8 Shopping Spots In Osaka: To Understand The True Osaka Spirit!

1. The Shogi street - Shinsekai Shopping Street

The symbol of Shinsekai Shopping Street is the Tsutenkaku Tower, a 103 meter (113 yard) tall tower. There is an observatory on Tsutenkaku where you can enjoy a beautiful bird’s eye view of Osaka. Shinsekai Shopping Street is also known as the home of Shogi, Japanese chess. At the foot of Tsutenkaku tower is a monument built for the late Sakata Sankichi, a renowned Shogi player that was a star in the early 1900s. The monument was originally built in 1969 but this one shown in the photo was renewed in 2014.

Shinsekai Shopping Street

Address: 2-1, Ebisuhigashi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka City

Access: 5 minute’s walk from Sekai-suji Line Ebisuhigashi Station

2. Finger food and an arcade - Janjan Yokocho

After visiting the Tsutenkaku tower, it is highly recommended that you visit the Janjan Yokocho as well, which is just a few minutes from the tower. It is a 180 meter (197 yard) long arcade district. There are various eatery options along the street as well, with famous shops such as the former “Yaekatsu”, well-known for their delicious Kushi-Katsu – fried food served on a stick. There are many other great finger foods along the street and Janjan Yokocho is definitely worth a visit!

Janjan Yokocho Shopping Street

Address: 3-4-12, Ebisuhigashi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka City

Access: 3 minute’s walk from Dobutsuen-Mae Subway Station

3. The backbone of Osaka’s supermarkets - Tamade Grocery

1/2 Tamade Honndori Shotengai

2/2 The world's liquor New York, Namba brunch

Tamade Honndori Shotengai Shopping Street is best known for the discounted price grocery supermarket, Super Tamade. This supermarket assists everyone’s household budget in Osaka. If you manage to visit the supermarket at the right time, you could even experience the unbelievable 1-yen sale. That’s not even 0.01 USD! Visiting the local supermarket is certainly a great way to find out more about the place you are visiting. There are also other eatery and snack stores along the shopping street, so do check it out!

Tamade Honndori Shotengai Shopping Street

Address: 1-6-3, Tamadenishi, Nishinari Ward, Osaka City

Access: 4 minute’s walk from Subway Yotsubashi Line Tamade Station

4. Complete your Osaka souvenir shopping here!

Naniwa Meibutsu Ichibirian Dotonbori Branch is located in Dotonbori, another shopping street that you have to visit. Outside the store is the famous “Kuidaore Ningyo,” one of the symbols of Osaka. This shop allows you to not only gain insight into Osaka’s unique tradition and food culture, but also to purchase a whole bunch of souvenirs you cannot find elsewhere in Japan! The popular gifts here include the various Takoyaki (Octopus dumpling ball), flavored sweets such as Takoyaki jellies, caramels and even Yokan (a type of Japanese sweet).

Naniwa Meibutsu Ichibirian Dotonbori Branch

Address: 1-7-19, Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka City

Opening Hours: 10:00am -10:00pm

Access: 4 minute walk from Namba Station

5. The historical Karahori Shopping Street

Karahori Shopping Street was featured in one of Japan’s famous television shows, Buratamori. One of the reasons why this shopping street is so famous is because one can get to view the Taiko sewage - a historically important sewage that was built over 400 years ago, and is still being used! Other highlights of Karahori Shopping Street include the olden day style street as well as various delicious eateries that will allow you to enjoy Osaka’s local dishes.

Karahori Shopping Street

Address: Chuo Ward, Osaka City

Access: 4 minute walk from Matsuyamachi Station

6. The Yatais of Kyobashi Station Region

Kyobashi Station Region is most known for the Yatais that can be found there. A Yatai is a movable Japanese stall, and these stalls are popular as they serve delicious food very quickly. You also get to interact with other customers to the Yatai, and the whole atmosphere of the Kyobashi region is very friendly and lively. One of the famous Yatais here is “Toyo”, a seafood stall where you can enjoy fresh Maguro, sea urchin, salmon roe and many others!

Kyobashi Station Region

Address: 2-3, Katamachi, Miyakojima Ward, Osaka City

Access: Walkable distance from Kyobashi Station

7. Explore the different cultures of the world at National Museum of Ethnology

The National Museum of Ethnology is located just 10 minutes from Osaka Monorail Koen-Higashiguchi Station. Not so much a shopping destination, but at this museum, you can explore the different types of cultures, traditions and lifestyles of people from various countries. Over one million artifacts are placed on display at the National Museum of Ethnology and this is highly recommended for those who love to learn about various countries’ cultures!

National Museum of Ethnology

Address: 10-1 Senribanpakukoen, Suita Ward, Osaka City

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 5:00pm (closed on Wednesday)

Access: 10 minute walk from Osaka Monorail Koen-Higashiguchi Station

Website: National Museum of Ethnology

8. The toy shops at Matuyamatisuji Shopping Street

Today’s toys are generally electronic, and even those that are not have intricate designs and technologies that were almost unfathomable just 30 years ago. At Matuyamatisuji Shopping Street, you can purchase various toys that kids used to play during the Showa era - more than 30 years ago. Some of them include the Super Ball - a very bouncy rubber ball - that some of you may not have played with before. Many of these olden-day toys can be bought at extremely cheap prices, so do check out Matuyamatisuji Shopping Street when in Osaka!

Matuyamatisuji Shopping Street

Address: 2-4-13, Nonibashi, Chuo Ward, Osaka City

Access: 3 minute walk from Subway Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line Matsuyamachi Station

Website: Matuyamatisuji Shopping Street

The best of Osaka

Many of these shopping streets in Osaka will allow you to experience the greatest food, hospitality and atmosphere of Osaka. Make sure you check them out during your visit to Japan!