Osaka: Things To Do

This book happens to have the same title as my hiking group, but there is no connection. Art, architecture, food, things to do, souvenirs, all the iconic must see and must do things presented. Highly recommended for people preparing to explore Osaka.

So Spookywagons. Here is the reply to your questions:

Hiking spots you say? My students 'curate' and organize hike, in that we provide all the info you need to get there, know the path, and know what gear you'll need for hikes all over the region. The info we put together can be used anytime by anyone, so here are some links. They are all under an hour from Umeda.

I'm going to assume that you have seen this post. Right now, this is probably the best hike in the regions because it is getting hot. This hike is rather flat, runs along a river, and intermittently goes through long tunnels through the mountains that act as natural air conditioning. On a holiday, there can be more people there, but when we went a few weeks ago, we passed very few others.

I'm trying to wean our Hiking group off Reddit, but that's where our links are. Here is a hike that starts in the really touristy area, but quickly passes through that and looks at some authentic Japanese neighborhoods and up to a very cool temple. Again, not much uphill, so in the heat, doable.

Here is one that is longer and has more uphill. I would not do it this time of year, but some people are. It's a great hike. The farther out you go the fewer the people. The area is well maintained, but be prepared for detours occasionally. Poles don't hurt here, but are not necessary. Carry water.

There are more on our R***it page. I do not recommend doing the Cherry Blossom hike. In the first half, you'd probably get heat stroke going up the very long stairs, and if you made it through that, there isn't much to see outside of cherry blossom season.

The Minoo hike is gorgeous. (That's also a play on words, because you are hiking up a gorge.) It goes uphill, but there are lots of opportunities to rest. It's also shorter than the others. There can be a lot of people on holidays. Never been there this time of year.

Now there is also Alltrails.com. The problem with Alltrails is that although they have lots of great trails, there are a lot of recorded trails that are wrong, or outdated. Be sure to check on them. If they have my username on them however, you can be sure that the info is solid.

Further out there's one called 48 Falls. Guess what you see on that hike. I hear that I should do that one, but haven't gotten there yet.

If you try something that I didn't mention, please come back and tell us about it.

As for food, in the other links in this community I gave my advice for visitors. However, in the other Osaka community aimed at people who live here, we so have of recommendations for the kind of things that you start to crave after you've been here a while.

Hello, me and my partner are visiting Osaka for a week and were interested if there are any good recommendations for fun things to do. Any good restaurants off the beaten path, nice places to walk, interesting museums/shops would be greatly appreciated. We will visit Nara and Kyoto as well while we are here.

Thanks! :)

It is sometimes called pizza and sometimes called pancakes and sometimes called pizza pancakes, but it is not those things. It is batter, covering meat and cabbage, and sometimes noodles, and meat, fried and topped with "sauce", mayonnaise, and very, very thin slices of dried fish.

All these things together do not sound particularly appetizing to me, but they most certainly are as the whole transcends the sum of it's parts.

The name means Fried As You Like It. I recommend telling the person taking your order "Buta okonomiyaki, modan kudasai." That means Okonomiyaki with pork mean and fried on top of noodles. When my metabolism was higher, I also asked for, "mochi iri". Mochi is highly glutenous rice pounded into a single mass, which is then cut up and added to the okonimiyaki.

Okonomiyaki requires some serious chop stick skills, but the ears of the people in the shops are listening for the sound of breaking chopsticks and they will have a new set for you within seconds of breaking yours. This is oddly specific because it happened to me. They may offer you a fork and knife. That is actually how I eat it at home when my wife makes it, but in shops, I use chop sticks because I can.

I don't have a shop to recommend. Put okonomiyaki into google maps and try the one nearest you. I have not had bad okonomiyaki, except in Hiroshima, which is a nice city, but their version of okonimiyaki does not deserve the same name.

Osaka okomiyaki is similar to nothing and uniquely Japanese, and wonderful.

And a beautiful waterfall. Here is the suggested route for a hike up to Minoo falls. It's a great walk and Osaka locals also visit. Just go to Minoo Station and this route will get you started. The route will be obvious. There's food at the top. There's a bit of a grade, so the mostly sedentary may have to work to get to the top, but for most people it is not a problem. The path is well paved and safe.

The Insectarium on the way up is pretty cool too. Also, if you are bug nerd, keep your eyes open for this shop.

The shirt with all the bug kanji on it you've been looking for is there. It's under an hour from Umeda. Google will get you there.

The best two aquariums I've been to in Japan are the Kaiyukan in Osaka and one in Okinawa. Not sure which I'd say is best, but the Osaka aquarium is very cool.

You start by taking a long escalator ride to the top of the building. The general layout is a giant central aquarium with a walkway winding around it. Making its way around several times before reaching the bottom. The central aquarium represents the Pacific Ocean and increasing depths reveal different kinds of fish. Probably the main attractions are the Whale Sharks and Stingrays. As you make your way around, looking outward from the central tank you'll find many other fish and animals presented.

It is a well spent afternoon. Next door is the Tempozan Marketplace, mall with all varieties of food...and Legos.

I might be visiting Osaka in about a week’s time. How many days would you recommend for the visit? Any must-sees that are lesser known? Not looking for anything nightlife related since I’ll be visiting with family.

I may be biased, but this is the best day trip from Osaka. It is a great summer hike because the tunnels are like natural air conditioners. It starts out with a short walk through town.

The surroundings are lush and green.

Some wildlife.

But here is what really makes this hike different. The tunnels! We counted six. In one, you can't see light from the entrance or exit.

We found a GeoCache! I won't tell you which tunnel it was in.

Some tunnels, some green, some tunnels, some green.

And some bridges. The whole trail is quite safe. In the old days the bridges were a bit dodgy.

Near the end you'll come to a spot with places to sit and eat lunch or go down by the river. If you wait until the end of the hike to eat, there is a nice restaurant with wild deer or wild boar.

Keep walking and you'll find the station that will take you back to Osaka.

Welcome! Got questions about what to do in Osaka? Ask. I've been here 23 years and I'll answer the best I can until we get more people here. Warning, I have a strong bias toward hiking and my knowledge of night life is around 20 years old. So, if you know something about Osaka, please stick around and share. You may get some good ideas too.