Osaka is probably best known for its neon signs and street food. And the so-called ‘Kitchen of Japan’ didn’t disappoint on either front. But there are contrasts to that high-octane life too, with a fabulous castle, abundant waterways and even a tiny temple tucked away in the heart of the Dotombori entertainment district.
My friend and I arrived in Osaka late in the evening after an overnight flight from London via Seoul. So, while we spent two nights there, we only had one day to get a taste of the city. Here’s how to make the most of 24 hours in Osaka.
1. Book accommodation in the Namba area
Namba is a great part of Osaka to base yourself when you’re short on time as it’s very well-connected. Namba Station is a hub for both the Osaka Metro and Nankai which runs the trains to and from Kansai Airport. Just around the corner is the JR Namba station, operated by the West Japan Railway Company, which offers connections to other parts of Japan. And as well as transport options, Namba is filled with shops, bars and restaurants and is on the doorstep of neon-lit Dotombori. There are plenty of hotels to choose from but we liked the Hotel Gracery Osaka Namba which is just a five-minute walk from Namba station.
2. Start your day at Osaka’s stunning castle
Start your day by catching a metro train from Namba to Tanimachiyonchome station, which is best for visiting the city’s castle Osaka-ji. Before getting on the train consider buying the Osaka Amazing Pass at the station. It gets you unlimited travel in the city and free entry to a host of attractions including the castle. Most importantly it means you skip the line to get inside.
Osaka-ji is the most visited castle in Japan and it’s an impressive sight with huge stone walls, inner and outer moats, landscaped walkways and gardens. This was the first day of our trip so the castle grounds also provided our first sighting of the beautiful cherry blossom trees that Japan is known for. The castle itself has an eight-storey central tower, which was rebuilt several centuries after the original was destroyed by a lightning strike.
Inside is a museum focused on the life of warlord Toyotimi Hideyoshi who built the castle on the site of a former Buddhist temple. It includes a display of folding screen paintings depicting The Summer War in Osaka and a recreation of Hideyoshi’s golden tearoom. There are also some great views of the city from the top.
3. Walk from Shinsaibashi to explore Dotombori
After visiting the castle, get back on the metro to the Shinsaibashi stop. Right outside is the start of Shinsaibashi-suji, a famous covered street that is lined with stores and packed with shoppers. It runs down to Ebisubashi Bridge where you can divert in either direction to meander the main waterway of Dotombori. And of course, take a photo of the many billboards lining the canal including the iconic Gilco Running Man.
Over the bridge take a left into the main Dotombori strip and behold the heartbeat of Osaka’s entertainment district. You’ll want to come back later to see it in its full neon glory, but it’s well worth seeing in daylight too. There’s plenty to catch the eye, but look out for Kani Doraku restaurant with its giant crab.
4. Have lunch at the best okonomiyaki restaurant in Osaka
There are stacks of food stalls and restaurants all along the main strip but we headed for Chibo, which is known for serving amazing okonomiyaki (Japanese savoury pancake). It’s a narrow building on six floors and all they serve is okonomiyaki so it’s not surprising that they are very good at it. We had to queue outside for about 10 minutes, but we were rewarded with a table at the chef’s counter. Perfect for us as we love seeing how food is made. As is the case with a lot of food in Japan most of the options at Chibo are meat-based, but it has a few veggie dishes too. Something we struggled to get at okonomiyaki restaurants later in our trip. We liked it so much that we ate at Chibo again when we came back to Osaka for our last night in Japan.
5. Discover a tiny temple in Dotombori’s alleyways
Despite the crazy nature of Dotombori’s main strip, it’s surprisingly quiet once you head into the alleyways that run off it. Meander down Sennichi-mae and you’ll soon find yourself at Hozen-ji, a tiny Buddhist temple with a statue of the deity Fudomyoo. It’s a nice spot to pause and escape the crowds for a while.
6. Browse Namba’s Kuromon Ichiba Market
Once you’ve had your fill of Dotombori you can explore Namba which has a more down-to-earth and authentic feel to it. As I mentioned earlier it’s filled with shops, bars and restaurants so just wandering the streets is a feast for the eyes and senses. But it’s worth seeking out Kuromon Ichiba, a 600m-long covered arcade of market stalls that specialise in seafood. There’s lots more besides the shellfish so it’s filled with all the sights and smells you’d expect from a Japanese market. And there were plenty of local shoppers so it’s definitely not just a market for tourists.
7. Book a bar crawl or food tour for a lively night out
For your evening in Osaka, I’d recommend booking a food tour or bar crawl. It’s a great way to try out local food and drink and go to places you probably wouldn’t find on your own. And as it was our first night in Japan we thought it would be a good way to learn about dishes and make sure we didn’t accidentally eat any meat, which happened during a previous trip to Tokyo! We booked the Osaka Local Bar Crawl through Trip Advisor and had a really fun time. After meeting in Dotombori at 6pm our guide Shinoka took us for a walk through Namba to a small izakaya where we tried drinks like shochu (both the potato and barley versions), plum wine and Japanese whiskey. Alongside the drinks, we had a selection of food snacks like kushikatsu (deep-fried veggies) and Japanese omelette, and we learned how to make takoyaki, which are fried octopus dumplings. I eat shellfish but Shinoka created a veggie version so my friend who’s allergic could join in.
Next, we went to Nihonshu Totoemon sake bar, where we did a tasting of three different types of sake, before being encouraged to finish the flagons they came in. It would have been rude not to! Then our final stop was the dilapidated Misono Building where there are a couple of floors of hallways lined with tiny bars. The one we went to on the bar crawl had loud music and piles of free snacks on the tables. But when we returned to Misono on our last night we found a quieter quirky bar run by a lady who was rocking Carmen Miranda vibes! The locals seemed very surprised to see us there.
After the tour, Shinoka headed off to start her own night out…so we wandered back down to see Dotombori by night. The illuminated billboards, neon signs and packed streets are a quintessential Osaka experience you won’t want to miss.
So that was how we got a great taste of Osaka in a short amount of time. If you have longer, there are museums to visit, ferris wheels to ride, boat trips to take and other districts to explore. We’d also have liked to visit Shitenno-ji, which is one of Japan’s oldest Buddhist temples. But you always need something to go back for. So for now, I’ll say Kampai (cheers) to Osaka, you were a blast!
To read more posts about my trip to Japan and tips and advice for planning your own trip, visit the Japan section of my blog.