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Stop 03
Street food & gaming

Osaka

Sunday 25 – Tuesday 27 October
2 nights

If Kyoto is restrained, Osaka is the opposite — Japan's second city wears its heart on its sleeve. It is famously friendly, famously hungry, and famously loud. The catchphrase is kuidaore — 'eat until you drop' — and you'll see why the moment you stand under the giant Glico running man in Dotonbori.

Two nights is just enough for the two big things: a whole day at Universal Studios Japan (Super Nintendo World is here, with Donkey Kong Country added in 2024), and an evening of street food, neon and people-watching in Dotonbori. The Zentis is a 20-minute Yamanote-style ride from both.

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Where you’re staying

The hotel

Design Hotels™ member

Zentis Osaka

Dojimahama, Kita-ku
Booked
2× Suite King (connecting)
Breakfast
Included daily at UPSTAIRZ (2F)
Area
Near Osaka Station, 20 min to Dotonbori
#30600SG041169 · #30600SG041170

Tara Bernerd-designed interiors. USJ day one, Dotonbori evening day two.

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While you’re there

Things to do

Art & immersive

teamLab, Ghibli, museums, light and big ideas.

  • Universal Studios Japan — Super Nintendo World

    To book
    USJ — 15 min by train

    Mario Kart, Yoshi's Adventure, Donkey Kong Country, plus Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the Jurassic rides. Studio Pass + Express Pass 7 to buy for Monday 26 Oct — tickets release ~60 days in advance (around 27 August).

Shopping & kawaii

Character stores, vintage finds, stationery, gifts.

  • Pokémon Center Osaka, Daimaru

    Umeda — 10 min walk from hotel

    Inside Daimaru Umeda. Osaka-exclusive plushies (look for the takoyaki Pikachu).

  • Den Den Town

    Nipponbashi

    Osaka's Akihabara. Six blocks of anime, gaming, retro consoles, gachapon, doujinshi. Quieter and weirder than Tokyo's Akiba.

  • Shinsaibashi-suji shopping arcade

    Shinsaibashi

    600 metres of covered shopping running north from Dotonbori. Uniqlo, GU, Tokyu Hands, cheap and cheerful fashion, lots of cafés.

Cute, quirky & only-in-Japan

Animal cafés, photo booths, things that make no sense anywhere else.

  • Rilakkuma Store, Umeda

    Umeda

    The whole shop devoted to a single sleepy bear. Limited-edition Osaka Rilakkuma in takoyaki costume.

  • Owl Family Osaka

    Shinsaibashi

    An owl café in the heart of Shinsaibashi. Smaller and calmer than the Tokyo ones; you can hold the smaller breeds.

  • Glico Running Man + Dotonbori at night

    Don’t miss
    Dotonbori

    The single most-photographed sign in Osaka. Take the obligatory pose photo on Ebisubashi bridge, then eat your way down the canal.

Music & records

Tower Records, Disk Union, vinyl basements, jazz cafés.

  • Tower Records Umeda

    Umeda

    Not quite the size of the Shibuya flagship but easier to browse. Good for Kansai-only releases and 'Western Rock' section bargains.

Eat & drink

Takoyaki, matcha, ramen, parfaits, market breakfasts.

  • Takoyaki at Kukuru

    Dotonbori

    Octopus dumplings done properly — Kukuru in Dotonbori has the famous giant octopus sign and a queue that moves fast.

  • Okonomiyaki at Mizuno

    Dotonbori

    Osaka-style savoury pancake. Mizuno has been doing it since 1945; the yamaimo-yaki (no flour) is the must-order.

  • Ichiran Ramen, original branch

    Dotonbori

    The famous one-person booths — order via vending machine, focus on your bowl. Open 24 hours.

Sights & culture

Temples, gardens, viewpoints, neighbourhoods to wander.

  • Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

    Don’t miss
    Osaka Bay

    One of the largest aquariums in the world. The 9-metre tank holds two whale sharks; you spiral down through environments from the Arctic to the deep Pacific.

  • Umeda Sky Building floating garden

    Umeda

    Two towers connected by a doughnut-shaped sky deck 173m up. Walkable from the hotel. Best at twilight.

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