Skip to content
List your business

Best Things to do in Osaka (2026)

Many of the best things to do in Osaka involve walking and eating rather than queuing for tickets. Dotonbori is the place to start, with its canal, giant shop signs and endless food counters, and it is at its liveliest after dark. Kuromon Ichiba Market, a covered street of around 150 shops, is best visited from late morning, when the stalls are cooking seafood, grilled meat and snacks to eat on the spot.

For a sense of older Osaka, head to Shinsekai, the retro entertainment district built after the 1903 exposition, where kushikatsu restaurants cluster beneath Tsutenkaku Tower. Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street, about 2.6 kilometres long, shows how local people shop and eat, and it connects with Osaka Tenmangu shrine at its southern end. For culture, the National Bunraku Theatre in Nipponbashi stages Japan's classical puppet theatre, with English explanations in its programmes. These experiences are free or inexpensive, so spread them across several days and combine them with nearby sights: Dotonbori and Kuromon with the Bunraku Theatre in Minami, and Shinsekai with Tennoji's temples and towers.

5 places · Updated November 12, 2026

Our top 3 things to do in Osaka

  1. Dotonbori Canal-side entertainment and food district, Namba (Chuo-ku)Osaka's canal-side entertainment strip, lined with giant 3D shop signs, theatres and restaurants, and the classic place to eat your way through the city at night.
  2. Kuromon Ichiba Market Covered food market, Nipponbashi (Chuo-ku)A covered food market of about 150 shops stretching 580 metres in Nipponbashi, known for seafood, fruit and food to eat as you stroll.
  3. Shinsekai Historic entertainment district, Shinsekai (Naniwa-ku)A retro entertainment district built after the 1903 exposition, centred on Tsutenkaku Tower and known for kushikatsu restaurants and old-style shopping streets.

Thing to do

1. Dotonbori

Canal-side entertainment and food districtNamba (Chuo-ku)

Osaka's canal-side entertainment strip, lined with giant 3D shop signs, theatres and restaurants, and the classic place to eat your way through the city at night.

View details — Dotonbori

Thing to do

3. Shinsekai

Historic entertainment districtShinsekai (Naniwa-ku)

A retro entertainment district built after the 1903 exposition, centred on Tsutenkaku Tower and known for kushikatsu restaurants and old-style shopping streets.

View details — Shinsekai