City guide · 大阪 Osaka

Osaka

City of merchants and 'Japan's kitchen': eating, shopping and laughing are louder here than anywhere

Foto: Luka Peternel · CC BY-SA 4.0

Osaka's charm is its bustle: the neon and street food of Dōtonbori, the keep of Osaka Castle, the cheers at Universal Studios. It is also the best base for Kyoto, Nara and Kobe.

History

Los orígenes de la ciudad

Osaka was anciently called Naniwa. In 645 Emperor Kōtoku built the Naniwa Palace here, and in 744 Emperor Shōmu briefly made it his capital. In 1496 the Jōdo Shinshū sect built Ishiyama Hongan-ji on the old palace site; in 1583 Toyotomi Hideyoshi built Osaka Castle there. In the Edo period Osaka became the nation's commercial centre, with a large merchant class and a flourishing culture, and was called 'the kitchen of the nation'.

645Emperor Kōtoku built the Naniwa Palace and Osaka became the capital
744Emperor Shōmu briefly made Naniwa his capital
1496Ishiyama Hongan-ji was founded
1583Toyotomi Hideyoshi began building Osaka Castle
1615The Summer Siege of Osaka destroyed the Toyotomi clan; the Dōtonbori canal was completed
Edo periodIt became the nation's commercial centre, known as 'the kitchen of the nation'

Stories

Historias de la ciudad

Historia · Dōtonbori

Who really dug the canal

The Dōtonbori canal was begun in 1612, with Nariyasu Dōton in charge of digging it. Work was interrupted as those in charge died one after another: Nariyasu Dōton fought on Toyotomi Hideyori's side and was killed in the Summer Siege of Osaka in 1615. Others took over, and the canal was completed in September 1615. The new lord of Osaka Castle, Matsudaira Tadaakira, still named the canal after Dōton. Later, folk tales gradually changed its digger into a fictional local merchant, 'Yasui Dōton'.

Historia · Osaka Castle

Hideyoshi's golden keep and the Siege of Osaka

In 1583 Toyotomi Hideyoshi began building a castle on the site of the Ishiyama Hongan-ji, intending to surpass Oda Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle in every way: a five-storey keep with gold-leaf-clad walls. It was completed in 1597, and Hideyoshi died the following year. In the winter of 1614 Tokugawa Ieyasu besieged the Toyotomi forces in the castle; after a truce, Osaka Castle's outer moat was filled in, and the following summer the Toyotomi family was destroyed in the Summer Siege of Osaka.

Historia · Osaka takoyaki

Endō Tomekichi's combination

In the early 20th century, Osaka had 'choboyaki' and 'rajioyaki' with beef and konnyaku inside, while Akashi in Hyōgo had 'Akashiyaki', octopus wrapped in an egg-rich batter. In 1935 the Osaka street vendor Endō Tomekichi combined the two and sold them as 'takoyaki'. Takoyaki soon spread across Osaka, with stalls constantly refining them; only after the Second World War did topping them with sauce and mayonnaise become standard.

People

Personajes vinculados a Osaka

Sengoku to Edo period · 1543–1616

Tokugawa Ieyasu

Founder of the Edo shogunate

1 lugares relacionados

Sengoku to Azuchi-Momoyama period · 1537–1598

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

The first commoner to become kampaku (imperial regent)

1 lugares relacionados

Must see

Lugares imprescindibles

ClásicoChūō, Osaka

Dōtonbori

Under the neon of the Glico Running Man: the ultimate food battlefield for 'eating yourself bankrupt in Osaka'

Parque temáticoKonohana, Osaka

Universal Studios Japan

Asia's first Universal Studios, an adrenaline park where 'movies meet games'. Super Nintendo World (a world first in 2021, expanded with 'Donkey…

ClásicoChūō, Osaka

Osaka Castle

Toyotomi Hideyoshi's 'castle of the realm': Sengoku drama beneath roofs with golden shachi

Festivals

Fiestas y celebraciones

Local life

Gastronomía y vida cotidiana

GastronomíaOsaka, Japan

Osaka takoyaki

Invented by an Osaka street vendor in 1935, it became synonymous with the 'city of flour foods'.

Before you go

Normas que debe conocer en Osaka

Todas las normas y tabúes →

TabúModales cotidianosJapan

Take off your shoes when you see a genkan (entrance step)

Take off your shoes at the entrance of homes, some restaurants, temples and hot-spring facilities
If unsure, look for a shoe rack or slippers at the entrance

Stepping onto tatami or indoor wooden floors in shoes

It is seen as very rude.

Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: JNTO: Japanese etiquette

TabúTransporte públicoJapan

No phone calls on trains and the shinkansen; queue to board

Put your phone on silent; on the shinkansen, take calls in the area between carriages
Queue at the marked spots on either side of the train door, and let people off before you get on
Give priority seats to older people, pregnant women and passengers with limited mobility

Talking on the phone or playing sound aloud in the train

Not illegal, but you will get looks and a reminder from the conductor.

Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: JNTO: Japanese etiquette

TabúAguas termalesJapan

If you have tattoos, check the rules before using a hot spring

Before you go, email the facility to ask about its rules
Small to medium tattoos can be covered with skin-coloured patches (some onsen sell them)
Choose a tattoo-friendly onsen, or book a private bath (kashikiri-buro) in advance

Ignoring 'no tattoos' signs and getting in anyway

Most onsen do not allow guests with tattoos to bathe, but rules vary by facility and are often more relaxed for foreign visitors.

Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: JNTO: tattoo rules and etiquette at onsen

TabúAguas termalesJapan

Wash your body thoroughly before getting into a hot spring

Before getting in, sit on the small stool in the washing area and wash your whole body with the shower or a bucket, leaving no soap
Leave your small towel at the edge of the bath or fold it on your head

Getting into the bath without rinsing first
Dipping your towel in the bath water
Leaving a used towel in the washing area

Not illegal, but other guests and the staff will see it as very rude. Most onsen require you to be fully naked in the bathing area.

Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: JNTO: a beginner's guide to onsen

Buenos modalesPropinasJapan

There is no tipping in Japan

Say thank you with 'arigatō gozaimashita'

Pressing loose change on staff

Japan is a no-tipping country and bills usually include service; if you press a tip on staff, some will politely refuse.

Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: JNTO: Japanese table manners

Buenos modalesRestaurantes y baresJapan

An izakaya's otoshi is a cover charge

Accept the otoshi as an appetiser

Arguing with staff about it or asking for it to be taken back

There is no penalty: before you order at an izakaya, a small dish of otoshi always arrives. It doubles as the cover charge and cannot be chosen or swapped.

Verificado el 19 oct 2026Fuente: JNTO: drinking in Japan

Fuentes