With Osaka having excellent air connections to Australia, we chose Osaka over Tokyo as our first destination to explore in Japan. Osaka is close to Kyoto, Nara and Kobe, on Honshu island, giving you plenty to do on an Osaka-based vacation. Here are our recommendations for the best things to see and do in Osaka.
This was a mum and teenager trip, it would work just as well for younger kids.
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Things To Do in Osaka
We loved Osaka and we loved Japan, I was surprised how great this trip was. We’ll tell you all about Osaka on this page, things to do, foods to try, things to see and how to see them.
Basically, these are the things you need to know about Osaka before you visit or book your flights.
We didn’t know most of them, we flew by the seat of our pants, as usual.
Know that the Osaka canals and Dotonbori district, plus the food market are not in the port area. Universal Studios, the aquarium and the Osaka Wheel (Tempozan) are at the mouth of the port. You can catch the train out there easily.
We chose to spend a few days near Dotonburi, plus a few days near Universal. We also added some time in Kyoto, which isn’t far at all. We’ll tell you all about Kyoto and Nara very soon, there’s a lot more of historic and cultural interest in Kyoto and Nara. Osaka is very much a big city.
About Osaka
The port of Osaka is located in the centre of the country in Kansai region, and is one of Japan’s largest cities. It’s population today exceeds 2 million people.
Where did we stay in Osaka? We booked a dinosaur hotel, where our friendly animatronic check-in dinosaurs looked after us well. It’s a simple place, modern, affordable, and a short walk from the Dotonbori Running Man. It felt very safe walking around here, even at night. Take a look at this hotel here.
The Osaka Expo is in Osaka at Yumeshima Island, to October 13, 2025. Tickets here.
Osaka has an international airport, Kansai International Airport (KIX)and for us, it was cheaper to fly to Osaka than Tokyo. It also has Itami airport for domestic flights.
KIX has a train station and bus station right outside, we took the train to Namba, the station for Dotonbori.
Osaka Castle
We walked to Osaka Castle from Dotonbori. If you choose to do this, it’s a long way. We clocked over 30,000 steps on this day. The castle is very much worth seeing, it’s stunning. An easier way to see the castle would be to book a city tour with driver.
The castle dates back to the 1580’s and is probably Osaka’s most famous landmark. The castle has a moat, incredible megolithic fortifications, and beautiful gardens.
We visited as the leaves were starting to turn in October, it would be a good place for cherry blossoms and autumn leaves.
You can go inside the castle, but when we visited the queue was pretty crazy, so we skipped it.
Please could you save one of these to Pinterest? Thanks.
Shrines and Temples in Osaka
There are more shrines and temples to discover in Osaka, including Shitennoji Temple, Sumiyoshi Grand Shinto Shrine, and Namba Yasaka Shrine (near Namba Station).
Osaka’s Food Market – Kuromon Ichiba Market
Kuromon Ichiba Market is in Osaka’s Chuo Ward and is within walking distance of Dontonbori. It’s the most well-known food market in Osaka and it’s well worth a look.
This guy in the video below says it’s a tourist trap, we enjoyed it, and we’re always interested in food. We got there very early, before the crowds. We did write a Japanese food guide, to be honest, we weren’t that keen, interesting, but not really for us.
Food Street Osaka – Dontonbori
Osaka has some famous street foods such as takoyaki and okonomiyaki, they’re easy to find on this street, with hundreds of fast food outlets, in Dotonbori.
Takoyaki – Deep fried dough balls containing octopus, tempura scraps, green onion and ginger. Topped with takoyaki sauce and mayo.
Okonomiyaki – A savoury pancake containing meats, fish and veg. Topped with takoyaki sauce and mayo (recipe here).
From JR Namba Station it’s about a 5 minute walk, very close to the canal with the Running Man.
The other famous street food street in Osaka is at Shinsekai beneath the iconic Tsutenkaku Tower. Shinsekai is considered more up-market, I believe. We didn’t go.
Osaka’s Traditional Theatre
Osaka is famous for theatre, with traditional performances to see.
The National Bunraku Theatre features puppeteers performing the old art form.
Kabuki plays are a traditional form of Japanese entertainment and performances are seen at the Shochikuza Theater in Osaka.
If you want to learn about traditional Japanese theatre, worldschooler style, Crash Course, below, is here to help. Because it always is!
Museums in Osaka
There are a whole bunch of museums to visit in Osaka.
- Osaka is home to Japan’s National Museum of Arts.
- The Matsushita Hall of Science and Technology is the Panasonic museum.
- At the Museum of Instant Ramen Cup Noodles (Ikeda), visitors can create and decorate their own package of instant ramen.
Dotombori District Osaka
The ‘Water City’ is great for shopping, restaurants, and nightclubs. Internationasl chains, like H&M, plus the luxury brands are here. Dotombori is an entertainment and shopping district lining the southern banks of the Dotombori River with plenty of neon lights.
We loved it!
Namba District
Namba is shopping district and closest train station to Dotonbori. You can get the train here from the airport. There is also a bus, but it wasn’t running when we arrived in the evening.
There are underground districts here. A maze of shops and food outlets, connected to the train station and subways. Don’t get too lost, we did.
Universal Studios Osaka
Universal Studios Japan is a fairly small (we thought) theme park with nine different areas, most importantly, a Harry Potter area.
We did not purchase FastPass tickets and regretted our choices. The Japanese really love to queue. We waited 2 hours for The Flight of the Hypogriff, a small kid-friendly rollercoaster.
My son rode the flying dinosaur ride and got on fast as a single rider, as the day wore on, the queues became too long.
We stayed at a hotel near the park with views of Osaka Port. This is highly recommended to be in the park as early as possible.
We had fun, and we really wanted to add this Harry Potter attraction to our global list.
Osaka Aquarium
Osaka is proud to house one of the world’s largest aquariums. Kaiyukan is a huge building with tanks holding aquatic life from fifteen regions of the Pacific Rim.
It’s the only place we’ve ever seen whale sharks and sunfish.
We were on our way back to the airport on the morning we visited the aquarium. They have lockers so we could leave our carry-on bags while we toured. There’s also a cafe and shop.
The Osaka Wheel is next door.
Sumo in Osaka
You can see sumo wrestling in Osaka, book here.
Baseball in Osaka
Osaka is famous for baseball and home to the Hanshin Tigers and Koshien Stadium.
The stadium dates back to 1924 and I’ve read that Babe Ruth once played here. It is the oldest baseball stadium in Japan.
You can book a baseball pilgramage tour here.
Take a Day Trip to Nara or Kyoto from Osaka
There is a special train to Kyoto from Osaka. The Kyoto-Train Garaku is a special “thing to do” in itself, and of course, we managed to catch it.
This did involve getting very confused and having to run, but we did catch it in the end.
Each carriage is themed and beautifully decorated. It only runs a few times each week and it’s not at all expensive.
Catching buses and trains in Japan is incredibly difficult for foreign tourists, but you’ll get the hang of it after a few days. There is also strict train etiquette, talking or eating on a train aren’t normal.
Osaka’s is close to some of the most beautiful and fascinating places in Japan.
You can go to Kyoto or Nara as a day trip, it’s not far, but we chose to spend several days in Kyoto and take the train to Nara from there. I’d advise you to spend a night in Nara, we needed more time and the temples and “polite deer” deserved an extra day.
You can also visit the bamboo forest at Arashiyama from Kyoto, and the famous shrine with the red pillars, Fushimi Inari Shrine. We walked there, another big day on our feet.
We’ll post more about Kyoto soon. And of course, the historic Gion area is there, home to Geisha and Meiko.
Travel To Tokyo From Osaka
We had planned to catch the bullet train, the Shinkasen, to Tokyo from Osaka, but it’s very expensive. We decided our time would be better spent in this small area. Tokyo will be another trip where we’ll fly directly to Tokyo.
If you want to use the Shikansen trains in Japan, buy a pass and plan your journeys carefully. It’s complex, and there are many Shikansen routes and trains. The pass only saves you money if you take multiple journeys.
I believe you pass Mount Fuji on the way to Tokyo, Japan’s capital.
Osaka is a great destination. A vibrant ultra-modern urban metropolis with beautiful echoes of the past. Enjoy Osaka, it really is a good place to visit in Japan.
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