This list of the best places to see in Osaka It will help you to design an itinerary with which you will not miss anything interesting, from one of the most active cities in the world.
In this city, the mixture of its millenary Japanese culture stands out, whose traditions remain until today, with a technological modernity with which it will seem that you are in the future or in a science fiction movie.
In addition to being the third largest city in Japan, Osaka has the Kansai International Airport very close, something that makes it the gateway for many travelers to Japan.
If this is your case, this will allow you to spend a day or two at the beginning of the route to visit its most interesting places or in any case, take an excursion from Kyoto with the high-speed train.
To save money it is important to book the Japan Rail Pass, which includes all these journeys in addition to most train journeys in the country.
Based on the experience of our two visits to the city during the trip to Japan for free and on our last trip, in which we wrote this guide to travel to Japan, we have made a list of what we think, are the 10 essential places to visit in Osaka. We start!
1. Dotonbori
The Dotonbori neighborhood, famous for its neons and the canal that crosses it, is one of the most famous places to see in Osaka.
The best time to visit it is at night, when all the advertising screens are illuminated, do not miss the Glico Man, and the activity through all the streets of the neighborhood is frantic. At this time long lines are also formed in the restaurants to try their specialties such as takoyaki, octopus stuffed fritters, okonomiyaki, crab or Kushiage, so it is worth it, if you want to have dinner here, come soon.
In addition these restaurants are very photogenic to have their themed facades with giant figures of puffer fish, octopus or crab, something that makes it essential if you like photography.
In addition to the restaurants, another of the most spectacular facades of the Dotonbori Canal is that of the Don Quijote store, where you can see a ferris wheel and inside, find the cheapest souvenirs in the city on one of its 6 floors.
If you need to disconnect a little from the noise and the neon lights, we recommend you get closer to Hōzen-ji, a beautiful temple where you will find a small haven of peace.
Dotonbori
2. Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle, surrounded by a large moat and the beautiful Nishinomaru gardens, is another of the essential places to visit in Osaka.
This castle was built in the 16th century, although a few years later, first by a war and then by a fire, it was destroyed and forgotten until its reconstruction in 1931. Its interior, in addition to having an elevator to climb the 8 stories high, has a Small museum
Although the interior is very interesting, the best of the castle are the exterior views from the gardens, especially in spring with the flowering of its more than 600 cherry trees.
Visiting hours: every day from 9am to 5pm.
Osaka Castle
3. Shinsekai
The Shinsekai neighborhood, especially the area surrounding the Tsutenkaku tower, is one of the most charming corners found in the list of best places to see in Osaka.
This neighborhood, with about 100 years of history, was built using the city of Paris and the Coney Island area in New York as a model, for example, the 103-meter-high Tsutenkaku tower, which was the entrance to the park Luna Park attractions.
After World War II the neighborhood became impoverished and became a dangerous area, until it was recovering with the passage of time and becoming one of the great tourist attractions of the city.
At present, the photogenic area surrounding the tower is full of restaurants and entertainment venues that fill its facades with figures and advertising posters.
If you are going to climb the Tsutenkaku tower, enter the castle museum, take a cruise on the Tombori river or visit Legoland, among many other things, it will be very profitable to book the Osaka Amazing Pass.
Shinsekai
Our recommended hotel in Osaka
We stayed at the New Osaka Hotel Shinsaibashi, located in the city center, 5 minutes walk from the Dotonbori area. The rooms as usual in Japan are small, although they have all the comforts. At the reception they have free tea and coffee.
4. Nipponbashi
Nipponbashi or Den Den Town, the electronic neighborhood and the manga stores, is another of the places to visit in Osaka. In this neighborhood with a certain resemblance to that of Akihabara in Tokyo, you will find video games and consoles of every year, figures from series such as Dragon Ball and anime, recreational machines such as the popular pachinko and electronic stores with all kinds of old and latest items technology.
To have a drink and feel a little uncomfortable Depending on your character, you can look for some themed coffee shops known as Maid cafés, where the waitresses act and disguise themselves as servants.
Although it is not as spectacular as the Akihabara neighborhood of Tokyo, it is worth spending a good time, being in an area between the Shinsekai and Dotonbori neighborhoods.
Nipponbashi, one of the best to see in Osaka
5. Umeda Sky Building, one of the best places to see in Osaka
The Umeda Sky Building is a skyscraper of 173 meters high, which has two symmetrical towers of 40 floors connected by a platform located 150 meters from which you get one of the best views of Osaka.
In addition to the panoramic views from the Floating Garden Observatory, it has an ideal restoration area in which to wait for the time of sunset and city lighting.
At the bottom of the building is the Takimi Lane of Restaurants, an area of restaurants located in a reproduction of an old city street that we recommend not to miss.
Another charming place to eat or drink is the Takimi Koji alley, located in the lower part of the skyscraper and which represents a street in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century.
If you do not have vertigo and want to enjoy higher views you can approach the 300 meter Abenos Haruka Building, another of the places to see in Osaka.
Viewpoint hours: every day from 10am to 10:30 pm.
Umeda Sky Building
6. Kuromon Ichiba Market
Travel the 600 meters of shops full of fresh produce from the Kuromon Ichiba market in one of the Top things to do in Osaka. In this covered market you can see giant crab legs, octopus, fruit, Kobe meat, vegetables and eat their delicious delicacies such as sushi or sashimi in one of their stalls.
A good option to know the history and not miss anything about the city is to book this visit with a guide in Spanish.
Visiting hours: Monday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Kuromon Ichiba Market
7. Shitennoji and Isshinji Tennoji Temples
Shitennoji and Isshinji Tennoji, located a short distance between them and perfect to escape the bustle of the city, are two of the most beautiful temples to see in Osaka.
Shitennō-ji is a Buddhist temple and a haven of peace with more than 1400 years of history that has been completely restored and in which the Kodo Pavilion, the Kondo Pavilion, the five-story pagoda and the Jodo-Gokuraku garden stand out.
The Isshinji Tennoji Buddhist temple impresses with the two large statues located at the entrance and is known for the Buddha statues made by the ashes of deceased Buddhists. In addition to the statues, there are several buildings and a cemetery on the premises.
Visiting hours: every day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Shitennoji Temple, one of the best to visit in Osaka
8. Shinsaibashi
Located north of Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi District is the main commercial area and another of the places to visit in Osaka. Its highlight is Shinsaibashi-suji, a covered street that is characterized by the contrast between traditional stores and modern department stores. There are so many stores in this area that you could spend a full day shopping and more if you enter Daiso, one of the most famous, which sells all kinds of items for 100 yen or the huge Daimaru.
Shinsaibashi
Recommended travel cardsRemember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
9. America Mura
America Mura, also known as Amemura, is an American-themed commercial area located west of Shinsabashi. American-style and second-hand stores, venues with live performances and international restaurants, make it a very popular place for young Japanese people looking to have fun.
America Mura
10. Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine
Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine, one of the oldest and most important in all of Japan, completes the list of must-see places in Osaka.
This site with more than 1800 years of history has several interesting places, starting with the entrance with a large stone torii that leads to a path full of lamps that will take you to the 4 main rooms although the most beautiful place in the sanctuary is the Beautiful Sorihashi bridge that crosses a pond.
To reach the sanctuary, located about 8 kilometers from the center, you can take a tram from Tennoji station or take the local train line from Nankai-Namba.
Do not forget that the best way to guide you with public transport in Osaka and in Japan in general, is using Google Maps.
Visiting hours: every day from 6 am to 5 pm.
How to have internet in Japan?If you want to have internet in Japan a good option is to buy one Holafly SIM card, with which you will have internet from the moment you land, several GB of data, keeping your WhatsApp number and support service in Spanish.
You can buy your Holafly prepaid SIM card here with a 5% discount for being our reader.
If you feel like helping us complete the list of the 10 places to see in Osaka, add yours in the comments.
