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Osaka Prefecture

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Osaka

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Osaka

Ultimate Osaka 1 Day Itinerary

Hitting the Best of What Osaka Has to Offer in a Day

Nature
Culture
Gourmet
Volume
We'll be kicking off the day at (大阪城, Ōsaka-jō), a stunning reconstruction of this historically important . Followed by checking out (からほり れん, Karahori Ren), a preserved residence turned mixed-use commercial complex. There, we'll also dig into some amazing chocolate at (エク チュア, Eku Chua), a chocolate specialty shop and cafe.
Then we'll head over to Tanimachi 4-chome for lunch at (手打ちそば 守破離 谷町), which serves handmade in a stylish restaurant. Before heading off to the stunning (海遊館), with its massive tanks and even a whale shark.
Lastly, we'll spend the night in the Namba area where we'll try out two of Osaka's must-try food souvenir shops, (りくろーおじさんの店, Rikurō Ojisan no Mise) and (551蓬莱). Then we'll grab dinner at (味乃家), one of the oldest and most popular shops in Osaka. We'll then end off the night by doing the iconic Glico Man pose at the Ebisu-bashi Bridge, and strolling down the (道頓堀, Dōtonbori) area along the Tonbori Boardwalk.
Exteior view of the keep of Osaka Castle in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Concept

Canal boardwalks in Dotonbori in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

The Best Sumptuous Foods, Electric Atmosphere, and Cozy Neighborhoods of Japan's Kitchen

Essential Osaka Itinerary

When foreigners talk about Japan, three major cities often come to mind: (東京, Tōkyō), (京都, Kyōto), and (大阪, Ōsaka). Like Tokyo, Osaka can sometimes also come off as too much of a “big city” type of atmosphere. That being said, the charm of Osaka lies in its food culture, and bustling neighborhoods.
Although Osaka is often a favorite amongst tourists, we would also encourage you to also go beyond just Osaka. Kyoto is just a 30 minute train ride away, so is the lovely district of (嵐山). If you have more time, checking out (姫路) and (倉敷) will also let you experience more of Japan’s cultural side. Visiting Japan should be more than just checking out its big cities, but also enjoying the smaller, more traditional neighborhoods.
If you would like to visit Universal Studios Japan, you are free to add it to your itinerary, but we are leaving it out as we want to focus more on what the city has to offer.

Highlights on this Osaka 1 Day Itinerary

Exteior view of the keep of Osaka Castle in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

大阪城

Osaka Castle

Beautiful Reconstructed Castle w/ a Museum

See More
Osaka Castle has a beautiful that stands in the middle of the bustling city, and is one of the most accessible castles in Japan. The castle, however, is not one of the in Japan, instead being a reproduction with a modern museum inside.

+ See More

Japanese spider crab exhibit in the Kaiyukan in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

海遊館

Kaiyukan

Japan's 2nd Best Aquarium with Huge Marine Tanks

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One might deride aquariums as being for children, but there’s a reason why the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is considered Japan’s 2nd Best Aquarium and one of the Top 10 aquariums in the world. This eight story aquarium is designed as an experience, as you meander through the route, circling the buildings exhibits, eventually ending up at the largest tank with 5,400 tons of water and hosting a massive whale shark.

+ See More

Canal boardwalks in Dotonbori in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

道頓堀

Dotonbori

Osaka's Most Famous Neighbourhood w/ a Boardwalk

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Part of the (みなみ, Minami) district, and bordered by Shinsaibashi in the north, and Namba in the south.

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Itinerary Details

Start off at Osaka Station

Recommended Time:

08:40

Head over to Osaka Castle

Est.

08:40

20 mins
5 mins
300m

Osaka Station

to

Higashi-Umeda Station

Tanimachi Line symbol

Tanimachi Line

Towards Yaominami Station

Osaka Metro.webp

Osaka Metro

Higashi-Umeda Station

to

Temmabashi Station

5 mins

Take Exit 3

10 mins
800m

Temmabashi Station

to

Osaka Castle

Exteior view of the keep of Osaka Castle in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Est.

09:10

1.5 hours

Osaka Castle (大阪城)

Marvel at this beautiful castle

Osaka Castle has a beautiful that stands in the middle of the bustling city, and is one of the most accessible castles in Japan. The castle, however, is not one of the in Japan, instead being a reproduction with a modern museum inside.

Take the train to Karahori Len

Est.

10:40

13 mins
7 mins
550m

Osaka Castle

to

Morinomiya Station

Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line symbol

Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line

Towards Taisho Station

Osaka Metro.webp

Osaka Metro

Morinomiya Station

to

Matsuyamachi Station

5 mins

Take Exit 3

1 min
80m

Matsuyamachi Station

to

Karahori Len

Interior of Ek Chuah in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Est.

11:05

1 hour
Closed on Wed

Ek Chuah (エク チュア)

Take a chocolate break

Ek Chuah is a chocolatier that runs a chocolate-specialty cafe in their main shop at (からほり れん, Karahori Ren). Get plenty of chocolate-based desserts, and chocolate-based drink in this beautiful retro cafe. A wide variety of chocolates are available to choose from, including the sweeter milk chocolates, and the more bitter dark chocolates. You can even choose how thick you want your chocolate drinks, going as high as 3x thicker.
Exterior of a bag shop, Len in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Est.

12:05

45 mins

Karahori Len (からほり れん)

Discover crafts and shops in Karahori Len

Len is an interesting mixed-use commercial complex with many indie shops with local crafts and items, as well as cafes within this historic complex. Len is housed within a set of buildings, three of which, the Omoya (母屋, main building), the , and the hyōmon (表門, main gate) are registered as a Tangible Cultural Property as part of the Komori Family Residence (小森家住宅, Komori-ke Jūtaku).

Walk over to Shuhari

Est.

12:50

11 mins
11 mins
950m

Karahori Len

to

Teuchisoba Shuhari Tanimachi

Bowl of kamo dashi soba at Shuhari in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Est.

13:10

1 hour

Teuchisoba Shuhari Tanimachi (手打ちそば 守破離 谷町)

Try out some soba in a stylish restaurant

Teuchisoba Shuhari is a handmade specialty shop that does the entire soba making process by hand in-house, from grinding of the buckwheat seeds, all the way up to the cutting of the noodles. So you get the absolute freshest soba, and that really comes through in each of the dishes.

Take the train to Kaiyukan

Est.

14:10

25 mins
3 mins
270m

Teuchisoba Shuhari Tanimachi

to

Tanimachi 4-chome Station

Osaka Metro Chuo Line symbol

Chūō Line

Towards Cosmosquare Station

Osaka Metro.webp

Osaka Metro

Tanimachi 4-chome Station

to

Osaka-ko Station

15 mins

Take Exit 2

7 mins
550m

Osaka-ko Station

to

Kaiyukan

Japanese spider crab exhibit in the Kaiyukan in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Est.

14:45

2 hours

Kaiyukan (海遊館)

Discovering a whole new world

One might deride aquariums as being for children, but there’s a reason why the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is considered Japan’s 2nd Best Aquarium and one of the Top 10 aquariums in the world. This eight story aquarium is designed as an experience, as you meander through the route, circling the buildings exhibits, eventually ending up at the largest tank with 5,400 tons of water and hosting a massive whale shark.

Head over to Namba

Est.

16:45

25 mins
7 mins
550m

Kaiyukan

to

Osaka-ko Station

Osaka Metro Chuo Line symbol

Chūō Line

Towards Nagata Station

Osaka Metro.webp

Osaka Metro

Osaka-ko Station

to

Hommachi Station

11 mins
Midosuji Line symbol

Midosuji Line

Towards Nakamozu Station

Osaka Metro.webp

Osaka Metro

Hommachi Station

to

Namba Station

3 mins

Take Exit 11

1 min
110m

Namba Station

to

551 Horai

Exterior of 551 Horai in Namba in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Credit: Tokumeigakarinoaoshima (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Est.

17:20

15 mins

551 Horai (551蓬莱)

Try out Osaka's famous nikuman

551 Horai is a specialty shop that is one of Osaka's most popular food . Most of their stalls are typically takeout stands, selling their butaman, either freshly steamed or in a frozen form.
Takashimaya Department Store in Namba in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Credit: Kirakirameister (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Est.

17:35

1 hour

Namba (難波)

Explore the Namba area

Namba is part of Osaka's (みなみ, Minami) district and is bordered by (道頓堀, Dōtonbori) to the north. It serves as Osaka's lifestyle and entertainment hub, with plenty of malls, restaurants, and .
Chefs cooking cheesecake in an open kitchen at Rikuro's in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Est.

18:35

30 mins

Rikuro's Cheesecake (りくろーおじさんの店)

Get some cheesecake to-go

One of Osaka's most famous food , Rikuro's Cheesecake is a fluffy cheesecake specialty shop that serves up freshly baked light cheesecakes.
Okonomiyaki served on a hotplate at Ajinoya in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Est.

19:05

1.5 hours
Closed on Mon

Okonomiyaki Ajinoya (味乃家)

Queue up for one of Osaka's most popular okonomiyaki

is one of the signature dishes of Osaka, and it's no wonder that okonomiyaki restaurants are a dime a dozen. Ajinoya, however, often appears on many okonomiyaki recommendations, and also has a award.
Canal boardwalks in Dotonbori in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture

Est.

20:35

1 hour

Dotonbori (道頓堀)

Do the Glico Man Pose and walk down Tonbori Boardwalk

Part of the (みなみ, Minami) district, and bordered by Shinsaibashi in the north, and Namba in the south.

End off at Namba Station

Est.

21:35

難波駅

Namba Station

NK

01

南海本線

Nankai Main Line

NK

01

高野線

Koya Line

M20

御堂筋線

Midosuji Line

S16

千日前線

Sennichimae Line

Y15

四つ橋線

Yotsubashi Line

Travel Westwards and Discover More!

Plenty of people will tell you that "one day is not enough to cover all of Osaka", in our opinion, Osaka is very much a big metropolitan city, but doesn't have much in the way of actual tourists attractions and sights. This Osaka 1 Day Itinerary really gives you a pretty good gist of what the city is like. Although if there's one more thing we would love to include, it would be the (安藤百福開発記念館, Ando Momofuku Kaihatsu Kinenkan), but it is slightly out of the way from everything else in Osaka.
To us, Osaka doesn't feel very broadly representative of what Japan is like, and to many it might feel like just another overcrowded big city. If you live for the nightlife, street food, and hustle and bustle of the city, then of course you should go ahead and spend a few more days here in Osaka.
For us though, we think Osaka is ideal as a sort of day-trip base to the region. If you love the nightlife here, you can still come back to it after a day of travelling around the region for a day trip.
Most people would typically suggest doing the area, since both (京都, Kyōto) and (神戸, Kōbe) are less than 30 minute rides away.
However, we would suggest going a bit more off-the-beaten-track. Taking a short day trip to (姫路) or Kurashiki, both of which showcase Japan's stunning traditional architecture and culture, and are far less crowded than Kyoto or Osaka.
If you're looking to travel a bit further rather than day trip, we would recommend staying overnight at a in (城崎温泉) or checking out the sights in (金沢).
There's a lot more to do and see in Japan, and while Osaka is a good start given it's one of the two major international aviation hubs of Japan, we do feel like it might not be a good experience to do just Osaka and Kyoto because of how crowded these two cities are.
So don't be restricted here, Osaka is a great first step, but really go out and explore Japan and figure out which areas you enjoy and would love to pursue more!

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