What To Do With One Day In Osaka
I love food and that’s one of the main reasons I was so excited to visit Osaka.
If you’re going to be in Osaka for one day, you’d be surprised at the experiences this city bustling with modern architecture and a thriving street food culture has to offer! Live vicariously through it with me and start planning your trip to one of the coolest cities in Japan.
Starting Point: We have to begin with a monster breakfast to power through the day; so we start at a place popularly known as ‘Osaka’s Kitchen’ — Kuromon Ichiba. Located in the southern side of Chuo Ward, it was just one stop away from where I lived.
Breakfast At Kuromon Ichiba
How To Get There: Right off exit No.10 of Nippombashi Station on the Sennichimae Subway Line.
What I love most about the markets in Japan, is the sheer variety of fresh seafood and meat that you’re offered. Kuromon Ichiba 黒門市場 certainly doesn’t fall behind. With a great mixture of supermarkets and food stalls, you can’t help but hear your tummy rumbling for some delicious, unconventional breakfast.
Soon, the smell of 串カツ(kushikatsu) and the sight of 大とろ 握り(ottoro nigiri) will take over your senses and compel you to stop! Kushikatsu is very famous in Osaka; it’s deep fried meat and vegetables on skewers — you can get chicken, crab, prawn, beef or pork. It either comes with a generous helping of sauce or you can dip your skewer into a common sauce container. Remember, don’t dip twice, it’s not polite! The experience isn’t quite complete without a delicious bite of otoro nigiri (fatty tuna). If gluttony has gotten the best of you (it certainly did that with me) don’t hold back from enjoying some grade-A Kobe beef bites and たこ たまご (octopus stuffed with quail eggs).
Operation Hours: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Price: Budget Friendly (as long as you don’t buy fruits here — they’re exorbitantly priced!)
Asahi Suita Beer Tour
How to get there: Approximately a 10 minute walk from the east exit of Suita Station of the JR Kyoto Line, or Hankyu Senri Line.
あさひ Asahi is a leading brewery and soft drink company in Japan. Visiting the Asahi Suita Beer Factory in Osaka, is a fun way to spend some time (90 minutes to be exact) while you’re in the city. It’s a free tour and get this, you get three to five free samples of beer and some snacks at the end of the tour, too! They do speak English but you can also get yourself an audio guide to help. In case they run out of those, there’s an app that you can download and use (hopefully, you have headphones handy in this case). Don’t forget to book online in advance to ensure a spot!
Operation Hours: 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Price: Free!
Lunch At Toki Sushi
How to get there: Walking distance from Namba Station.
If you’re like me, all that walking around is going to rack up a huge appetite so it’s time to sit down, relax and have a memorable meal at とき すし Toki Sushi. Not only is this place affordable, but also offers a variety of delicious sushi and has the friendliest servers! They don’t speak English and it’s highly likely that you’ll have to wait for a table but it’s worth it. The 味噌汁 misoshiru (miso soup) will greet you like a big warm hug and the 12 piece assorted sushi is fresh and oh, so delicious! You get 卵/たまご (tamago — egg), minced fatty tuna (this was my favourite), 鯖 / サバ (saba — mackerel), 鮭 / サケ (sake — salmon), 烏賊 / イカ (ika — squid), 海老 /えび (ebi — shrimp) and マグロ (maguro — lean tuna). Wash it all down with a nice cup of 抹茶/まっちゃ (green tea).
Operation Hours: 11:00 am to 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Price: Budget friendly and value for money, under ¥2,000 (Rs. 1155)
Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum
How to get there: 5 minute walk from Ikeda Station.
My love affair with instant ramen began when I was 10. It’s been an integral part of my life ever since! I remember eagerly wolfing down a bowl as a kid; fast forward to college life — Cuppa Noodles was a saviour and the ultimate midnight snack while staying away from home. So, when I learned that not only is Osaka the birthplace of instant ramen but also houses an instant ramen museum, of course I had to go!
Get off at Ikeda Station and a 5 minute walk later, you’ll be greeted by a huge statue of Momofuku Ando (the founder of Cuppa Noodles instant ramen) at the entrance of the museum. Admission to this place is free and if like me, you feel very strongly about instant ramen, you must visit. They have displayed all kinds of instant ramen ever created, including the one astronauts took into space!
If you’re up for it, I’d recommend having some Cuppa Noodles right at the museum — there’s a large variety to choose from and you can mix and match to create your own perfect bowl.
Operation Hours: 9:30 am to 4:00 pm (last admission at 3:30 pm). Closed on Tuesdays.
Price: Free!
Go Crate Digging At King Kong Records
How to get there: Get off at Shinsaibashi Station on the Midosuji Line or the Nagahoritsurumiryokuchi Line and Amerika Mura is a 3 minute walk away.
I love looking through music records and vinyls in every place I visit — whether it’s in a store or at a street market. You always find the best stuff at the most obscure places; mix it with the feel of the local culture, and together, it makes for the best experience. If you love scrounging for great vinyls, King Kong Records in the アメリカ村 Amerika Mura district will not disappoint. The collection is chaotic, wonderfully overwhelming and the variety of genres got my heart pounding with excitement; this place is truly a treat if you’re looking to unearth some vinyl gold.
Some other record stores you can visit are:
Timebomb Records — just further up the street from King Kong, you’ll find a lot of 60’s-70’s rock in addition to something that really fascinated me — Japanese Hardcore Metal.
If you’re looking for relatively new stuff, you can also swing by Flake Records.
Operation Hours: 11:00 am to 8:00 pm
Price: Approximately ¥1,200 (Rs. 692)
Yakitori and Sake at Yakitori Niwa
How to get there: 5 minute walk from Namba Station.
From the outset, the atmosphere pulls you in. You will be greeted with the delicious aroma of grilled meat and friendly chatter. One thing I’ve noticed about Japan — the smallest izakayas have the best food and the warmest people. Yakitori Niwa やきとり庭 is a tiny yakitori restaurant with the nicest servers. Yakitori largely comprises different parts of the chicken grilled on skewers and this restaurant, is a gem hidden in 西心斎橋 Nishishinsaibashi. The menu is entirely in Japanese so if you can’t read or speak the language, I’d suggest you Google the different options available before you order. I tried the ねぎま/negima (chicken thigh and leeks), 鶏皮/niwatori kawa (fatty pieces of chicken skin, grilled until crispy), もも/momo (grilled pieces of chicken thigh) and したけ/shitake (shitake mushrooms). They also serve a delicious side salad that you can enjoy until they grill your food. Yakitori goes best with ビール/biru (beer) but I was drawn towards this gorgeous bottle of 酒/ さけ (sake) they had on display and I absolutely had to have some! This was also the day I learned how to drink sake the right way. When you’re served sake at a restaurant, the glass will be kept inside a 枡/ ます masu (wooden square shaped box). When the server is pouring you a drink, don’t be alarmed if they keep pouring into the glass and let it overflow. Custom is that you let the drink overflow into the box; once you finish drinking what’s in the glass, you pour the remainder from the box into the glass and drink all of that too (man, that made me quite drunk!) The reason they do this is to make you feel welcome and to show appreciation for your presence at their restaurant. I have absolutely no qualms about extra sake, so I was pretty chuffed.
Operation Hours: 6:00 pm to 4:00 am. Closed on Monday.
Price: Extremely pocket friendly. Let the yakitori and sake flow!
The Floating Garden Observatory
How to get there: Getting to the Umeda Sky Tower can be a bit tricky. We didn’t face a lot of issues but people have often expressed their disdain at finding the place easily. You can either get there overground or underground. The overground path is supposed to be simpler but we ended up taking the underground route since it’s faster (however, this route can get confusing). ENTER MICHELLE.
- While you’re in Osaka Station, walk in the direction towards the elevator leading to the Grand Front Osaka. If you remember one of my previous posts, in Osaka, it’s etiquette to stand on the right side of the elevator.
- Once you go up the escalator, you’ll be able to see the Grand Front Osaka to your right and the Umeda Sky Tower will be visible straight ahead. Keep walking straight until you see another escalator to take you down.
- Keep going straight once you’re off the escalator, you should be able to see an area that looks like this. You have reached the Grand Front Osaka.
4. Walk past the Grand Front Osaka, take the zebra crossing and veer towards the left; keeping walking until you see a tunnel like structure.
6. Congratulations! You have made it to the path leading to the entrance underpass.
7. Once you see these colourful squiggly lines to your right, you’ve reached the underpass.
8. Follow the squiggly line path until you see stairs, head up, cross the road and voila, you’re there!
At 173 meters high, The Floating Garden Observatory in the Umeda Sky Tower is a great way to catch the sunset or enjoy the view of Osaka with the entire city twinkling below you like a galaxy of stars. What makes this place magical, is the floor — it feels like you’re walking on a night sky filled with coloured stars. The phosphorescent stones on the floor absorb UV rays by day and emit light by night to give this surreal effect. It’s quite dream like and makes you feel like you’ve entered another world. You might feel skeptical to go here at first since there’s usually a long queue to get to the top floor but it moves surprisingly quickly (Japanese efficiency at its best, of course!)
There are two levels: You can see part of what you might expect in this cool tubular glass escalator. To go higher on The Floating Garden, you have to pay ¥800–¥1000 per person (Rs. 461 — Rs. 577) which isn’t that expensive for such a great view! I had a really good feeling about what I’d expect right on top so I decided to pay and head further up. Best decision ever! The music they play while you’re lost in thought staring at the entire city will poetically soothe you after the productive and hectic day you’ve had.
Operation Hours: 10:00 am to 10:30 pm (last admission at 10:00 pm. I recommend going here during/after sunset)
Dotonbori
How to get there: 5 minute walk from Namba Station.
There’s a famous Japanese saying — “食い倒れ/Kuidaore” which loosely translates to “eat until you drop”. Dotonbori 道頓堀, makes you feel just like that! With a smorgasbord of food stalls to choose from, the best part about Dotonbori is that you can visit it during the day or at night and satisfy any Japanese food craving you might have, not to forget — affordable fast food! I visited it during the night and I saw why it’s known as the entertainment center in Osaka.
My first stop was to try the ‘大阪 餃子 (Osaka gyoza)’ at 大阪 — 王翔 (Osaka-Ohsho) and let me tell you, Osaka’s gyoza game is strong. The restaurant has four floors (the fourth floor is mainly reserved for parties) so there’s relatively enough room to sit. What attracted me right from the get-go was the big 3D gyoza display hanging above the entrance (that’s your landmark). Most restaurants in Dotonbori reel you in with these really cool 3D installations. I got the beef fried rice and gyoza set and chased it with some キリン レモン/ Kirin Remon (Lemon Flavoured Kirin). They had a full portion and a half portion — the half portion is enough for two people!
Now, you don’t go to Osaka and not try たこ焼き/takoyaki — these are wheat flour batter balls filled with diced たこ/tako (octopus), 出し/dashi (broth made out of kelp, sardines or tuna), fish sauce and their special sauce! I had a version topped with bonito flakes at Kuromon market too. Needless to say, takoyaki is one of my favourite Japanese snacks ever. At Dotonbori, you can watch your takoyaki being made at たこ焼きくくる/ Takoyaki Kukuru — it’s absolutely fascinating to watch in awe, as they expertly flip the takoyaki and you can munch on it as you take in the rest of what Dotonbori has to offer.
Operation Hours: 24 hours
Price: Pocket friendly
Tombori River Promenade
How to get there: Take the Midosuji Subway Line to Namba Station on the JR Kansai Line, Nankai Line or Kintetsau Line
Tombori River — the city’s bustling riverfront, lined with stores and restaurants, is a great way to end the night in Osaka. The way the water reflects the city lights and flashing billboards is dreamy and at the risk of sounding dramatic and cliche, it’s one of my favourite places to stand by and take in the lights, sounds and marvel at how lucky I am to be able to experience the beauty of the city. I’d definitely recommend doing the river cruise, although sometimes they shut it for a parade of colourful boats that play music and have people cheering as they go along. It’s off beat, it’s fun and whatever you may encounter here, is a true representation of what Osaka is.
Operation Hours: 24 hours
Price: Free!
That’s a day in Osaka for you! Head back home, put your feet up, switch the TV on, lay back and immerse yourself in some seriously interesting Japanese soaps to end the night (a bag of candy from the grocery store would make it even better!)
I hope this convinced you to pack your bags and visit Osaka. You have day one covered already, so what are you waiting for? #24HoursInOsaka
