A traveler's guide to Osaka
Come hungry and leave a little room on the schedule. Osaka's style is generous and blunt. It is a compliment.
Osaka is where Japan tells you to eat and stop being precious about it. Street snacks, a furious kitchen counter, and a castle you can see in an hour. Kyoto is close. Osaka is worth its own nights, especially after dark around Dotonbori and in the neighborhoods that do not pose.
When to go
Cherry blossoms and autumn are ideal, as in the rest of Kansai. Summer is hot and festival-fun. Winter is clear and good for fried food, which is not a coincidence. New year week changes shop hours.
Neighborhoods
Namba and Dotonbori for the night photograph. Shinsekai if you want the older spectacle. Umeda for trains and department-store food. The castle park in the morning. Fukushima or Nakazaki for a more local dinner.
Eating
Takoyaki and okonomiyaki are the famous snacks. Kushikatsu, a noodle counter, and a department-store food floor will show you the range. Osaka will try to feed you continuously. Accept some of it.
If you only remember this
- ICOCA or your phone for the trains.
- Kyoto is a day trip, not a thing you do before dinner.
- Cash still helps at small counters.
- The neon canal is crowded after 7. Eat nearby, not only in it.