9 Cool Things to do in Osaka, Japan

Things to do in Osaka, Japan

Dontonbori

Japan is an incredibly beautiful country with the kindest people I have ever met. This was my first time in Asia and thanks to my experience in Japan, I plan to return several more times! With this being said, Japan can be one of the more expensive countries in Asia so it is important to research activities that you want to do beforehand, so as to create a budget for your perfect trip. Osaka is located in the southern part of Japan, with in an hour of Kyoto, and has so many activities for travelers of any budget. Here are a few ideas if you are thinking of visiting Osaka!

1. Visit the Asahi Beer Brewery

The Asahi welcome sign.

Just north of Osaka city is the Asahi Beer Brewery. I found this from a simple google search on "free things to do in Osaka" and I think I definitely got a great deal. The tour is about an hour long and it is 100 percent free! Included in the tour you receive three free beers at the end. Not just a taste of three beers...three FREE beers and only 20 minutes to drink them all!

One of my three beers. I tasted their light, premium and dark beer.

To schedule the tour you can either call ahead or do as I did and show up in person that day. I was asked to wait until the next tour started at 1 p.m. so I had a seat in the waiting area and walked around the gift shop for 40 minutes.

Part of the tour where they hold the beer.

In front of a wall of Japanese beer cans at the end of the tour.

2. Visit the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

Outside the Aquarium

The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is located below Osaka city in the ward of Minato. For around 2,000 yen (20.00 USD) you can come and go as many times as you want in the day as long as you receive a stamp upon your first exit.

Hanging out with the whale sharks!

The aquarium is pretty neat and is home to two beautiful whale sharks. I spent a few hours in there looking at penguins, dolphins, and sting rays while hiding from the cold gloomy day outside.

I feel like Moana

The jellyfish exhibit was one of my favorite parts.

3. Visit Universal Studios Japan

The entrance to the park.

Universal Studios Japan is an awesome day activity if you're a theme park junkie like myself. The price to get in is around 6,000 yen or (55 USD) which is significantly less than the Universal Park in Orlando, Florida. The park includes some of your favorite characters such as Hello Kitty, the Minions and Jaws.

Their Hogwarts Castle.

Some guests posing with the minions.

We went during Halloween this year so we were able to get into the Halloween Horror Night event that evening, included in our ticket price. Check out my article Universal Studios Japan Vs. Universal Orlando Resort to see how the park compares to the resort in Orlando and what to expect inside the park!

My Halloween costume!

At the food market set up for Halloween.

4. Visit Osaka Castle

Outside the museum.

Osaka Castle is a beautiful museum dedicated to the history of Osaka. Located in a giant park in the middle of the city, you can easily spend half the day wandering around in there. I even brought a lunch and snacked on a park bench.

The view from the top.

It cost around 600 yen (6 USD) to enter and there is an elevator that will take you to the top, where you can walk down to all the levels below.

The walk up to the castle.

5. Visit the Osaka Umeda train station area

The view from the train station.

Visiting a train station sounds weird if you are an American but in Japan, train stations are major hang out spots for people! Osaka Umeda train station is absolutely giant and has multiple malls in it  with stores ranging from the Japanese UNIQLO to Forever21 and the Disney store.

The Disney Store.

You could spend hours wandering around and outside the station or just waste some time in between trains. Even grab a bite to eat at McDonalds, Starbucks or some place more traditionally Japanese.

6. Take a free walking tour

On the tour.

Japan is not as well known for its walking tours like Europe, but there are a few tours online you can book! The Osaka Free Walking Tour FB Page is where I signed up for my tour. I simply picked a date and time that worked best for me based on available tours and "liked" the event to sign up. For more information on the tour, click here.

Shinsekai

Our tour was lead by Masa, a Japanese man who lived in America for a few years and when he came back to Japan, decided to share his knowledge with future English speaking visitors. He did an amazing job and was very insightful to the city. The tour took us to places including Dontibori, the local market, DenDen town and Shinsekai

7. Visit Dontonbori

The running man sign.

Dontonbori is the Times Square of Osaka. The billboards and lights are memorizing and it is worth a trip to visit both during the day and at night. 

The giant wheel.

The river through the city.

The same river at night.

In front of Forever 21, there is a spot you can stand on that will get 

you on the billboard across the street!

During the day there is shopping and food to try, while at night there are clubs and bars for everyone to enjoy. 

Enjoying a night out with Michelle.

8. Try the food

Sushi 

This one is probably a given but I thought I would mention it since I had misconceptions of what Japanese food would actually be like. Once arriving to Osaka, I found that Japan has a multitude of foods that range from sushi, to ramen and yummy bakery food. Osaka isn't called the "kitchen of Japan" for nothing!

One of the many bakeries I visited

One of my favorite things to do in the morning was to stop by a local bakery and buy breakfast. The prices were cheap and the food was amazingly delicious.

Breakfast from the local bakery.

The bakeries in Japan allow you to grab a tray and your own pair of tongs, walk through the aisles while picking out your food and then take it to the check out counter.

My tongs and tray.

The izakaya restaurant I visited with my friend Michelle. You order lots of small plates for the table and drink lots of beer while sharing a meal.

Takoyaki or fried octopus balls.

Sakura mochi, a traditional Japanese dessert.

Souffle Pancake!

There is so much to eat and see in Osaka it is impossible to do it all! Make sure to add this beautiful city to your list when visiting Japan. Follow my Instagram account: @KaseyMeetsWorld for more pictures of my travels!