48 Hours in Osaka
In a country where etiquette prevails, Osaka with its vivacious and laid-back nature defies Japan’s rules and rigour
Known and loved for its culinary prowess, friendly locals, and lively nightlife, with a dash of history and tradition in the mix, Osaka plays by its own rules. If, like us, you have one full day to work with, here is how to see and do Osaka’s main attractions in a short space of time.
16:00 Check in to the hotel
We stayed at Hotel Keihan Namba Grande, a new hotel conveniently located around ten minutes on foot from Namba Station. It is also reasonably priced, boasts spacious rooms, provides good amenities, and is run by a team of helpful staff.
Note that this itinerary is mapped out using this hotel as a base. If you are staying elsewhere, you may want to adjust the itinerary accordingly.
18:00 Dinner
Grab a hearty curry at Oretachino-curry Ramen Koji Labo Osaka-namba. The restaurant is known for its curry ramen served with a choice of meat and rice or in a broth with udon. It is absolutely delicious, even more so after queuing in the rain for it.
20:00 River Cruise
Acquaint yourself with the iconic neon streets of Dotonbori by taking a Tombori River Cruise down the canal. The trip only takes 20 minutes and passes under the city's nine landmark bridges.
8:30pm - Late Night Shopping
From there, you can head to Don Quijote for some late night souvenir shopping, explore the district’s nightlife, or head back to the hotel for some shut-eye.
8:00am Breakfast
Whilst in Japan, we developed a bit of an obsession with breakfasts consisting of black coffee and pillowy milk bread or shokupan, slathered with salted butter. Call us simple, but there was something comforting about starting our day with this, especially since our palettes were still adjusting to complex and unfamiliar flavours. Serving this popular combination was Holly’s Café, en route to Namba Station.
8:45am Explore Osaka Castle
Get the train from Namba Station to Osaka Castle. The train is relatively quick, however there is one change, and you will have to get off at Morinomiya Station and walk 20 minutes to the castle. Once you arrive, you can spend some time admiring the castle from afar and walking the surrounding gardens. From 9am, you can enter the castle itself for 600 Yen.
You can opt to stay here until lunch and explore the castle, museum and surrounding area, instead of visiting Osaka aquarium. Or vice versa, you may want to skip the castle and head straight to the aquarium which opens at 9:30am.
11:00am Osaka Aquarium
Jump back on the Chuo line and head to Osaka Aquarium. We had seen a lot in our research about the aquarium’s resident seals, Arare in particular, who is known for flashing her trademark smile at her visitors.
The aquarium itself is a feat of architecture, cleverly designed to guide visitors around the dozen tanks, each of which represent a specific region of the Pacific Rim. The central tank, representing the Pacific Ocean, is nine meters deep and home to a whale shark, the aquarium's main attraction.
1:00pm Bao Buns for Lunch
It would be a sin to visit Japan and not try 551 Horai bao buns. For convenience, you can head to the Ebisubashi honten branch, and try these delectable fluffy buns, filled with succulent pork mince.
2:00pm Shopping
Spend your afternoon browsing Shinsaibashi Shopping Street, one of Osaka's main commercial and entertainment areas. Not far from there is Amerikamura, a district with a youthful and trendy ambience, known for its unique shops, cafés, and street art.
If time permits, you can head over to Shinsekai, Osaka’s ‘new world’ district. Here, you can do a spot of shopping, and try kushikatsu, a dish comprising various skewered, battered and deep fried foods, ranging from chicken and beef, to pumpkin and asparagus, to the banana and ice cream.
6:00pm Street Food in Dotonbori
As night falls, the reasons for Osaka’s popularity become apparent. Neon light in every colour illuminates the streets, drawing in crowds of revellers in the hundreds to indulge in some of Japan’s best street food.
Referred to as ‘the nation’s kitchen’, it isn’t hard to see why Osaka wins the heart of food lovers. In this city, food is an almost sacred pursuit, evident not only in the oversized plastic food effigies hanging above eateries, or the sheer density of restaurants and kiosks that crowd the streets, but also in the multi-dimensional flavours and textures packed into each dish we sampled here.
There is a lot to try, but high on your list should be takoyaki, savory octopus-filled balls drizzled with rich sauces, okonomiyaki, a savory pancake layered with various ingredients, and skewers of yakitori cooked on charcoal grills.
Squeezing all of the above into a short space of time isn’t for the faint hearted, but it can certainly be done. Our blistered feet were testament to this claim.
Of course, you can use this itinerary as a rough guide, tweaking it as you see fit. If you are planning your travels to Japan and looking to fit Osaka into your itinerary, please feel free to drop me a line at juliacairaphotography@gmail.com. As always, I’d love to chat.
