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The lights of Osaka at night, seen from above the city
The entrance of Universal Studios Japan with the globe and the park gate
The main tower of Osaka Castle above its stone walls and trees
Tsutenkaku tower lit up at night above the neon signs of Shinsekai
The Floating Garden Observatory bridging the two towers of the Umeda Sky Building

Things to do in Osaka: 9 experiences

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Photo: OiMax's photos, CC BY 2.0

Universal City, Konohana, Osaka

Spend a day at Universal Studios Japan with Super Nintendo World

Check dates and prices

Photo: Rebirth10, CC0

Osaka Castle, Chuo, Osaka

Climb the main tower of Osaka Castle and walk its moats

Check dates and prices

Photo: 663highland, CC BY-SA 3.0

Shinsekai, Naniwa, Osaka

Eat kushikatsu under Tsutenkaku in Shinsekai

Check dates and prices

Photo: Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0

Umeda, Kita, Osaka

Watch the sun set over Osaka from the Umeda Sky Building's open roof

Tours in Osaka

Photo: Laika ac, CC BY-SA 2.0

Osaka is Japan's third city and its kitchen, a merchant town that cares more about eating well than about temples. The Japan page already covers Dotonbori, the canal street of giant signs and takoyaki stands. This page is the rest.

The city splits into two centres. Kita, around Osaka and Umeda stations, is offices, department stores and the Umeda Sky Building. Minami, around Namba, is Dotonbori, Kuromon Market and, a little south, the old amusement quarter of Shinsekai. Osaka Castle sits between them to the east.

Three trips leave the centre: west to the bay for Universal Studios Japan and the Kaiyukan aquarium, south by the Nankai line to Sumiyoshi Taisha, and north by monorail to the Tower of the Sun in the 1970 Expo park.

9 things to do in Osaka

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The main tower of Osaka Castle above its stone walls and trees

Climb the main tower of Osaka Castle and walk its moats

Osaka Castle, Chuo, Osaka

2 to 3 hours with the parkGo alone or with a tour

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's castle, rebuilt in 1931 as an eight-floor museum, inside a park of moats, giant stone walls and cherry trees.

Check dates and pricesMain tower entry e-ticket
Been there?
The entrance of Universal Studios Japan with the globe and the park gate

Spend a day at Universal Studios Japan with Super Nintendo World

Universal City, Konohana, Osaka

A full dayTimed entry

Osaka's big theme park, with Super Nintendo World, Harry Potter's Hogsmeade and rides that queue for hours on busy days.

Check dates and pricesOne-day pass with Super Nintendo World entry
Been there?
Visitors watching a whale shark through the glass of the Pacific Ocean tank at Kaiyukan

Spiral down round the whale shark tank at Kaiyukan

Tempozan, Minato, Osaka

2 to 3 hoursBook ahead

One of the world's largest aquariums, built around a deep central tank where whale sharks swim past you floor after floor.

Tours in Osaka
Been there?
The Floating Garden Observatory bridging the two towers of the Umeda Sky Building

Watch the sun set over Osaka from the Umeda Sky Building's open roof

Umeda, Kita, Osaka

About 1 hourNo booking needed

An open-air rooftop joining two towers 40 floors up, with the whole city and the bay below you at dusk.

Tours in Osaka
Been there?
Tsutenkaku tower lit up at night above the neon signs of Shinsekai

Eat kushikatsu under Tsutenkaku in Shinsekai

Shinsekai, Naniwa, Osaka

2 to 3 hoursGo alone or with a tour

A 1912 amusement quarter turned working-class food street, with fried skewers, neon and a tower that houses a lucky god.

Check dates and pricesTsutenkaku observation deck ticket
Been there?
Shoppers under the covered arcade of Kuromon Market

Eat grilled seafood at the counters of Kuromon Market

Nipponbashi, Chuo, Osaka

1 to 2 hoursFree

Osaka's kitchen: a covered market where fishmongers grill scallops, crab and tuna to eat on the spot.

Tours in Osaka
Been there?
The grounds of Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka

Cross the steep arched bridge into Sumiyoshi Taisha

Sumiyoshi, Osaka

About 1 hourFree

Osaka's oldest shrine, head of some 2,300 Sumiyoshi shrines, with a bridge you climb more than cross and halls of an ancient style.

Tours in Osaka
Been there?
Taro Okamoto's Tower of the Sun standing in the Expo '70 Commemorative Park

Go inside Taro Okamoto's Tower of the Sun at the Expo '70 park

Expo '70 Commemorative Park, Suita

Half a day with the parkTimed entry

The three-faced symbol of Osaka's 1970 World Expo, which you can climb inside around a 41 m Tree of Life.

Tours in Osaka
Been there?
The Dotonbori canal between sign-covered buildings in Osaka

Eat takoyaki and okonomiyaki along Dotonbori at night

Namba, Osaka

No booking needed

After dark the giant signs light up and Dotonbori's canal street turns into a run of takoyaki stands and okonomiyaki counters.

Tours in Osaka
Been there?

Traveller picks

Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.

No traveller picks for Osaka yet. Know a place most visitors miss?

Plan your trip

  • Getting there

    Kansai International Airport is on an island in the bay; the Nankai line runs to Namba and JR to Osaka Station and Tennoji. Itami airport, for domestic flights, is linked by monorail and bus. Shinkansen trains stop at Shin-Osaka, one stop by subway or JR from the centre.

  • Getting around

    The subway covers almost everything. The Midosuji line runs north to south through Shin-Osaka, Umeda, Namba and Tennoji, and the Chuo line goes west to the aquarium. Use an IC card for every line. JR serves Universal City and the Osaka Loop Line circles the centre.

  • How many days

    In must30's view, two days for the city: one for the castle, Kuromon and Dotonbori, one for Shinsekai, Sumiyoshi Taisha and the Umeda Sky Building at sunset. Add a full day for Universal Studios Japan, and use Osaka as a base for Kyoto, Nara and Kobe.

  • When to go

    Spring and autumn are mild and dry. Summer is hot and humid but brings the Tenjin Matsuri in late July, with boats and fireworks on the river. Universal Studios Japan is busiest in Japanese school holidays and on weekends.

  • Where to stay

    Namba and Shinsaibashi put you on top of the food and nightlife. Umeda is better for trains to Kyoto and Kobe and for the airport buses. Both are on the Midosuji line, so either works for day trips.

Questions travellers ask

Do I need to book Universal Studios Japan in advance?

Yes. Studio Pass tickets are for a set date and the price changes with the day. On busy days, entry to Super Nintendo World is by a timed area ticket from the official app, unless you buy a pass that guarantees it.

How much is Osaka Castle?

The main tower costs ¥1,200 for adults and ¥600 for students, and junior high pupils and younger go free. It opens 9:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:30. The park, the moats and the stone walls are free.

What is the best viewpoint in Osaka?

The open rooftop of the 173 m Umeda Sky Building is the classic one, at ¥2,000 for adults. Go about 40 minutes before sunset. Tsutenkaku in Shinsekai is lower and older, with the Billiken statue on its deck.

Is Osaka a good base for Kyoto and Nara?

Yes. Kyoto is about half an hour by JR or private railway, Nara under an hour by Kintetsu or JR, and Kobe about 20 minutes. Stay near Umeda or Namba for the fastest trains.

More places in this region

Things to do in Japan

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