Most lovers of Japan will at some point talk about the amazing contrasts the country provides. The modern versus the traditional, the cities versus the rural areas – Japan is a country made of the very oldest and very newest elements, and it’s fascinating. It was with this thought in mind that I arrived into Osaka (大阪) having that very morning woken up to pray with Buddhist monks up on Mount Koya. Osaka couldn’t be more different to Mount Koya, but I love it for everything it is, and everything it’s not.
Osaka is, quite frankly, a bit bonkers. My hotel was right in the heart of Namba (難波), the entertainment district of Osaka, and my only plan for the evening was to explore the neon-lit streets, shop a little, eat a little, and people watch.
The main stretch in Namba is called Dotonbori (道頓堀), featuring a street full of shops and restaurants that never seem to close and the Dotonbori canal and bridge which are surrounded by giant neon signs. This is pure Blade Runner country – the Japan of every sci-fi nerd’s dreams. And I love it.
Pictures tell a thousand stories, so here you go…
Dotonbori – where electricity bills are high!
The famous Glico running man (sixth edition – now running on LED rather than neon)
The most famous view in Osaka
Dotonbori – covering all of your shopping and dining needs!
This is Osaka.
Men playing pachinko
Portrait of an Osaka salary man
Meat on a stick, with a side of ‘grr’!
Osaka: Kansai’s kitchen
It’s against the law to visit Osaka without eating takoyaki…
…so naturally I ate some takoyaki.
Kani kani kani!!
In the morning, as I headed for the station, I noticed that Osaka also has some pretty interesting street art, as well as a number of cool ‘lamp post people’ lining the streets…
Peace on earth
Osaka Lamp post people
This one’s covered in graffiti and stickers
Very cool.
Love a shutter mural
Osaka is crazy, that’s for sure, but it makes a brilliant one night stop and has some of the best food in all of Japan! 😀 This takes us up to the morning of 2nd December – I still have so many more adventures to write about! Next stop: Tokyo!
Haikugirl's Japan 
I love Osaka! We land there on our next trip so I’m heading straight to Dotonbori for infinite takoyaki.
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Sounds good!!
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I loved my last visit to Osaka – superb food and a buzzing nightlife. I’d definitely go back. Great photos once again!
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Thanks Mac! Osaka is a great place, isn’t it? 🙂
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I really like it. Such a buzz!
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I love Osaka! I don’t think I’d ever want to live there (well, I personally wouldn’t want to live in Tokyo either, or any other huge city for that matter), but visiting is always great. There’s so much to see and do, the food is awesome, and it’s just always struck me as an incredibly vibrant yet surprisingly friendly place. As far as big Japanese cities go, it’s still my favourite.
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No, I wouldn’t want to live there either, but it’s a great place for one or two nights. 🙂
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For all that Osaka is the worst for graffiti and air quality, it still has much to recommend it.
The aquarium is brilliant, the Umeda Station is a city in itself, the river cruise is charming, DenDen Town is more human scale and accessible than Tokyo’s, it’s a simple rail trip south to the kofun (if that’s of interest) and Kishiwada Castle: quite different from many others if overly tourist-friendly (less authentic interior).
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Ah, I actually have an interest in graffiti so I don’t see that as a bad thing! 😉
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” Men playing pachinko”? Just like ten thousand other venues, sadly: an obsession for vast numbers. Definitely a ‘downside’ of Japanese culture – and the noise is defining!
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Nice to see this part of Osaka. Thank you for posting 🙂
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