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If you’ve always dreamed of visiting Japan, then it might be time to forget about those Tokyo Nights and plan a trip to a younger, hipper city instead.
I am talking about Osaka. Osaka is the 3rd largest city in Japan, but is still called Japan’s second city.
Osaka has a very different look and feel than Tokyo.
In Tokyo everyone is busy and rushing to get somewhere, while in Osaka people feel more casual and relaxed.
Osaka feels like Tokyo’s little sister: younger, more exciting and more carefree. And that is why this incredible city is currently convincing travelers.
A funky party playground
Japan is my favorite country in the world, and Osaka is the party ground.
Osaka is rougher and dirtier than Tokyo. All those rules you’ll read about in your Japan guidebook, like not eating on the street or paying attention to the volume of your voice, go right out the window here!
Japanese people travel to Osaka to gamble, party and generally let their hair down.
That’s why you’ll find a huge concentration of bars, karaoke mega-clubs and gaming centers in the heart of the city.
If you really want to party, Pure Osaka is the right place for you.
It is a nightclub in the heart of downtown Osaka and is popular with Japanese celebrities, influencers and anyone who wants to be in the right place at the right time.
My favorite way to party in Osaka is karaoke! Rent a private room and sing the night away. It’s so much fun and also incredibly affordable.
The price is determined by the size of the room you rent and how long you stay, but we paid less than $15 for our family of four.
Japanese cuisine
Osaka is sometimes called the kitchen of Japan, and there is no better place for foodies.
The streets along either side of the Dotonbori Canal, between the Dōtonboribashi Bridge and the Nipponbashi Bridge are known simply as Dotonbori and this is the place to be if you want to eat in Osaka.
This is also where you can take a photo with Osaka’s infamous mascot, The Running Man.
People travel from all over Japan and the world to eat in this neighborhood (so of course I had to come!)
I recommend trying the okonomiyaki, a savory pancake filled with cabbage and onions and smothered in a spicy mayonnaise-like sauce.
Perhaps the most iconic food in Dotonbori is takoyaki. You’ve probably seen these before: little rich, egg-like dough balls filled with octopus, served piping hot.
My husband loved this one, but I definitely didn’t!
Osaka with children
As much as I would like to share personal stories of wild nights in Osaka nightclubs, I visited with two boys under the age of 10.
So my experience was a little different!
But I will say that Osaka is a great place for family travel. It may not seem like an obvious family destination like Tokyo, but we loved every minute of it.
We challenged each other to eat unusual foods in Dotonbori, wandered the Team Labs botanical gardens and rode the HEP FIVE Ferris wheel for fantastic views of the city. Each carriage has Bluetooth, so you can also play your own music while driving!
If you’re traveling with kids (or are a theme park or adrenaline junkie), Osaka is also home to Universal Studios Japan.
This was the first Universal Studios to open a Super Nintendo World, and it is also the largest.
This is a modern and interactive park where you can buy wristbands and use them to interact with the attractions in a way that makes you feel like you are in a Mario video game (I tried it and went backwards! I felt 15 again!)
You’ll also find Harry Potter World and the usual Universal offerings like Jurassic Park and Jaws.
Osaka is also a great place to position yourself if you want to take day trips to other popular tourist destinations such as Kyoto and Nara. The fastest train takes you to Kyoto from Osaka in about 20 minutes.
Culture In Osaka
Osaka has an undeserved reputation for being devoid of culture. We thought that was absolutely not the case!
Osaka Castle was once the largest castle in Japan, and it is not only beautiful but also huge! It really dominates the surrounding skyline and the gardens are a beautiful place to stroll.
We also visited Ohatsu Tenjin, which is located in the heart of the city, hidden behind a neon-lit restaurant district. This is the shrine to love. It’s also the only place in Japan where I saw pink Tori gates!
There are actually two shrines here. The first is dedicated to the tragic story of two star-crossed lovers who met a terrible end, and the other is a shrine for children.
Volunteers wait at the entrance to the shrine and will show you around and tell you the story of the star-crossed lovers (not those star-crossed lovers) in detail, and although it is not an attraction in the guidebooks, it was a real highlight for us.
Travel to Osaka
When I last visited Osaka, I traveled from Tokyo Station to Shin Osaka Station via the bullet train.
This is an incredibly easy journey that took just 2.5 hours door to door.
I choose to purchase a JR Pass: This is a train ticket that is valid for a certain period of time and that you can use on any JR train throughout Japan.
This turned out to be the most economical option for me, as I also visited nearby Nara and Kyoto as part of my trip.
The JR Pass costs 50,000 YEN ($316.00) for 7 days or 80,000 YEN ($506.00) for 14 days.
Alternatively one return ticket from Tokyo Station to Shin Osaka Station costs $290 (based on prices for a one-week stay in August 2024)
Osaka and Tokyo are incredibly well connected for a two-centre trip like this, with a train departing from Tokyo station every 10 minutes.
If you don’t want to visit Tokyo, you can fly directly to Osaka. If you’re traveling from the US, you can fly non-stop to Kansai International Airport from San Francisco and Los Angeles.
United Airlines operates the route to San Francisco, while Japan Airlines operates the route to Los Angeles.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, and not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included in the post.
