Top 10 Free Things to do in Osaka, Kinki

August 11, 2021 Marlin Saiz

Home to nearly nine million and powering an economy that exceeds both Hong Kong's and Thailand's, Osaka packs quite a punch. The confident, stylish city is a shopping hub, with fabulous restaurants and nightlife. It's an ideal base for exploring the Kansai region; Kyoto's World Heritage Sites, Nara's temple and Koya-san's eerie graves are within 90 minutes by train. Top city attractions include the aquarium, Osaka Castle, Universal Studios Japan and the futuristic Floating Garden Observatory.
Restaurants in Osaka

1. Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine

2-9-89 Sumiyoshi, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-0045 Osaka Prefecture +81 6-6672-0753 http://www.sumiyoshitaisha.net/
Excellent
41%
Good
46%
Satisfactory
12%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 856 reviews

Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine

Built prior to the influx of Buddhist architecture, this shrine - one of the oldest in Japan - exemplifies a purely Japanese style design.

Reviewed By leungalex

Ths is place brings calm and peace, the bridge is beautiful. The steps on the bridge are deceptively steep but when you walk on them they are just like ordinary stairs, amazing architectural design. Take the subway to Tennoji station then Hankai line tram to Sumiyoshitorii-Mae, you get to enjoy the charming tram too, an unexpected experience in modren Osaka,

2. Dotombori District

Chuo-ku, Dotombori, Chuo, Osaka 542-0076 Osaka Prefecture +81 6-6211-4542 http://www.dotonbori.or.jp/ja/
Excellent
44%
Good
40%
Satisfactory
14%
Poor
2%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 12,478 reviews

Dotombori District

The heart of Osaka nightlife, this area is filled with theaters, restaurants, cafes, bars, arcades and nightclubs.

Reviewed By AR_Ismail90 - Bahrain, null

Dotonbori is the district to enjoy the real osakan delicacy , Shop and blend with locals to learn more about the culture .. the area filled with amazing restaurants, cafe’s & street food vendors ( vegetarian friendly, halal certified restaurants & Muslim friendly ones) so everyone can enjoy the local food without worries. Shopping in Dotonbori will drive you crazy .. you can enjoy shopping from well known international brands to 100 yen stores. It’s such fun and interesting place to visit .. I highly recommend it.

3. Mint Museum

1-1-79 Temma, Kita-Ku, Osaka 530-0043 Osaka Prefecture +81 6-6351-5361 http://www.mint.go.jp/enjoy/plant-osaka/plant_visit_museum_h.html
Excellent
45%
Good
43%
Satisfactory
11%
Poor
2%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 541 reviews

Mint Museum

Tour the facility that produces Japanese coins and medals of honor and visit the historic coinage museum year-round. If you visit during the spring, you might catch the cherry blossoms on the Mint's 400 cherry trees.

4. Kemasakuranomiya Park

1 Nagarahigashi Kita-ku, Osaka 531-0063 Osaka Prefecture +81 6-6312-8121 http://www.osakapark.osgf.or.jp/kema_sakuranomiya/
Excellent
42%
Good
51%
Satisfactory
7%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 261 reviews

Kemasakuranomiya Park

Reviewed By PaulSiow - Petaling Jaya, Malaysia

We took the metro to Sakuranomiya station and on exiting the station, we were already feasting our eyes on the beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom. We took a walk on both sides of the river and viewed lots of cherry blossom trees. Unlike other places, this place was not so crowded, maybe because we went early in the morning. Among all the places we visited to view cherry blossoms in Osaka and Tokyo, this is probably the best, and it is totally free and so near the station.

5. Minami (Namba)

Namba, Chuo, Osaka 542-0076 Osaka Prefecture
Excellent
41%
Good
42%
Satisfactory
15%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 2,031 reviews

Minami (Namba)

Reviewed By diesel5656 - Samut Prakan, Thailand

Minami Namba Shinsaibashi is an amazing place for shopping and dining. Shopping : Cheap price, a lot of goods, modern, no tax and etc. Dining : Awesome foods and prices. I really like this place.

6. Nipponbashi Denden Town

Namba Nihon-bashi, Ebisu, Nippombashi, Chuo, Osaka 542-0071 Osaka Prefecture http://www.denden-town.or.jp/
Excellent
28%
Good
41%
Satisfactory
23%
Poor
6%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 561 reviews

Nipponbashi Denden Town

Reviewed By 723stens - Brisbane, Australia

It's a must see for any otaku or anime lover. The prices of second hand figures here are much better than Tokyo. You can find good quality figures of current anime series for usually 600-1000yen cheaper than the same items in Tokyo. There's also a decent amount of retro game stores here and around Osaka which again, tend to be cheaper than the retro stores in Tokyo. Don't only stay on the main street, check the sides and surrounding streets for small shops and arcades. The arcades have really unique game machines that have been manually adjusted by the owners to make a whole new experience. I'm especially fond of the ping pong ball machine games, you use a claw machine mechanism to scoop up ping pong balls and attempt to drop one into the highlighted hole on half of a Takoyaki grill.

7. Shitennoji

1-11-18 Shitennoji, Tennoji-Ku, Osaka 543-0051 Osaka Prefecture +81 6-6771-0066 http://www.shitennoji.or.jp/
Excellent
30%
Good
47%
Satisfactory
20%
Poor
3%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 1,073 reviews

Shitennoji

The oldest temple in Japan, built over 1,400 years ago, this temple is famous for its symmetrical design and even has an architectural arrangement named after it,”Shitenno-ji-style temple layout.”

Reviewed By LQK2010 - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The temple with main hall was beautiful. We were there during the New Year when many Japanese visited temple.

8. Nakanoshima Park

1 Nakanoshima, Kita-Ku, Osaka 530-0005 Osaka Prefecture +81 6-6312-8121 https://osaka-info.jp/page/nakanoshima-park
Excellent
33%
Good
51%
Satisfactory
15%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 540 reviews

Nakanoshima Park

Reviewed By aaong86 - Singapore, Singapore

It is pretty and lovely rose garden located on an island along the Okawa river with the skyscraper in the background. It is a quiet and peaceful place which is great for a stroll in the morning or late afternoon. Highly recommended.

9. Hozen-ji Temple

1-2-16, Namba, Chuo, Osaka 542-0076 Osaka Prefecture +81 6-6211-4152 http://houzenji.jp
Excellent
26%
Good
53%
Satisfactory
20%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 418 reviews

Hozen-ji Temple

Reviewed By DzulhilmiZulkifli - Putrajaya, Malaysia

Very beautiful temple for photo shot. Please come here during night because the view is more beautiful. it is a small open air temple. The location also perfect, inside Dotomburi district.

10. Tennoji Park

1_108 Chausuyamacho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka 543-0063 Osaka Prefecture +81 6-6771-8401 http://www.osakapark.osgf.or.jp/tennoji/
Excellent
19%
Good
49%
Satisfactory
27%
Poor
4%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.0 based on 218 reviews

Tennoji Park

Reviewed By elaineroams - Adelaide, Australia

It was so beautiful there. There are storks, ginko trees and pretty bridge. I’m imagining it’ll be beautiful during spring and autumn!

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