If you’ve always dreamed of visiting Japan, then it might be time to forget those Tokyo Nights and plan a trip to a younger, hipper city instead.
I’m talking about Osaka. Osaka is the 3rd largest city in Japan but it is still referred to as Japan’s Second City.
Osaka has a very different look and feel to Tokyo.
In Tokyo everyone is busy and rushing to get somewhere while people in Osaka feels more casual and relaxed.
Osaka feels like Tokyo’s little sister: younger, more exciting, and more carefree. And that’s why this incredible city is winning over travelers right now.
A Funky Party Playground
Japan is my favorite country in the world, and Osaka is its party playground.
Japanese people travel to Osaka to gamble, party, and generally let their hair down.
This is why you’ll find a huge concentration of bars, karaoke mega clubs, and gaming centers in the heart of the city.
If you really want to party, then Pure Osaka is the place to be.
It’s a nightclub in the heart of downtown Osaka and is popular with Japanese celebrities, influencers, and anyone else who wants to be in the right place at the right time.
My favorite way to party in Osaka is karaoke! Hire a private room and sing the night away. It’s so much fun and incredibly affordable, too.
The price will be determined by the size of the room you hire and how long you stay, but we paid less than $15 for our family of four.
Japan’s Kitchen
Osaka is referred to as the kitchen of Japan, and there’s no better place to be for foodies.
The streets along either side of the Dotonbori Canal, between the Dōtonboribashi Bridge and Nipponbashi Bridge are known simply as Dotonbori and this is the place to be if you want to eat in Osaka.
This is also the spot where you can take a photo with Osaka’s infamous mascot, The Running Man.
People travel from all over Japan and the world to eat in this district (so of course I had to join them!)
I recommend trying the okonomiyaki, which is a savory pancake filled with cabbage and onions and smothered in a spicy mayonnaise-style sauce.
Perhaps the most iconic thing to eat in Dotonbori is takoyaki. You’ll have probably seen these before: little rich, eggy dough balls filled with octopus served piping hot.
My husband loved these, but I definitely didn’t!
Osaka With Kids
As much as I would love to share personal stories about wild nights in Osaka nightclubs, I visited with two boys under the age of 10.
But I will say that Osaka is a great place for family travel. It might not seem like an obvious family destination, like Tokyo, but we loved every minute.
We challenged each other to eat unusual foods in Dotonbori, wandered through the Team Labs botanical gardens, and rode the HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel for incredible views of the city. Each carriage has Bluetooth, so you can pump out your own tunes as you ride, too!
If you’re traveling with kids (or if you’re a theme park or adrenaline junkie) then Osaka is also home to Universal Studios Japan.
This was the first Universal Studios to open a Super Nintendo World, and it’s also the largest.
This is a modern and interactive park where you can buy wristbands and use them to interact with the attractions in a way that will make you feel like you’re in a Mario video game (I tried it and regressed! I felt 15 again!)
You’ll also find Harry Potter World and the usual Universal offerings like Jurassic Park and Jaws here.
Osaka is also a great place to position yourself if you want to take day trips to other popular tourist destinations like Kyoto and Nara too. On the fastest train you can get to Kyoto from Osaka in around 20 minutes.
Culture In Osaka
Osaka has an undeserved reputation for being devoid of culture. We definitely didn’t find that to be the case!
Osaka Castle was once the largest castle in Japan, and it’s not only beautiful but also huge! It really dominates the surrounding skyline, and the gardens are a beautiful place to walk.
We also visited Ohatsu Tenjin, which is in the heart of the city, hidden behind a neon-lit restaurant district. This is the shrine to love. It is also the only place in Japan where I saw pink Tori gates!
There are actually two shrines here. The first is dedicated to the tragic story of two star-crossed lovers who met a terrible end, and the other is a shrine to children.
Volunteers wait at the entrance to the Shrine and will show you around and tell you the story of the star-crossed lovers (not those star-crossed lovers) in detail, and although it’s not an attraction in the guidebooks, it was a real highlight for us.
Getting To Osaka
When I last visited Osaka, I traveled from Tokyo Station to Shin Osaka Station via the bullet train.
I chose to buy a JR Pass: This is a train ticket valid for a certain period of time that you can use on any JR train across Japan.
This worked out as the best value option for me because I was also visiting nearby Nara and Kyoto as part of my trip.
The JR Pass costs 50,000 YEN ($316.00) for 7 days or 80,000 YEN ($506.00) for 14 days.
Alternatively a return ticket from Tokyo Station to Shin Osaka Station is $290 (based on prices for a one week stay traveling in August 2024)
Osaka and Tokyo are incredibly well connected for a 2 center trip like this with a train leaving Tokyo station every 10 minutes.
If you don’t want to visit Tokyo, you can fly directly into Osaka instead. If you’re traveling from the U.S., you can fly nonstop into Kansai International Airport from San Francisco and Los Angeles.
United Airlines operates the route to San Francisco, while Japan Airlines operates the route to Los Angeles.
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