ぶ武

Kuidaore Taro

The Kuidaore Taro doll dressed in red and white striped clothes and large black and dark rimmed glasses holding a taiko drum is considered a very famous and popular figure in Kansai. It was originally the mascot of a large restaurant chain Osaka Meibutsu Kuidaore which was established in 1949 and went on to achieve […]

Rinku Pleasure Town SEACLE

Rinku Pleasure Town SEACLE is a medium-sized shopping mall with roughly 80 different various shops and restaurants, a hot spring facility and a big ferris wheel. You can walk to the Rinku Premium Outlet and back with the pedestrian bridge.

天保山マーケットプレース

Abeno Harukas

Standing proud as the tallest skyscraper in Japan (300 m tall, so it’s not that impressive…the tallest structure in Japan, however, is Tokyo Skytree at 634 m.) On the top floor, presenting a grand view of Osaka roughly 300 meters high, (60 floors up) is the observation deck Harukas 300. Below, a department store stretching […]

America Mura

A popular place among young people in Kansai and the birthplace of many trends, America Mura is a place where many Kansai youth and teens hang out. Despite being beign only 300m by 500m in area, there are numerous import & second-hand stores, general stores, cafes, galleries, music instrument shops and more – a chaotic […]

Fukushima Station Area

The Fukushima neighborhood, only one stop from Osaka Station, is filled with high-quality restaurants competing in a “gourmet battleground.” Renovated Izakayas and bars can be found lining the narrow roads, staying open until late at night. They use a limited supply of ingredients, and the stores make high-quality products at reasonable prices.

ダイワ果園黒門本店

旬の果物がたっぷり入った生ケーキで有名な老舗高級果物専門店。 日本全国から選び抜かれたフルーツを売っている。 ここではケーキやフルーツの以外にも、4月末〜11月は店頭でフレッシュフルーツジュースも販売している。 テイクアウトのみだ。

Takoya Dotonbori Kukuru Mainstore “Big Octopus”

This realistically-designed octopus installed in 2000 looks almost like the real thing. The one next to the Dotonbori Glico sign is the “father” and the one at the front of the shop is the “eldest son,” while the “mother” and “second son” can be found in the Dotonbori Konamon Museum. The father octopus’s eyes sometimes […]

Osaka Tenmangu Shrine

This shrine is where the Tenjin Festival, one of the three greatest festivals in Japan, is held. The shrine has a long history stemming from 650, when Emperor Kotoku built Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace. The “Shrine of General ” was founded to the northwest of the palace as a guardian deity. In 949, the God of […]

Umeda Sky Building / Kuchu Teien Observatory

The high-rise Umeda Sky Building was constructed so that the two individual buildings join at the top to form a design that looks like a floating spaceship. With a global reputation, every year the building is visited by over a million tourists and was once featured in a British magazine article on the “Top 20 […]

LUCUA osaka

A shopping station complex directly connected to JR Osaka Station. There are approximately 400 shops in total between the East Building “LUCUA” and the West Building “LUCUA 1100.” There are many popular fashion stores but also trendy department, cosmetic and sweets shops popular with young women.

Sōhonzan Shitennōji

A temple with a long history, a rarity in Osaka. It is the first ever state-sponsored temple in Japan built by order of Prince Shotoku (574-622) in 593. He was also a magnificent statesman who is revered by Japanese even today. Shitennōji has been destroyed countless times by fire caused by wars, lightening, and typhoons, […]

Dotonbori Glico Sign

Major Japanese manufacturer Glico put up the sign in 1935. The version currently on display is the sixth rendition, remade in 2014. The sign’s happy-looking, smiling male athlete raising both hands and his left leg after scoring is considered symbolic of the city of Osaka itself. From 30 mins after sunset until midnight the sign […]

Design Pocket Osaka Main Store

A shop that specializes in making fake food models. There are over a thousand different kinds of food models that look exactly like the real thing. You can also take a tour to find out more about how they are made.

Kansai International Airport

Kansai International Airport is used by roughly 30 million people per year, and it is the second busiest international airport in Japan, serving roughly 70 countries and 270 cities. See below for destination cities and timetables. Airline Information　Airlines　Flight Schedule * There are also LCCs flying between Asia Pacific countries/regions (Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, […]

Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Umeda Store

Yodobashi is a large domestic electronics store chain, and this store has the highest turnover in Japan (approx. 120 billion yen) and the largest floor space (approx. 30,000 m2). There is a great selection of items and multilingual staff, and also around 30 affordably-priced restaurants and cafes on the 8th floor.

Kushikatsu Daruma “Daruma Daijin”

A large-scale, scary-looking old man based on the fourth shop owner was put in place in 2008 and remained there ever since. There is also a full-body version in front of the shop. Size 6.4m tall, 4.1m wide Photo tips Try taking two shots with the full body in front of the store

Daimaru Umeda Store

A department store aimed at young women with a focus on fashion and general goods. Includes major chains such as Tokyu Hands and Uniqlo. The Pokemon Center and Tomika Shop are fun for kids. The food court is also of good standard.

Tengu

Carl Ojisan

“Carl Ojisan” is a simple, farmer-like bearded old man and the character that represents the “curl” snack. The sign was originally made by large food company Meiji Seika in 2008. On the hour, Kerota a frog comes out of his hat. Although once popular, in recent years the snack’s popularity has slumped and it is […]

黒門市場

Osaka Ohsho Dotonbori Main Store Gyoza Dumplings

The store’s main dish, gyoza, was made into a model approximately 1,100 times its actual size and has remained there since 2012. The attention to detail makes the gyoza very realistic as if it has been cooked – so real that you might want to eat it! Size 4m tall, 3.5m wide

Hanshin Umeda Main Store

An everyday department store targeted at ordinary people. It is famous for its lively and loud fresh fish section which feels like a real fish market. The squid dumplings, sold for 152 yen each, are so popular that people will queue day after day. If you have the time, it’s worth trying them.

Osaka Eki-Mae Building（Basement）

There are four large buildings on the south side of JR Osaka Station, each joined underground. The 1st and 2nd floors underground include a food court with reasonably-priced high-quality restaurants, making the area popular with office workers both for lunchtime and dinner. Many of the businesses have been there for a long time, giving it […]

G2 OSAKA

The first all-night night club in Japan, staying open until 7 in the morning. Genres : All Mix、Hip Hop Clientele : 20s/30s, with many approachable girls * Must be over 20 to enter; there are ID checks

Nipponbashi ・ Ota Road

Originally centered on household electronics and parts, in recent years the downtown Nipponbashi area has experienced a dramatic increase in the number of otaku shops, much like Akihabara. On the side of Otaroad (“otaku road”) there is a large parking lot, where you can often find “itasha” cars decorated with pictures of cute anime girls. […]

Genroku Sushi

Near the shop there is a hand holding sushi prominently sticking out from a wall, originally installed in 2010. The type of sushi being held is red-fleshed (lean) tuna. Size 2.4m tall, 2.4 wide  

Osaka Castle Park

Houkoku Shrine(Osaka)

Visiting this shrine will supposedly bring you success and good luck in the future. It is a 5-minute walk from the south side of the castle tower and was where Toyotomi Hideyoshi was deified. A 5.2-meter tall statue of this commander stands just right past the torii gate of the shrine.