Osaka Day Trip – How To Spend One Day in Osaka Japan

Osaka may not have the charm of Kyoto or the excitement of Tokyo, but it is definitely worth taking a day trip to Osaka to discover a vibrant city packed with cultural attractions and incredible food. Despite being one of Japan’s biggest cities, it’s surprisingly easy to squeeze the highlights into one day in Osaka. Follow this 1 day Osaka itinerary for a taste of Osaka’s culture, food and nightlife.

If you’re visiting Osaka on a day trip from Kyoto, aim to arrive mid-to-late morning as you’ll want to stay in Osaka for the evening when it comes alive. Oh, and make sure you have an empty stomach … food is the absolute highlight of a trip to Osaka!

If you are planning a multi-day Osaka itinerary or multi-city Japan itinerary, then be sure to check out Kyoto, Hiroshima and Nara. These are all easy day trips from Osaka, and are covered at the end of this article.

Osaka Itinerary Morning – Osaka Castle

Osaka castle from Nishinomaru gardens

Start your Osaka day trip at Osaka Castle, a classic picturesque Japanese castle.

How to Get to Osaka Castle

Train: Osaka Castle is easily accessible by train. The closest train station is Tanimachi Yonchōme Station. If you have a JR pass, you can arrive at nearby Osakajokoen Station or Morinomiya Station.

Walk: I arrived at my Shinsaibashi hotel mid-morning straight off an overnight flight, so decided to stretch my legs with a 3km / 35 minute stroll from Shinsaibashi to Osaka Castle.

Entry to Osaka Castle

It’s free to walk around the Osaka Castle grounds (woohoo!), Y200 for Nishinomaru gardens, and Y600 for entry to the castle interior. The gardens cost more during cherry blossom season, but it’s money well spent.

What To Do At Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle Grounds: Osaka Castle is impressive from the outside, and is surrounded by a moat and large pretty grounds. The castle was my favourite siteseeing activity (i.e. non food related!) of my Osaka itinerary. For great views of Osaka Castle through the foliage (sans crowds!), it’s worth paying Y200 to enter Nishinomaru garden. Photographic evidence above!

Inside Osaka Castle: Sadly, there’s no signs of the old working castle inside Osaka Castle. The castle now houses a museum and an observation deck on the top floor (8th floor). If you go into the castle, skip the queues for the elevator and take the stairs instead. (Go on, it’s only 8 floors!)

Museum: While the museum has some interesting history, it was all a bit modern and techy for me, with holograms explaining the history. For me, the highlight of going inside Osaka Castle was taking in the views from the top of Osaka Castle. If you’re on a budget, you can probably skip the inside of the castle.

Time Required: Plan for one hour at the castle and grounds, or two hours if you’re on the slow side or want to take in all the exhibits.

Osaka 1 Day Itinerary Afternoon – Tennoji District

The next stop on your Osaka 1 day itinerary is the Tennoji District, a lively neighbourhood packed with temples, parks and colorful streets.

How to Get to Tennoji District

From Osaka Castle, get the train to Tennoji Station. I took the JR line from Morinomiya Station to Tennoji Station.

Tennoji is around 5km from Osaka Castle, so I decided to skip the walk this time.

Harukas 300 Observastion Deck

If you want to see skyline views of Osaka, visit the Harukas 300 Observation Deck.  The Observation Deck is right next to Tennoji Station. If you’re staying in the Umeda area, you may prefer to go up the Umeda Sky Building instead.

Tenshiba Park and Temples

Next up, take a stroll through Tenshiba Park. There’s some nice cafes in Tenshiba Park if you need lunch or a rest.

If you’re up for something more cultural or touristy, there’s a number of temples and shrines on the border of the park, including Horikoshi Shrine, Isshinji Temple and Tokokuji Temple or, slightly north east of the park, Shitennoji temple.

Unless you’re really into temples, I’d probably only see these in passing. There’s more impressive temples in Kyoto and Nara, assuming you’re going there (which you absolutely should!).

So, I had good intentions to visit the Observation Deck and some of the Tennoji temples. However, I was hitting the wall after my overnight flight and walking all day, so decided to have a break in Tenshiba Park. I walked into a random bar and was quickly waylaid when I spied champagne by the glass on the menu. (Moët for around Y1000 a glass – a Japanese bargain!)

A couple of glasses of champers later and I was back on the move, having missed the Observation Deck and temples. Whoops! All the more reason for a return trip to Osaka I say.

Shinsekai Osaka

How To Get To Shinsekai District

Walk past Tennoji Zoo to the west and you’ll pop out in the Shinsekai District.

If you’re coming by train and have the JR pass, Shinsekai is close to Shin-Imamiya Station on the JR Loop Line. By subway, Shinsekai is also a short walk from Dobutsuen-Mae Station (at the southern end of Shinsekai) or Ebisucho Station (at the northern end of Shinsekai.

What To Do in Shinsekai

Shinsekai is an assault on the senses, but in a crazy-good way. You’ll find busy colorful streets full of bright neon signs, pachinko arcades (Japanese pinball gambling), vending machine toys and the iconic Tsutenkaku Tower. When people say Japan is crazy, Shinsekai just might be what they have in mind. Shinsekai was my favourite neighbourhood in Osaka to wander around.

If your tum’s not full, sample some of the local food. Shinsekai is famous for its kushikatsu. As far as I could tell, kushikatsu is deep fried sticks of pretty much anything (meat, seafood, vegetables) with a tasty dipping sauce. (Maybe balance it with some healthy sushi later!)

Day Trip to Osaka Evening – Namba District

Dotonbori riverside

You may be feeling a little exhausted by now, but even if you only have one day in Osaka, you shouldn’t miss the Namba District. Namba District is Osaka’s most famous area for nighlife and bright lights. It covers the adjoining areas of Namba (south), Dotonbori (middle) and Shinsaibashi (north). It’s only around 1.5km walk between Namba Station and Shinsaibashi Station, so is very doable to visit all three areas over one evening.

How to Get to Namba

To get from north Shinsekai to Namba, either walk due north (around 1.5km) or get the local subway one stop from Ebisucho Station to Nippombashi Station. This is a local line so isn’t covered by the JR Pass.

Things to do in Namba

Spend your evening in Osaka exploring the equally bright and busy streets of Namba, Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi. The main area around Dotonbori is very busy, often with shoulder-to-shoulder foot traffic in the evenings. Make sure you walk along the riverfront to see the famous billboards including the ‘Glico Man’, and also wander a few streets back to escape the intense crowds and where the scene feels a little more local.

I stayed in Shinsaibashi and preferred it to Dotonbori. Shinsaibasi is full of narrow streets filled with shops and restaurants and lively locals. As with much of the area, it’s quiet during the day and comes alive in the evening.

I was in Osaka alone, and felt super safe walking around after dark as the streets were very busy. (Plus Japan is generally safe for solo female travel.)

Namba District Food and Nightlife 

Namba, Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi are jam packed with restaurants, bars and street food. Takoyaki balls are the local delicacy. You can tell the famous places by the long lines but, to be honest, it pretty much all tasted the same to me – kinda like hot mush, but in a good tasty way.

Eating in Japan is an experience in itself, and worthy of an entire blog (or even an entire holiday!). If you want a more discerning review of all the BEST food to eat in Japan, check out this What to Eat in Japan article where Yolo Travel Experiences was on a mission to eat Japanese food for every meal of every day … mission accepted!

If you’re a bit of a Nana like me, you’ll probably be ready to hit the hay after your Osaka day trip. However, if you’re a young party animal, then you’re in the right place! (Just don’t look to me for recommendations. Sorry.)

Day Trips from Osaka

If you have a few days in Osaka, grab a JR Pass and make the most of Osaka’s central location by taking some fun day trips from Osaka.

Day Trip to Kyoto from Osaka

Make sure you don’t miss nearby Kyoto and its traditional temples, Japanese gardens, bamboo forests, wooden architecture and nightlife districts. Kyoto is an easy day trip from Osaka, as it’s only 12-30 minutes by train from Osaka to Kyoto.

Depending on your interests, Kyoto is a good alternative base to Osaka, although it’s slightly easier to take day trips from Osaka due to its train connections. I stayed in Kyoto when I had a long weekend to explore the city, and used Osaka as a base on another trip when I had longer to take day trips to Nara and Hiroshima.

Read more about planning your Kyoto itinerary.

Day Trip to Nara from Osaka

Nara is a gorgeous small town packed with ancient temples and free roaming deer. Even better, Nara is only around 40 minutes by train from Osaka. Check out my detailed guide on how to take a day trip from Osaka to Nara.

Day Trip to Hiroshima from Osaka

Hiroshima was the site of the world’s first atomic bomb during World War II, which makes for a rather somber day trip. Hiroshima is around 1.5 hours by train from Osaka. Check out my detailed guide on how to take a day trip from Osaka to Hiroshima.

Where to Stay in Osaka

Namba District

I recommend staying in or around the Namba area of Osaka. In Namba, you’ll be within walking distance to the nightlife and tasty tasty food, and will have easy access to public transport to visit other areas of Osaka. Either Namba, Shinsaibashi or Dotonbori are a good choice.

I stayed in the Shinsaibashi area and loved it. Shinsaibashi is centrally located near Dotonbori and Namba, and has a local subway line. From this line, you can easily get to a JR Line or Shin-Osaka for the Shinkansen.

While Shinsaibashi is nice and central, it’s also little out of the crazy hustle and bustle of Namba, with cute little streets full of bars and restaurants that really come alive in the evening. I stayed at Hotel the Flag which was a great choice – excellent location, modern, clean and a little funky, with comfortable rooms that are not quite as teeny tiny as others you’ll find in Japan!

If you want to make the most of your JR Pass and avoid local lines, then I recommend staying in Namba a little closer to the JR Namba Station.

Umeda District

The other place that tourists often stay in Osaka is the Umeda area. Umeda is a a major business district slightly north in Osaka. Umeda also has great transportation links from JR Osaka Station, and is home to the Umeda Ferris Wheel and Umeda Sky Building for some impressive city views.

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