Osaka Travel Guides

Reference WW40004

Osaka Travel Guides

Japan's third largest city, the industrial metropolis of Osaka lies just 26 miles (42km) south of Kyoto. Osaka is an ancient city, powerful in the days of the feudal lords and samurai. Now the city is a commercial hub, focused on making money and having a good time: it has a reputation in Japan as one of the best places to eat, drink and be merry.

Osaka offers many of the same hardcore shopping opportunities that Japan's other major metropolises do, with the most famous shopping district, Shinsaibashi, offering a mixture of department stores, fashionable boutiques, and Western stores. Nipponbashi is the best place to go for electronics.

Eating Out in Osaka

Fine dining, cool bars, jazz and raucous clubbing - Osaka has it all. Nightlife areas in Osaka include: Umeda, Namba (Nanba), Shinsaibashi and America-mura (Ame-mura). Kita-Horie and Minami-Horie, west of Midosuji from Shinsaibashi also have some trendy locales. Osaka's main gay area is in Doyama, close to Umeda.

Look out too for Osaka's tachinomiya - the city's signature stand-up bars and eateries.

Shopping in Osaka

Osaka is known for its excellent shopping and people come from all over the Kansai area of west Japan to shop in the elegant department stores of Umeda as well as visit the warren of small shops in Umeda's Underground Shopping Area.

Constructed in the 1960's five subterranean avenues radiate out from Osaka Station City: Diamor Osaka, Herbis Osaka, Hankyu Sanbangai, Dojima Underground Shopping Center and Whitey Umeda - with its historic 1960's fountain.

Namba has its own underground malls: Namba Walk, Namba City, Namba Nan Nan and Crysta Nagahori. Above ground is the Shinsaibashi-suji arcade with around 180 shops, Amerika mura, Horie and Minami Senba for youth fashion and the big brand outlets at the intersection of Midosuji and Nagahori-dori.