Unlock: Osaka
Osaka is fast becoming one of Japan’s most exciting destinations. The country’s second largest city is packed with history, culture, arts, and nature, plus sensational food and plentiful shopping, with new venues popping up all the time. Here we’ve curated a mix of unmissable staples and exciting new openings
Shochikuza Theater | Takashi Yasuki / © Osaka Convention & Tourism
1. Enjoy a uniquely Japanese theater experience
Shochikuza Theater
Established in 1923, Shochikuza Theater is Osaka’s main kabuki venue. Kabuki means “unusual” or “shocking,” and its mix of dance, drama, and colorful costumes has been exciting audiences since the seventeenth century. This grand Western-style building can hold about 1,000 people, and there are English-language headsets available, so tourists can easily enjoy the riotous events on stage.
shochiku.co.jp/play/theater/shochikuza 1-9-19 Dotonbori, Chuo, +81 662 14 2211, Hours and admission prices vary
2. Take in an ancient temple
Flickr
One of Japan’s oldest Buddhist temples, Shitennoji has been reconstructed several times but it remains faithful to its original 6th-century design. You can enter the outer temple grounds for free, but it’s worth forking out to venture inside to see the impressive five-story pagoda, the Gokuraku-jodo Zen garden and the Treasure Hall, which showcases hundreds of Important Cultural Properties and artifacts.
shitennoji.or.jp 1-11-18 Shitennoji, Tennoji, +81 667 71 0066, Apr-Sep 8.30am-4.30pm, Oct-Mar 8.30am-4pm daily. Entry ¥300 to ¥500 (the grounds are free)
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3. Refuel in a street of eats
Hozenji Yokocho
Just a short walk from the famous Dotonbori district, this atmospheric collection of yokocho (urban alleys) is filled with old-school izakaya, bars, and restaurants. There are about 60 restaurants and shops here, including eateries specializing in Osaka-style okonomiyaki (savory pancakes). Don’t miss the beautiful Hozenji Temple located in the midst of it all.
Around 1-1-6 Nanba, Chuo, Opening hours vary by store
4. Check out the city’s newest tower
TIMC Osaka
One of the most ambitious new openings of the summer, Kitte Osaka is a shopping and restaurant complex. It will feature over 100 businesses housed across seven floors of the glistening JP Tower Osaka skyscraper adjacent to JR Osaka Station.
Kitte Osaka aims to allow visitors to experience hidden gems from across the country via its “Unknown Japan” concept. Shoppers can browse a diverse selection of “antenna shops” selling local goodies from municipalities and regions across Japan. Those interested in food culture should head to the bustling Umeyoko zone, a modern interpretation of the country’s beloved yokocho, which will be lined with tiny eateries, pubs, and shops offering regional delicacies.
The tower also hopes to be a force for good. The complex is home to a new healthcare center, TIMC Osaka, which aims to bring preventative medicine to a wider audience. The facility is run by the Tokushukai medical group, established in 1973 and now the largest organization of its kind in Japan. TIMC will offer one-day checkups including upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, and cardiovascular screenings in one of its private rooms with advanced tests such as CT scans and whole-body MRIs. Dental checkups will also be available to offer peace of mind to Osakans and visitors alike.
osaka.jp-kitte.jp 3-2-2 Umeda, Kita, +81 677 39 4800, 7am-11pm daily
Time Out Market Lisbon
5. Taste the city on a plate
Time Out Market Osaka
The international chain of food and cultural markets is set to open its very first location in Japan in 2025. Situated in the heart of Osaka, Time Out Market will showcase a curated mix of the city’s and region’s best chefs, renowned restaurateurs, drinks and cultural experiences. Spanning 31,000 sq ft, it will be powered by 17 kitchens, two bars, and an event space. As with other Time Out Markets from New York to Lisbon and Dubai to Cape Town, the Osaka opening will be a cultural and culinary hub that showcases local talents and enables people to connect with the city.
Time Out Market Osaka will be a part of the new Grand Green Osaka, a former cargo yard which has been transformed by real estate developer Hankyu Hanshin Properties Corporation into a multipurpose development designed to incorporate art, culture, and leisure into everyday city life.
timeoutmarket osaka 2-2 Ofukacho, Kita
6. Take in the best views in town
Kuchu Teien Observatory
It’s impossible not to notice the towering Umeda Sky Building when walking around Osaka. This landmark, which looks like a spaceship, is arguably the city’s most unique work of architecture.
The building is home to one of Osaka’s top attractions, the Kuchu Teien Observatory, which offers breathtaking views of the city skyline from the 40th floor and has an open-air rooftop. The trippy, vertiginous elevator tunnel leading to the observatory is an experience in itself.
skybldg.co.jp/observatory 1-1-88 Oyodonaka, Kita, +81 66 440 3855, 9.30am-10.30pm daily
Universal Studios Japan
7. Experience a video game brought to life
Universal Studios Japan, Donkey Kong Country
Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is about to level up with yet another expansion. Modeled on one of Japan’s proudest video game franchises, the theme park’s super-popular Super Nintendo World is set to get even bigger in late 2024 with the opening of Donkey Kong Country, which will increase the size of Super Nintendo World by 70 percent. As you might expect for a place centered on a banana-loving character, Donkey Kong Country will be jungle-themed, with an abundance of tropical plants and trees around the attractions.
The area is being conceptualized as a real-life video game, meaning that park visitors will have opportunities to interact with their surroundings and accumulate coins and digital stamps using the Power-Up Band, an accessory familiar to those who’ve been to Super Nintendo World.
The new area will also feature at least one wild ride. USJ has already announced “Mine-Cart Madness,” a high-speed attraction that offers a fresh twist on the traditional roller coaster. The ride will creatively simulate the experience of a mine cart bouncing across broken tracks, as seen in the Donkey Kong games.
usj.co.jp 2-1-33 Sakurajima, Konohana, +81 66 465 4005, Opening hours vary. General admission tickets from ¥8,600 (adults), from ¥5,600 (children)
8. Marvel at a museum that is a work of art
National Museum Of Art, Osaka
Architecturally one of the most interesting museums in Japan, the National Museum of Art, Osaka was designed by famed architect César Pelli. The avant-garde metal structure looks like an art installation itself, with a sail-like formation inspired by the movements of bamboo. The museum space proper sits largely underground and houses one of the country’s largest collections of Japanese and international contemporary art, with most of the pieces dating from the 1950s onwards. These works–which cover a range of influential artists including Christian Boltanski, Chiharu Shiota, O Jun and Michio Fukuoka–are showcased on a rotating basis.
nmao.go.jp 4-2-55 Nakanoshima, Kita, +81 664 47 4680, Tue-Thu, Sun 10am-5pm (last entry 4.30pm), Fri-Sat 10am-8pm (7.30pm), closed on Mon (Tue if Mon is hol), year-end and New Year holidays, during exhibition changeover. Prices vary by exhibition
Mirko Kuzmanovic/Dreamstime
9. Bask in a neon wonderland
Dotonbori
You can’t say you’ve seen Osaka until you’ve been to Dotonbori. The entertainment and nightlife district is perhaps Osaka’s most famous draw, known for its bright neon signs and array of street food. Here you’ll find the city’s iconic landmarks such as the Glico running man sign and the massive outlet of Don Quijote, the store that seemingly sells it all, complete with its own ferris wheel.
1 Dotonbori, Chuo, +81 662 11 4542, Open 24 hours, +81 667 71 0066