{"id":27667,"date":"2025-01-09T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/?p=27667"},"modified":"2025-03-12T05:36:48","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T20:36:48","slug":"living-in-osaka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/living-in-osaka\/","title":{"rendered":"Living in Osaka: Food, fun and history"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sometimes known as the “second city” of Japan, living in Osaka is very different from Tokyo. It’s often described as “gritty”, but Osaka is also a lot of fun and has arguably some of the best food in Japan. It\u2019s so unique it even has its own dialect<\/strong>, Osaka-ben and with just a 1 hour train ride you can be in Kyoto, Kobe, or Nara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve put together a guide for living in Osaka to help you make the most out of your time there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Osaka<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Exploring the city<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Day tripping<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned earlier, Osaka is in the centre of Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara and has excellent connections to all of them. While Osaka is, of course, full of delights, each of those city has its own unique identity to explore too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Universal Studios Japan<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For those of you looking for a fun break from study, Universal Studios is one of the best places to go. One of the best things to do there is the Universal Cool Japan area that runs for an extended period each year, which includes rides themed along the lines of your favourite Japanese anime. We particularly recommend the Attack on Titan XR ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osaka Aquarium<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This aquarium is filled with beautiful creatures from the sea. Some of the most spectacular creatures on display are the two whale sharks, although we personally love the cute spotted garden eels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Osaka Castle and Park
<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This castle played an important role in the unification of Japan in the sixteenth century. A large portion of it is reconstructed due to various fires, attacks, and bombings over the years, but it is still a spectacular building and you will enjoy the museum inside the castle if you’re into history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The castle is situated in a large park of more than 15 acres and it is a great place to go for a walk or a run while you’re living in Osaka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amerikamura<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Filled with cafes, second-hand shops, and fashion stores. This area is the Osaka equivalent of Harajuku but you might say it\u2019s even better. It’s well worth a day in the area alone and so unique it’s better to visit it than read about it to truly experience the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mount Koya<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mount Koya is a mountain with over 100 temples. If you want a weekend trip away you can even stay in some of the temples for a fee and you\u2019ll have a chance to join the morning prayers before eating a delicious vegan breakfast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Food and Drink<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dotonbori<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No list about Osaka would be complete without Dotonbori. It\u2019s the first place you should visit when you get to Osaka. The canal is full of restaurants and street food stalls<\/strong> selling Osaka treats, including takoyaki, crab, and Osaka-style okonomiyaki. It\u2019s also a big centre for nightlife in the city. You certainly won\u2019t get bored or hungry here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okonomiyaki Chitose<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve not had a chance to try all the Osaka delicacies on Dotonbori then this is the best alternative to try Osaka style okonomiyaki. It\u2019s one of the most popular places for the dish in Osaka though, so be sure to book ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Granknot coffee<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not that far from Amerikamura, it\u2019s a great place to stop for a break as you check out the local area. It offers a chilled atmosphere and a delicious selection of roasts from around the world. It\u2019s also a good spot to study if you want to get away from the library or your home for the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why you\u2019ll love living there!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Living in Osaka will give you a unique insight into Japan and the delights it has to offer. The laid back approach the locals have to live can really help you to ease into your own life as a student living in Osaka. While the local dialect might be a bit confusing at first, you\u2019ll soon get used to it as you\u2019ll have a lot more opportunities to socialise with locals and practice your Japanese in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The food is definitely another key reason to love living there. While the same could be said of most places in Japan, Osaka has so many unique dishes<\/strong> you can happily eat your way around the city trying something new each night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nightlife<\/strong> that goes along with this, whether in Dotonbori or in Namba or elsewhere, will keep you occupied in the evenings if you like going out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The creative vibe<\/strong> in the city is something that has attracted artists, writers, and other creatives over the years and persists to this day. The street art scene is worth investigating and you can easily tour the city looking for the hidden works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, its central location means that it\u2019s incredibly accessible from a lot of places<\/strong>. It has its own international airport and domestically, you can reach a versatile range of cities and countryside. You can really throw yourself into the different faces of Japan from Osaka, whether it\u2019s travelling out of the city to the mountains or finding your spiritual side in nearby Kyoto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this guide you\u2019ll now be able to keep yourself fed and entertained in your new life in Osaka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t forget to check out the other articles<\/a> on our blog and learn more about what life is like in Japan!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sometimes known as the “second city” of Japan, living in Osaka is very different from Tokyo. It’s often described as “gritty”, but Osaka is also a lot of fun and has arguably some of the best food in Japan. It\u2019s so unique it even has its own dialect, Osaka-ben and with just a 1 hour […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":27671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[401],"tags":[690,680,662],"class_list":["post-27667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-in-japan","tag-living-abroad","tag-study-in-japan","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}