Osaka · Namba and Dotonbori

Dotonbori

Dotonbori is the canal and the entertainment street along it, in the heart of Minami, the southern part of central Osaka. According to the Osaka tourism bureau, digging of the canal began in 1612, funded by a merchant named Yasui Doton. The street grew into a district of kabuki theaters, and from there into the food and shopping street of today.

What identifies the place are the 3D signs above the restaurants: the moving crab of Kani Doraku, and the Glico sign by Ebisubashi Bridge, a runner with raised arms crossing the finish line. The first Glico sign went up here in 1935, and the current one, the sixth, is a 20-meter-high LED screen from 2014.

The Tombori River Walk runs along the water, about 600 meters in two sections, and the cruise boats leave from its north bank. The Shochikuza theater, which opened in 1923, ended its performances in May 2026 because of the building's wear, and Osaka's kabuki moved to other halls.

Good to know

You see the Glico sign from Ebisubashi Bridge and from the riverside walk below it.
The giant fugu of the Zuboraya restaurant has come down, and the restaurant closed on 15 September 2020. Old guides still send you to photograph it.
About 20 events a year are held on the riverside walk, among them the boat procession of the Namba Yasaka Shrine summer festival, on the evening of 13 July.

What is nearby

Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Dotonbori.

Here
Dotonbori
1 min
Ebisu Tower Ferris Wheel (Don Quijote Dotonbori) More to see
The yellow, elliptical wheel on the Don Quijote building, 77.4 meters high. A ride takes 15 minutes, ¥1,000 per person (¥100 off with the Osaka Amazing Pass). On Tuesday it opens only at 13:00.
¥1,000 · ≈ $6Weekdays 11:00-22:00, last ride 21:30. Weekends until 22:30, last ride 22:00Maps Source
~2 min
Pivot BASE Cafe & Bar Food
A fully vegan cafe and bar in Dotonbori: vegan versions of takoyaki, okonomiyaki and kushikatsu, and ramen too.
¥2,000 · ≈ $13Maps
~3 min
Hozenji Yokocho and Mizukake Fudo Street
Two stone-paved alleys, each about 80 meters long and 3 wide, with small restaurants, bars and okonomiyaki. At the end stands the Fudo statue of Hozen-ji temple, covered entirely in moss from the water worshippers pour over it. Free.
Maps Source
~3 min
Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum More to see
A small museum facing the Fudo statue of Hozen-ji, with woodblock prints published in Osaka in the Edo period, most of them portraits of the kabuki actors who performed in Dotonbori. ¥700, included in the Osaka Amazing Pass. No elevator, only stairs.
¥700 · ≈ $411:00-18:00, last entry 17:30. Closed on Monday (when Monday is a holiday: on Tuesday)Maps Source
~3 min
Hozenji Meoto Zenzai Cafe
A sweets shop from 1883 near the Fudo statue of Hozen-ji. The dish is a sweet red bean soup, served in two small bowls for one portion. In summer there is also shaved ice.
10:00-22:00, every dayMaps Source
~3 min
CHIBO Diversity Dotonbori Food
The 7th floor of the building of the okonomiyaki chain Chibo, which according to the chain is adapted for vegetarians and Muslims. Not kosher. You can book a table ahead on the website.
12:00-15:00 and 17:00-22:00 (on Thursday until midnight), last order an hour beforeMaps Source
~4 min
Okonomiyaki Mizuno Food
A family okonomiyaki restaurant at the entrance to the arcade from Dotonbori, which according to its website has been running for more than 70 years. Its dish is yamaimo-yaki, okonomiyaki with a base of grated mountain yam.
11:00-22:00, last order 21:00, every dayMaps Source

More in Namba and Dotonbori

Appears in: Osaka in one day: the castle, Kuromon Market, Shinsekai and Dotonbori at night

Full page for Dotonbori