Kansai, Japan · City
Japan's second major gateway city, with a laid-back vibe, street food (takoyaki, okonomiyaki), and nightlife in Dotonbori.
Train — Kansai International Airport (KIX), a major train and Shinkansen hub
A neon-lit canal, the festive heart of Osaka.
Osaka is the unofficial capital of Japanese street food.
Osaka's answer to Akihabara: shops selling figures, manga, retro video games, and electronics in the Nipponbashi district.
One of the largest aquariums in the world, located in Tempozan and built around a central tank home to whale sharks.
Osaka is the capital of Japanese comedy and manzai, the machine-gun double act of straight man and fool, is its native form. Yoshimoto's flagship hall runs several shows a day. Without Japanese you lose the script, but the rhythm and the audience's reaction are a show in themselves.
One of Japan's oldest shrines, in an architectural style that predates any Chinese influence, with a red bridge so steep you almost have to climb it.
One of Japan's three great festivals, held on July 24 and 25 with a river procession of boats and fireworks over the Okawa River.
A theme park featuring the Super Nintendo World area and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, hugely popular with families and fans.
In Ikeda, within Osaka prefecture, stands the original instant ramen museum, on the spot where it was invented: free entry and a workshop for designing your own cup.
A historic stadium in Japanese baseball, home to the Hanshin Tigers; located in Nishinomiya, Hyogo, about 20 minutes by direct train from Osaka-Umeda.
Two streets from the din of Dotonbori: a statue of Fudo completely covered in moss, because the custom is to throw water over it when praying, in a cobbled alley of lanterns.
Half an hour south, in mid-September, 4-ton floats are hauled at a run and turn corners at full speed: spectacular and genuinely dangerous, watched from the designated areas.
Known as 'Osaka's Kitchen,' a covered market with fresh seafood you can eat on the spot.
Half an hour from Umeda: 3 kilometres of forest along the river up to a 33-meter waterfall, with wild macaques and stalls frying maple leaves in tempura.
A World Heritage Site since 2019: the tomb of Emperor Nintoku is 486 metres long and only makes sense from the viewing deck of the Sakai museum, because from street level it looks like a forest.
Black cube opened in 2022 on the central island, with a large collection of Japanese modern art and 20th-century design posters.
Osaka is the home of bunraku, the puppet theatre in which three puppeteers work each figure in full view of the audience; there is an English audio guide.
A reconstruction of the historic castle, surrounded by an expansive park.
An entire Edo-period Osaka street rebuilt at full scale indoors, with lighting that shifts from day to night; it can be toured in a rented kimono.
The former Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium hosts the spring honbasho in March, one of the six official grand sumo tournaments — only available during those dates.
Just south of the city, Sakai has been forging knives for 600 years and makes most of those used by Japan's professional cooks; there is a museum and sharpening workshops.
A retro neighbourhood built in the early 20th century around Tsutenkaku Tower, known for its kushikatsu restaurants.
One of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan, founded in 593 by Prince Shotoku.
A covered shopping arcade over 600 metres long in the heart of the city.
Ando is from Osaka and two of his best-loved works are here: the children's library he designed and donated to the city himself, and the Church of the Light in Ibaraki, with its cross cut into the concrete (both require booking).
Two and a half kilometres of covered arcade, with neighbourhood shops, fry stalls and cafes, a world away from the tourism of Shinsaibashi.
The densest Korean community in Japan, with yakiniku alleys and kimchi stalls starting the moment you leave the station.
A youth-culture neighbourhood packed with vintage clothing shops, sneaker stores, and graffiti — Osaka's answer to Harajuku.
Two top-flight clubs in the same city and a derby with real atmosphere, in modern stadiums and with tickets far easier to get than for baseball.
An introductory kendo or iaijutsu (samurai swordsmanship) class geared toward visitors, with equipment included and an explanation of martial etiquette; no prior experience required.
A walk past the 1918 Central Public Hall and the Prefectural Library, brick and domes from when Osaka was the country's commercial capital.
Sake cups hand-turned in pewter, a recognized Osaka craft you can try at the workshop itself.
It is entirely underground: all that shows on the surface is a steel sculpture shaped like bamboo stalks that serves as the entrance.
Osaka keeps dozens of old cafes where people drink mikkusu jusu (blended mixed juice) and eat thick toast with their morning coffee.
From July 30 to August 1, the shrine's mikoshi is carried on shoulders across the Yamato river in one of the city's oldest processions.
Twin towers joined by a floating circular observation deck, an iconic example of 1990s futurist architecture.
Hot spring complex with its own spring water drilled on site, themed on the Azuchi-Momoyama period, with gardens and foot baths.
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