Osaka, the representative metropolis of the Kansai region, is a tourist destination filled with diverse attractions, from gourmet food to entertainment, natural beauty, and historical architecture. We conducted a survey of JALPAK staff, solo travel YouTubers, and the owner of a cafe that operates a mobile cafe, asking them what they would like to do in Osaka, and created a list of things to do in Osaka. Discover a side of Osaka you have never seen before from the many recommended spots that only travel lovers can enjoy.
Osaka bucket list
- Walk around Shinsekai at the foot of Tsutenkaku and eat your fill!
- Charge up with negative ions at Minoh Falls
- Eat everything at Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street and Kuromon Market!
- A tour of spice curry restaurants offering flavors you can only find here
- Travel back to the Showa era!? A stroll through the retro "pure coffee shops" of the downtown area
JALPAK West Japan Area To-Do List
JALPAK Co., Ltd. Domestic Purchasing and Sales Department West Japan Group
I.K.
26 years of experience working at a travel agency (overseas travel: 24 years / domestic travel: 2 years)
Although I'm new to the domestic team, I've been living in Kansai for about seven years. In recent years, I've been traveling to various parts of Kansai once every two weeks between October and December to support my alma mater's rugby team. Osaka is full of great spots that you'll want to visit again and again!
A JALPAK West Japan area representative told us about a deep, fun spot where the entire city feels like a theme park. You're sure to be able to fully enjoy the atmosphere of Osaka just by visiting.
Walk around Janjan Yokocho at the foot of Tsutenkaku and eat your fill!
Shinsekai, located about 15 minutes by train from Osaka (Umeda) Station, or a short walk from JR Shin-Imamiya Station or Osaka Metro Midosuji Line Dobutsuen-mae Station, is a popular tourist spot with the famous Billiken statue, Tsutenkaku, and colorful streetscapes that make an impact. Nanyo-dori Shopping Street, which stretches 130 meters from north to south, commonly known as Janjan Yokocho, is packed with the quintessential Osaka gourmet restaurants, amusement parks where you can enjoy old-fashioned games, and shooting ranges, and is always bustling with people.
I.K.
Shinsekai is an attractive town with good transport access where you can experience the Osaka atmosphere. We recommend walking around the town while looking up at Osaka's symbolic tower, Tsutenkaku. As you walk around, your stomach will be reduced! Kushikatsu, doteyaki, takoyaki, okonomiyaki... There are many delicious B-class gourmet restaurants and standing bars in the area that are typical of Osaka and will satisfy your hunger.
We especially recommend trying the Osaka specialty, kushikatsu, which you should not double dip in! In Janjan Yokocho, the city's most popular shopping street, there are so many attractive restaurants waiting for you that you'll have trouble deciding which one to go to!
Janjan Yokocho (Nanyodori Shopping Street)
| address | ： | Near Ebisu Higashi 3-chome, Naniwa-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| web | ： | https://shinsekai.jp/ |
A solo travel YouTuber's bucket list
Yukatabi／Yuka
In 2018, she visited Hanoi on her first solo trip and became fascinated with the appeal of solo travel. On her YouTube channel "Yukatabi," she posts videos mainly about solo travel.
In addition to sightseeing, I love the local food and drinks and interacting with the locals, and I capture these experiences in photos and videos.
Yuka, a YouTuber who loves travel, food, and alcohol, writes about her travels, including footage of her journey to her destination and her interactions with shopkeepers, making you feel as if you're traveling with her. Her videos and photos are fun to watch and will get your stomach rumbling! The spots she has put together this time are perfect for social media, and will satisfy both your stomach and your heart.
Charge up with negative ions at Minoh Falls
Minoo Falls, located in Meiji no Mori Minoo Quasi-National Park in northern Osaka, is a popular tourist spot known as one of the most famous waterfalls in Japan. The nearest station is Hankyu Minoo Station, about 30 minutes by train from Osaka (Umeda) Station. The contrast between the bright red maple leaves and the waterfall during the autumn foliage season is truly an indescribable sight! It is also beautiful in the season of fresh new greenery, and the various faces it shows throughout the seasons delight visitors.
Yuka
Osaka is known for its urban and lively image. It's great for gourmet food and shopping, but you can't miss sightseeing in nature and feeling the negative ions. Minoh Otaki Falls in Minoh City, one of Japan's 100 best waterfalls, has a spectacular drop of 33m! It's also known as a famous spot for viewing autumn leaves, and you can enjoy the bright red autumn leaves in the fall.
To see the falls, you'll have to walk for about 40 minutes from Minoo Station, but there are restaurants on the way to the falls and around the station where you can enjoy delicious lunch and dinner, making it a good choice for a half-day to full-day trip.
Minoo Falls
| address | ： | Minoh Park, Minoh City, Osaka Prefecture |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 072-723-1885（箕面 交通・観光案内所） |
| web | ： | https://minohkankou.net |
Eat everything at Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street and Kuromon Market!
Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street, located just east of Osaka (Umeda) Station, is a shopping street that stretches for about 2.6 km from Tenjinbashisuji 1-chome to 7-chome. There are many attractive shops lined up, from places perfect for eating while walking to clothing and miscellaneous goods.
Kuromon Market, known as the kitchen of Osaka, is another gourmet spot you'll want to try as you stroll around. Located in Osaka Minami (around Namba), it is lined with many fresh fish shops, greengrocers, and restaurants along a 580m stretch. This is a market where tourists, local gourmets, and chefs come to buy ingredients.
Yuka
Osaka is all about eating to your heart's content! For me, eating your way through the shopping streets and markets, which are treasure troves of cheap and delicious gourmet food and ingredients, is a must. Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street, the longest shopping street in Japan, and Kuromon Market, also known as Osaka's kitchen, are prime examples. They are about 10 minutes away by subway, but both have so many delicious foods that you'll be overwhelmed, so if you want to try everything, it's best to split your visit into two days!
At "Uofuku" in Kuromon Market, you can enjoy freshly prepared seafood grilled over charcoal. The specialty of the restaurant, grilled scallops in butter and soy sauce, is so delicious that you will be hooked once you try it. Sea urchins are apparently not available depending on the season, so you might be lucky if you come across them!
Uofuku
| address | ： | Osaka Prefecture, Osaka City, Chuo Ward, Nihonbashi 2-3-7 |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 06-6631-9294 |
| business hours | ： | 11:00-15:00 (Sundays only: 10:00-15:00) |
| Regular Holiday | ： | Wednesdays, New Year's Day, Obon, etc. |
A to-do list for a mobile coffee shop owner
Traveling Cafe Tamaki-san
Born in Kagawa Prefecture in 1995. Graduated from Ecole Tsuji Osaka with a major in Western confectionery. After moving to Tokyo, he worked as a company employee for three years, but his love of curry led him to start a traveling cafe with tsunekawa in April 2019. He currently travels around Japan making spicy curry using local ingredients from a brick-and-mortar store he opened in Koenji, Tokyo.
Mr. Tamaki, who runs a coffee shop while traveling around the country, has listed must-see gourmet spots that are unique to Osaka. He told us secretly about shops loved by locals that are rarely found in guidebooks.
A tour of spice curry restaurants offering flavors you can only find here
"Kyu Yamtei" is located in the center of Karahori Shopping Arcade in Osaka. It currently has branches in Osaka and Tokyo. The medicinal curry, which does not contain any wheat flour, has a deep flavor with a fragrant spice that has many customers becoming addicted to it. Please enjoy a delicious chai after the meal.
Tamaki-san
Curry in Osaka has evolved in its own way, and there are many famous restaurants that make curry that you can't find in other areas. Osaka is also where I got into curry. Whenever I go to Osaka, I always visit spicy curry restaurants.
My favorite restaurant is "Kyu-Yamutei." I've been to many restaurants, but the food is on another level. They now have a store in Tokyo, but if you visit Osaka, I recommend you visit the original Kyu-Yamutei in Tanimachi 6-chome.
Former Yam Residence
| address | ： | 6-4-23 Tanimachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture (inside Karahori Shopping Arcade) |
|---|---|---|
| phone | ： | 06-6762-8619 |
| business hours | ： | Tuesday to Saturday 11:30-14:30 (last orders 14:00) / 18:00-21:30 (last orders 21:00) Sunday 11:20-14:30 (LO 14:00) / 18:00-21:00 (LO 20:00) *The store will close once all the roux is sold out. |
| Regular Holiday | ： | Monday |
| web | ： | https://www.instagram.com/kyu_yam/ |
Travel back to the Showa era!? A stroll through the retro "pure coffee shops" of the downtown area
Kodori, a traditional coffee shop that has been loved for about 70 years, was reborn as a new coffee shop called Kissa Causley in 2021. While the exterior remains the same, the retro and modern interior is so cozy you'll want to spend a long time relaxing in it. Enjoy a special moment with aromatic coffee, drinks and carefully selected desserts.
Tamaki-san
Osaka has many charming establishments, such as old-fashioned drinking establishments, rustic Chinese restaurants, and coffee shops. There are many of them in the downtown area, and I am currently planning to spend a day visiting many of these local establishments. Meeting the shopkeepers once in a lifetime is also one of the joys of traveling.
When I visit Osaka, I usually go to the Tenma area, but next time I go I want to visit some deep, Showa-era retro shops in Higashiosaka or Nishinari Ward. One of the shops I'm interested in right now is Cafe Cosely, located at Dobutsuen-mae Station on the Midosuji Subway Line.
Cafe Causery
| address | ： | Osaka Prefecture, Osaka City, Nishinari Ward, Taishi 1-2-28 Dobutsuenmae Ichibangai Building |
|---|---|---|
| business hours | ： | 11:00-18:00 (L.O. 17:30) |
| Regular Holiday | ： | Wednesday |
| web | ： | https://www.instagram.com/causerie1947/ |
Whether you've never been there or have been many times, we hope you were able to discover a new side of Osaka. On your next trip, be sure to use this bucket list as a reference and enjoy the hidden charms of Osaka.
*The contents listed are from the time of publication. They may differ from the time of use.
*Business hours may change depending on the COVID-19 infection situation.
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The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
