Osaka

Swissôtel Nankai Osaka

Connected directly to Namba Station, which means direct access to the train to Kansai Airport. An open view over the city.

Maps

The Ritz-Carlton Osaka

Inspired by an 18th-century English manor, in Umeda. High-level service and a classic atmosphere, not a modern one.

Maps

Conrad Osaka (Nakanoshima)

A modern skyscraper above the bend of the river. The lobby is on floor 40, and the view from there is part of the point.

Maps

Osaka · Tasting menu

HAJIME

A contemporary tasting-menu restaurant in Osaka, with a long meal and a menu that changes. Book ahead and keep the whole evening free.

MapsSource

Hajime

Three Michelin stars in Osaka, molecular gastronomy around an idea of earth and universe. A famous opening dish named 'Chikyu'. One menu, by advance reservation.

Maps

Osaka · Tasting menu

Fujiya 1935

A tasting-menu restaurant in Osaka based on seasonal produce and modern technique. It suits a dinner planned in advance.

MapsSource

Kuromon Ichiba Market

In Osaka, stalls with grilled king crab, otoro and sea urchin. More expensive than a neighborhood market because it is aimed at tourists, but the quality is good.

Maps

Dotonbori Neon Canals

Osaka's illuminated strip, the place for takoyaki and okonomiyaki. Very crowded in the evening. Entry to the area is free, and the amount here is an estimate of spending on food.

Maps

Shinsekai Kushikatsu Alleys

An entertainment district from 1912 in Osaka, full of stalls of fried skewers. The sacred rule: you dip in the sauce only once. Entry is free, and the amount is a spending estimate.

Maps

Osaka · Vegan, not kosher

Paprika Shokudo Vegan

A vegan restaurant in Shinmachi, a short walk from Shinsaibashi, with Japanese and international dishes. 11:30 to 15:00 and 17:30 to 21:30, closed on Wednesdays, and temporary closures are announced on Instagram. Two minutes from exit 2 of Yotsubashi Station. It suits vegan travelers, but it is not a substitute for a kosher restaurant.

MapsSource

Osaka · Vegan, not kosher

Green Earth

A long-standing vegan restaurant in Osaka, operating since 1991 and fully vegan since 2019: a daily lunch plate, pasta, pizza, sandwiches and burgers. Near Hommachi Station, closed on Sundays and public holidays.

¥1,500 · ≈ $10MapsSource

Osaka · Vegan, not kosher

Paprika Shokudo Vegan Shinsekai

Paprika's Shinsekai branch, fully vegan and gluten-free, right behind the main branch of Kushikatsu Daruma, at the foot of Tsutenkaku: vegan takoyaki, kushikatsu and ramen. 12:00 to 15:00 and 17:30 to 21:30, closed on Wednesdays and on other days announced on Instagram, so check before you go. You order from your phone.

¥2,200 · ≈ $14MapsSource

Break · Osaka

Amerikamura: coffee and vintage before the neon

Osaka's youth district, the equivalent of Harajuku: American vintage shops, sneakers and coffee.

¥700 · ≈ $4MapsFull itinerary

Universal Studios Japan (USJ)

Super Mario world with the Mario Kart race and the Yoshi ride, and next to it the Harry Potter, Minions and Jurassic Park areas. An Express Pass is worth buying, because without it the wait for a major attraction reaches two hours.

Maps

Nipponbashi Den-Den Town

The Akihabara of Osaka: retro games, figures and maid cafes. Smaller than Akihabara and less crowded with tourists.

Maps

USJ - One Piece Premier Show

The One Piece evening show in 2026 runs from 30 July to 19 November: one show each evening at 18:45, about eighty minutes, with fire, water, and Luffy and the Straw Hat crew. You need a separate ticket for the show, in addition to the park ticket, and there are days with no show.

Maps

Shopping · Osaka, Umeda

Shinsaibashi-suji: 580 meters of arcade and brands

Walk along the covered arcade, about 580 meters from Shinsaibashi Station to Dotonbori: Uniqlo, Daiso, sweet shops and drugstores.

FreeMapsFull itinerary

Shopping · Osaka, Umeda

Grand Front and the Hankyu food floor: Osaka's depachika

Go down to the food basement of the Hankyu department store, open until 20:00: cakes, bento, sushi, and sweet brands found only in Kansai.

¥1,500 · ≈ $10MapsFull itinerary

Osaka · Knives

Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide

A Sakai knife shop on the kitchenware street Doguyasuji in Namba, which also sells sharpening stones and cutting boards. A santoku knife starts at about ¥14,400. A name is engraved free on a knife bought in the shop, in Latin letters too, and a knife cannot be returned or exchanged after engraving. The shop is open on weekdays 9:30 to 18:30 and on weekends and holidays 10:30 to 18:30, and knives go only in checked luggage.

¥14,400 · ≈ $91MapsSource

✓ Price checked September 2026

Osaka · Food

Konbu Doi

A kombu seaweed shop on the Karahori shopping street that has been in business for more than a hundred years, and sells natural kombu of the makonbu type from Hokkaido, from which dashi stock is cooked. A bag of 30 grams of cut natural kombu costs ¥600, and there is also seasoned kombu for snacking and dashi concentrate in a bottle. The shop is open 9:30 to 18:00 and closed on Sundays and holidays.

¥600 · ≈ $4MapsSource

✓ Price checked September 2026

Osaka · Japanese sweets

Tsuruya Hachiman Osaka Main Store

A maker of Japanese sweets that opened a shop in Osaka in 1863, and its main store is in the Imabashi district. The sweet identified with the house is Hyakuraku, a monaka: two crisp wafers filled with bean paste, and five pieces cost ¥1,242. From 1 September 2026 the house raised prices on some of its products. The store is open on weekdays 8:30 to 19:00 and on weekends and holidays until 17:00, and its tearoom is closed on weekends and holidays.

¥1,242 · ≈ $8MapsSource

✓ Price checked September 2026

Osaka · Castle

Osaka Castle

The main keep, which is a modern museum with an elevator. ¥1,200 per adult, after a rise from ¥600 in April 2025. The park around it is free and always open, and the castle is impressive from the outside too.

¥1,200 · ≈ $8MapsSourceTickets on Klook

✓ Price checked November 2026

About this place and what is nearby

Umeda · Viewpoint

Umeda Sky Building

Two towers joined by a floating garden on floor 39, with an open-air deck. ¥2,000. It is most worth it 40 minutes before sunset. The escalators that hang between the buildings are half of the experience.

¥2,000 · ≈ $13MapsSourceTickets on Klook

✓ Price checked November 2026

About this place and what is nearby

Osaka Bay · With kids

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

A large aquarium with a central tank of whale sharks. The adult price changes by date, from ¥2,700 to ¥3,500, and the website has a price calendar. Buy an e-ticket with a time slot in advance. The route spirals down from the top floor and takes two hours. After 16:00 it is quieter.

¥2,700 · ≈ $17MapsSourceTickets on Klook

✓ Price checked October 2026

Osaka · Food

Chicken Ramen Factory, CUPNOODLES MUSEUM OSAKA IKEDA

You make dough, roll it out, steam it and dry the instant noodles in oil the way Chicken Ramen was created, design the package and take it home. The workshop lasts 70 minutes and costs ¥1,200 from junior high school age and ¥600 for elementary school pupils, and entry to the museum is free. Booking opens 3 months ahead, you work in pairs so you cannot sign up alone, and children not yet in school do not take part. The museum is closed on Tuesdays, a 5-minute walk from Ikeda Station on the Hankyu line, and the noodles contain chicken and are not kosher.

¥1,200 · ≈ $8MapsSourceBook on Klook

✓ Price checked October 2026

Osaka · Craft

Wada Shoten (Sakai knife sharpening experience)

In Sakai, about 15 minutes on the Nankai train from Namba, you hear an explanation at the knife museum of Sakai Denshokan, learn to sharpen on a stone from veteran craftsmen and fit a handle to a Japanese knife that leaves with you. With instruction in English the price is ¥32,000 per person, including an interpreter and the knife (santoku, petty, deba or sashimi), and it lasts an hour and a half to two hours. From age 11, under age 18 only with a parent, and the shop is closed on Sundays and on the third Tuesday of the month. Engraving a name on the blade is free, and a knife can be packed only in checked luggage.

¥32,000 · ≈ $203MapsSourceBook on Klook

✓ Price checked September 2026

Osaka · Craft

Dotonbori Kukuru Konamon Museum

On the third floor of the Konamon Museum in Dotonbori you make a wax model of takoyaki like the ones in restaurant windows, and take it home with a headband. The basic course costs ¥3,520 and lasts about 45 minutes, and in the ¥4,400 course you also get six real takoyaki. There is also a real takoyaki course with the professionals for ¥7,480, and the food includes octopus and is not kosher. Booking is through the Jalan website in Japanese, and the website does not mention instruction in English.

¥3,520 · ≈ $22MapsSourceBook on Klook

✓ Price checked September 2026