Shinsekai

Shinsekai, meaning New World, is a small grid of streets around Tsutenkaku Tower that keeps much of the brash, cheerful character of early twentieth-century Osaka. Its story begins with the 5th National Industrial Exposition, held at Tennoji in 1903. After the fair, the site was redeveloped as an entertainment quarter, with the first Tsutenkaku Tower at its centre and the Luna Park amusement park to the south. Luna Park and the old cinema have long gone, but the area kept its role as a place for cheap food, drink and fun.

Today the main reason to come is the atmosphere. Huge three-dimensional signs, including giant pufferfish lanterns advertising blowfish restaurants, hang above the streets, and statues of Billiken, the district's lucky mascot, appear outside shops for photographs. The local speciality is kushikatsu, skewers of meat, seafood and vegetables dipped in batter and breadcrumbs and deep-fried, served with a shared pot of sauce. The rule here is simple: never dip a skewer twice in the communal sauce.

Janjan Yokocho, a narrow covered lane of about 50 shops running 130 metres north to south, is the most characterful street lined with kushikatsu restaurants and small, inexpensive places to eat and drink. The tower itself is the obvious landmark to climb. It has observation decks, a statue of Billiken that visitors rub for luck and, since 2022, a tube slide that spirals down from the third floor. Tickets are sold with a reserved entry time, so buy them before you settle in for a long lunch.

Shinsekai is free to wander and liveliest from lunchtime into the evening, when the signs and the tower are lit. The main streets are busy with visitors and families throughout the day. Allow an hour or two, including a meal, and expect food and drink prices to be modest compared with the city centre.

The district is directly beside Ebisucho Station on the Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line, and three minutes from Dobutsuen-mae Station on the Midosuji and Sakaisuji lines. Tennoji Park lies next door, and Abeno Harukas rises beyond it, which makes a striking contrast between old and new Osaka in one afternoon.