenkaku Tower is the defining landmark of the area. The 100-meter steel tower may not appear particularly tall by modern-day standards, but it has carved out its own place in local history as a symbol of progress and innovation. First head to the top to get a pleasant view of the city, and then go down to the third floor to see exhibits and artifacts showing the vibrant history of the area.

Harukas 300 is Japan’s tallest ‘building’ with a 360-degree view from the top deck.

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 and try street foods.

💡 Note that Kuromon Market can get crowded. When eating street food, make sure not to walk while eating, not to obstruct the flow of traffic, to properly dispose of your garbage and to handle your food carefully so not to soil the clothes of bypassers. The inconsiderate behavior of some tourists has been a cause of displeasure among some locals.

Running a whopping 600 meters long, Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Arcade is the quintessential “shotengai” or covered shopping arcade. Even if you don’t intend to do any shopping, it’s well worth taking a walk along this street to see the incredible cast of Osaka characters who prowl this place.

The museum is located in Abeno Harukas, which stands in Abeno Ward, Osaka City. It was opened in 2014 on the 16th floor of the skyscraper as an urban art museum capable of exhibiting national treasures and important cultural properties. With the concept of "all kinds of art for all people," the museum aims to be an art museum where everyone can easily experience and enjoy art and culture, which is appropriate for its location at the terminal stations of Abeno and Tennoji, Osaka.

Amerikamura (often shortened to "Amemura") has been Osaka's center of youth culture and style since the early 1970's, constantly evolving to stay ahead of the trends, much like Tokyo's Harajuku. Amemura is located just north of Dotonbori . Start at Sankaku-koen Park (Triangle Park), to see a mix of skaters, fashionistas and up-and-coming comedians. Amerikamura is lively on weekends, when people flock to the area to shop for sneakers, vinyl records and vintage clothes, and try out the latest cafes. Evenings center around live music, clubs and intimate bars.

Hiding amongst the residential area of Fukushima-ku in Osaka is a building you need to see to believe. The Gate Tower Building stands 16 stories high if you count the missing 3 stories. The missing floors (5th - 7th) house the Hanshin Expressway and effortlessly take drivers through the middle of the building and onto the Umeda exit.

Hozenji Temple is a small but quaint temple in the warren of streets that lie between the bright neon signs of Dotonbori and the shopping malls of Namba. Stepping through the temple gate is very much like stepping out of the modern world and into the past. Particularly in the evening when the lanterns are lit Hozenji has a very special, peaceful, and magical atmosphere.

💡 The statue was of Fudo Myo-o, a Buddhist spirit that represents discipline and firm moral character. Usually, the Fudo spirit is shown with a very fierce and angry face, however, this statue appears much gentler because it is completely covered in lush green moss. There is a story that about 80 years ago a lady made a wish here by throwing water over the statue. Because the wish came true, now everybody does it! As a result the statue is now covered in moss and is nicknamed “Mizukake-Fudo” or “Splashing water Fudo,” so when you visit be sure to make a wish and keep that moss well-watered!

Located in the bustling area of Minami, Hozenji Yokocho exudes the charm of old Osaka. This 80-meter-long, 3-meter-wide alley stretches east to west, lined with long-established restaurants, bars, okonomiyaki, and kushikatsu shops. During the Pacific War, the temple and the alley were almost completely destroyed, but they were splendidly revived as a bustling area after the war.

The second and third floors of this somewhat dilapidated building in the Ura-Namba district hide some of the most unique and interesting bars in Osaka. The long narrow halls are lined on either side by tiny, intimate venues, many of which have an interesting theme such as retro video games and some of which hold live events such as quiz nights and theatrical performances.

Running parallel alongside Dotonbori River is one of Osaka’s lesser-known destinations, Orange Street - a nickname coming from its Tachibana-dori name, which is the name of an orange. With so many tourist hotspots nearby including the crowded and loud America Mura and Shinsaibashi, Orange Street has a much more relaxed vibe, allowing you to simply wander and enjoy your time.

Tsuruhashi neighbourhood is a little slice of Korea right in the heart of Japan! Just a quick hop from JR Tenma Station, this lively neighborhood is packed with the mouthwatering smells of sizzling Korean BBQ, vibrant K-pop tunes blasting from every corner, and colorful shops filled with all the latest Korean goodies. It's a feast for your senses!

Osaka Shochikuza is a theater in the Dotonbori district of Osaka which often holds performances of classical Kabuki drama. This Neo-Renaissance theater first opened in 1923 and was modelled after the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy. Originally, it was used primarily as a movie theater but also hosted musical performance reviews. The last movie shown here was the classic “Gone with the Wind” in 1994.

After that the building underwent extensive renovations until reopening with all new facilities in 1997. While the original exterior facade has been preserved, the theatrical facilities inside are now entirely modern. The theater now has seats for 1.033 people on three levels with excellent acoustics and state-of-the-art devices such as a revolving stage and trap doors. In addition to Kabuki this theater also holds performances of new contemporary dramas, musicals, comedies, and opera.

💡 Ticket Booking → Osaka Shochikuza Theatre

Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street in Osaka’s Kita district stretches a whopping 2.5 kilometers long. More importantly, it’s home to over 600 shops and restaurants to browse. Its mix of old and screamingly new might prove to be sensory overload at times, but it’ll give you a great insight into one of Osaka’s oldest merchant areas.

A unique art museum that is completely underground. The impressive entrance gate was inspired by the vitality of a bamboo plant.

The Kita (キタ, "North") district, also known as Umeda (梅田), is one of Osaka's two main city centers. It is located around the large station complex that comprises Osaka and Umeda stations. Kita's counterpart is Minami (ミナミ, "South") around Namba Station. Besides being Osaka's busiest transportation hub and a bustling business district, Kita also offers an abundance of shopping, dining, lodging and entertainment, including several department stores and an expansive network of underground shopping malls.

Witness the giant Rubber Duck that travels the waters of the world and the dazzling champagne gold lights of the Hotarumachi Illumination!