Best Things to Do in Osaka Japan 🇯🇵: Food Tour & Nightlife

Best Things to Do in Osaka Japan 🇯🇵: Food Tour & Nightlife

Osaka does not ease you in. It hits you with a 
castle built to unify a nation, Wagyu-scented streets, and a skyline straight out of Blade 
Runner. Today, we’re eating our way across the city while diving into the best markets, must-do 
activities, and the neighborhoods you’ll want to get lost in. All while putting away more food than 
any human probably should in a day. If you want the real Osaka experience, bring your appetite 
and sense of adventure because we’re about to jump into it. Ohayō, and good morning, my friends. 
We are starting our day here at the amazing Osaka Castle. And what a day we got to explore today. 
It is absolutely gorgeous. This castle was built to unify Japan as well as intimidate anyone that 
might give a thought to coming here and trying to take it away from them. Now, the castle itself is 
one of the most impressive ones that I have seen in Japan. It is eight stories high and actually 
has stones in it that are the size of school buses. You can head inside and go up to the top. 
Along the way, they have little museums on each floor where you can learn the history of this 
entire region. And when you get to the top, the views of the city are absolutely breathtaking. You 
can also go and explore the turrets where you can go inside and pretend that you are protecting the 
castle from foreign invaders. It was so much fun. You can also take some relaxing boat rides on 
the moat that surrounds the castle. And exploring the surrounding area here in the park is just so 
beautiful. They have these tree-lined paths with shade. There are cafes where you can just enjoy a 
little coffee, and they even have a little train tram that will take you around the park if you 
don’t feel like walking around yourself. And just in front of the castle, they have this very cool 
martial arts center where you can go and watch them doing kenbo — at least I think that’s what it 
was called. It was so impressive and really like getting a glimpse into that history of Japan. 
Pretty amazing way to start the day, right? I just love that Japanese history, and this is a 
great place to come and experience it firsthand. When I showed up this morning, there was 
actually a 45-minute wait to go up to the tower, but I hopped on my Klook app and purchased the 
Osaka Amazing Pass for a 2-day pass. It was $35, and it gives you access to 40 of the most popular 
things to do here in the city. So, I just walked right past the line and inside. And the pass 
actually includes all the things I just showed you, like going to that turret and riding in the 
boat, as well as access to the museums here. So, it is not only a time-saver but a big money saver, 
too. This is not a paid advertisement, by the way. It’s just how I travel because it makes things 
so convenient. So, I will put a little link down in the description below if you want to check it 
out for yourself. Right now, we are going to be going over to the Umeda Sky Building to get the 
most beautiful view of the city before we go and eat some food because I don’t know about you, but 
I’m getting hungry. So, let’s hop on the train, and I will see you when we get there.
Welcome to the Umeda Sky Building. It was an easy 25-minute train ride over here and then a 
10-minute walk through the park to arrive at these two 40-story towers that rise 173 m above the 
city and look like something straight out of Blade Runner. You can see right up there at the top that 
they are connected with that little circle in the middle. That is the observation deck where all of 
the magic happens. So, let’s head inside and check it out. Man, what a view. Absolutely breathtaking. 
And you can actually walk around 360° on the upper deck here. So, you can see the entire city 
with the buildings stretching out to the horizon and the mountains. But my favorite part is right 
here — the Yodogawa River with all of the bridges going over it all the way out to Osaka Bay. Just 
stunning. And on the way up here, you actually pass through this very cool restaurant area with 
viewing windows where you can grab a beer and just look out over the city. Ah, so good.
Now that we are done at the tower, we’re going to be heading over to the Kuromon 
Market for some food in the kitchen of Kyoto, because I don’t know about you, but I 
am hungry. I will see you there. Kanpai. Welcome to Kuromon Ichiba, aka Osaka’s Kitchen. 
For over 200 years, this place has been serving up the freshest seafood, sizzling meats, and 
those unique Japanese flavors that you love. So, let’s jump in. This market is covered, which 
means you can come here on sunny or rainy days and not have to worry about it. There is so 
much going on — food absolutely everywhere, wall to wall. I just saw this guy butchering 
a tuna back there, and it was really cool. So, let’s go find some food to eat because 
I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. First things first — seafood. Look at this 
delicious-looking sashimi. I’m so excited. I’ve actually never had this type before. It’s 
from tuna, but it is the mega-fatty part that’s like right here behind the gills. And it looked 
amazing. The lady said it was her favorite. So, let’s jump into it. And I even got to see him 
slice it up for me fresh right before I tried it. Oh, look at that fat in there. Yeah.
Oh my. It’s literally just melting in my mouth. It’s so delicious. It doesn’t taste 
fishy at all. Mmm. It’s almost buttery. I love this. Wow. Now, let’s try some with a 
little bit of the wasabi. Now, wasabi here in Japan is not like wasabi back at home. Ours 
is spicy — like nose-running, eyes-watering. But here, it’s much more mild because I think 
that it’s fresh. I put the entire packet on, so fingers crossed I’m right about the wasabi.
Wow. Amazing. And something you may not know about wasabi is that because it has such a strong 
flavor — that spice — Japanese people actually used to use it to kill bacteria back before 
they had refrigeration. So, it was a way to keep the food safe and eventually evolved into 
the delicious side pairing with your sushi. Let’s go find some more delicious food 
to eat. I still want some more seafood, though, because this market is known for it. I 
think we’re going to get some delicious treats. Oh, I found our next one. I’m loving that raw. So, 
we’re going to have a nice raw scallop. All right, we got some street-side scallop right 
here. Look at that. It’s completely raw. And I would never eat something like this 
at home, but I feel like here in Japan, it’s just so fresh that it’s okay. So, let’s 
jump into it. I’m not even going to use the soy sauce because I love the flavor of raw 
scallops here. Look at that right there. Mmm. Wow. Those might be raw, but the flavor is 
well done. Mmm. They’re so firm, and you can taste the ocean. Again, they’re sweet. The seafood here 
is always so sweet. I love that. Let’s do just one more before we head out. I love this market.
I just made a quick stop to grab a beverage. I got some fresh watermelon juice. That is amazing. 
And I talked to the owner of the shop for the last 30 minutes. He was hilarious. He gave me free 
watermelon, and he even included some Hokkaido chocolate because he’s just so friendly. And 
that’s something that you’ll notice here in Osaka — of all the places I’ve been in Japan so far, the 
people are the friendliest here. They want to have a conversation with you. They want to just hang 
out, and they’re happy to practice their English. And I just love that. Oh, that is so good. And it 
was only 500 yen. Let’s go find our next treat. So, next up, we are trying some unagi tamago, 
which is eel — unagi — and tamago is this folded egg underneath. It’s one of my favorite 
little treats here in Japan. And he just took the eel and used a little flamethrower to 
give it this beautiful char that’s on top. So, I’m super excited about this. Let’s jump into it.
Mmm. Wow, that is eely good. Mmm. Now, at home, I don’t normally like eel, but here again, 
it’s so fresh and delicious. And the way that the egg kind of mellows out the flavor and the 
sweetness of the eel just tastes amazing. I’m going to take this last bite, and then we’re 
going to head and find some sizzling steak. Oh, and we found some Wagyu and Kobe. And it’s 
half price — how can you pass up on that? I am so excited for these little beef skewers. 
I got a Kobe one and a Wagyu one so we can compare them. And they come with a little 
color-coded base on them so I don’t get them confused. We’re going to start with the red — 
Kobe — which is where we might be going next in our next video. I mean, let’s try this one out.
Mmm. Wow, that is spectacular. Mmm. It’s fatty, and again, it almost has a sweet flavor to it. 
So delicious and melting in my mouth. You’ve got to try that when you come here. And now for the 
famous Wagyu. Check that bad boy out right there. Mmm. So, the Wagyu is a little bit more 
meaty, not quite as fatty, and again, just like a real steak kind of flavor. Definitely 
what you’re looking for. But I think that the Kobe has taken this one. Delicious. Now I 
think it’s time to go grab a sweet before we head on to our next stop. So, stick around 
for that. I’m going to finish up my Wagyu. Ooh. And remember, no beef, no life. Words to live by.
And last but not least, we are rounding out our meal with some delicious dessert. This is a 
Hokkaido cantaloupe, which is the most famous melon here in Japan, and it has that Hokkaido 
soft serve on top, which is also my favorite. I am so excited for this. Let’s go with the 
ice cream first. I’m just going to go into it. Wow, that is so good. Mmm. So creamy. 
And now a little bit of the cantaloupe. Wow, that cantaloupe is so juicy. The soft serve 
is so creamy. This is amazing. Melontastic. Creamcredible. I am going to finish this up, 
then take a short walk over to the train for a 14-minute ride to my favorite neighborhood 
here in the city. I will see you over there. And while we’re talking about food, you have 
got to try kushikatsu while you are here. It was actually born here in this neighborhood over 
a hundred years ago. It is skewered vegetables, meat, and seafood that’s dipped in batter and 
panko breadcrumbs and then fried to perfection. I actually went to a famous place right in the 
middle of town with the giant golden Billiken on the front, and it was delicious. You have to 
try this special secret sauce, and be careful because I had a food malfunction and I almost 
lost an eye — but it was totally worth it. And just inside the neighborhood is 
the most famous street, Janjan Yokocho, which has a bunch of restaurants, that retro 
arcade I was talking about, and some fun carnival snacks. I hope you’re ready for this one. Look at 
this. It is a giant tower of custard pancake-like deliciousness. And it even comes on top of the 
tower we were just in. I absolutely love that. Look at that thing. I’m going to do that one 
more time. Whoa. All right, let’s try this out. Mmm. Wow, that is so delicious. Another great 
restaurant right on the street is Chao Chao Gyoza, where you can head in and get these beautifully 
pressed gyoza that are crispy on one side and nice and soft on the other. And they pair perfectly 
with a giant beer. When you’re done enjoying the local delicacies, head down to the end of 
the neighborhood here at the Tennoji Zoo. It’s been here since 1950 and is home to more than 
1,000 animals. They do a really good job here, and you can tell that they care. They have some 
really beautiful exhibitions, including lions, tigers, and bears. Oh my. But my favorite was 
the hippo just gently gliding underwater and this jaguar that was just majestically staring off into 
the distance. They also have a huge walkthrough aviary where you can get up close and personal 
with the animals. And for 500 yen, it is a deal. And while we’re talking about animal encounters, 
there is one here in the city that will blow your mind. Just a short train ride away is the Osaka 
Aquarium, which is one of the biggest and most spectacular aquariums in the world. As you walk 
through the building, they’ve recreated different zones from around the world, and every one of 
them is beautiful. The real star though is the Pacific Ocean main tank. It’s filled with giant 
trevally, hammerheads, stingrays, manta rays, and not one but two beautiful, massive whale sharks 
just gently swimming through the water. This place isn’t just an aquarium — it’s a true glimpse 
into the wonders of the ocean and something that you have to experience for yourself.
Man, Osaka is amazing, right? So much to do, so much to see. Leave me a comment down below 
and let me know what your favorite part has been so far. And this neighborhood is just 
the best, right? That’s why I stay here. I cannot get enough of it. But right now, 
it is getting towards that golden hour, and there is one more place that I want to take 
you before our day is over. And that is the neon beating heart of the city to watch it change from 
day into night. And I will see you there in a few. This place is like Shinjuku and Shibuya in 
Tokyo, a little bit of Venice, and some New York Times Square all sprinkled into one crazy 
place. And while you’re here, take a short walk around the corner to the Hozenji Temple that has 
this beautiful moss-covered Buddha that you throw water on to cleanse your heart. It’s also a great 
place to try takoyaki, which are basically little round golden balls of batter stuffed with diced 
octopus, tempura scraps, green onion, and pickled ginger. They’re cooked in iron molds, and they are 
absolutely delicious. They come out piping hot, so watch your tongue. And if you’re feeling a little 
adventurous, it’s also a great place to try fugu, or puffer fish, which is famous because puffer 
fish are poisonous, and if the chef cuts it wrong, you can actually die from its poison. But 
everything worked out okay. And my favorite part of the meal was the sake that I had that 
was flaming and filled with puffer fish fins. And if you want to try some delicious ramen, I 
found this spot that serves spicy tomato soup and grilled cheese ramen. It was absolutely delicious, 
and the staff was so friendly. And another reason I wanted to bring you down here before nighttime 
is because right now it’s busy, but when it turns to the evening, it gets crazy down here. There are 
literally people everywhere and things going on all around you. I even saw some people rapping 
last night in this huge crowd of people. It is so much fun, though, and I highly recommend it. 
Another reason to come down here at this time of the day is to hop on a canal cruise for a sunset 
tour because they are absolutely beautiful. The staff on board was so funny. We were singing 
songs, and it is a great way to see this neighborhood from a whole different perspective.
Man, this place blows my mind. It’s just so bright. I feel like I’m in Vegas right now. And 
after you take that beautiful sunset cruise, which I definitely highly recommend, you 
cannot leave this neighborhood until you stop by the Glico Running Man. He is a fixture 
and one of the symbols here in the city. You saw him while we were on the boat cruise, and 
I put my hands up in that famous runner pose, which is a tradition here in Osaka. So make 
sure you get at least one of those photos while you are here. He’s been here since 1935 and 
he even has his own Instagram page. He’s way more popular than — he’s way more popular than me. 
But you know what? I’m okay with that because I don’t like to run, and he is the running man.
And I think this is probably a good place to call it. We had so much fun today. We got 
to see so much of this amazing city. And I think that I actually like Osaka better than 
Tokyo. It’s kind of like a mix between Kyoto and Tokyo. And there is so much to do here. 
We just scratched the surface today. So if you can spend more time here, add those days 
to your trip because it is totally worth it. So I think it’s that time, my friends. It’s time 
to say goodbye. If you enjoyed this video, please give me a big thumbs up, comment, subscribe, and 
don’t forget to DLING, DLING, DLING, DLING the Osaka. I will see you next time when we are 
heading to either Hiroshima or Kobe. I haven’t decided yet. There’s so much to do here in Japan. 
And I will see you then. So, sayonara and arigato.

Get the Osaka Amazing Pass to save time and money! 👉 https://tinyurl.com/Osaka-Amazing-Pass-1 👈

Osaka is the wildest city in Japan, so get ready because it doesn’t wait for you to warm up — it hits you with bold flavors, neon chaos, and some of the coolest experiences in the country. This is the only travel guide you need for the Best Things to Do in Osaka Japan, including amazing food, fun activities, and nightlife you won’t want to miss. #osaka #japantravel #streetfood #japanesefood

Today, we’re eating our way across Osaka, but this day isn’t just about food — it’s the full Osaka experience. We hit Osaka Castle for culture and history, then hop on the train to the Umeda Sky Building for the best 360° view of the city. Afterwards, we start our food journey in the “Kitchen of Osaka,” Kuromon Market, where we dive into some of the freshest and most iconic Japanese street foods. Then we head to my favorite neighborhood, Shinsekai, for retro madness and classic Osaka treats on the famous Janjan Yokocho street that will leave your mouth watering.

Once we’re stuffed, we make our way through Tennoji Zoo and then over to one of the best aquariums in the world to see whale sharks up close. Finally, we end the day in Osaka’s nighttime hotspot, Dotonbori, for a sunset canal cruise that turns into full neon overload after dark — plus a few more can’t-miss bites along the way.

This isn’t just an Osaka food vlog – it’s a full Osaka itinerary in one day so you can plan your trip, avoid decision fatigue, and taste the best of Osaka Japan in a single shot.

🍣 What We Eat in This Video (Osaka Must-Try Foods)
• Mega-fatty tuna sashimi
• Raw scallops
• Wagyu & Kobe beef skewers
• Unagi tamago
• Kushikatsu (fried skewers that will blow your mind)
• Takoyaki
• Fugu (pufferfish)
• Flaming sake with fish fins
• Hokkaido soft serve
• Custard pancake tower
• Hokkaido melon + soft serve
• Spicy grilled cheese tomato ramen (yes, you read that right!)
• Amazing pressed hanetsuki gyoza

If you come to Osaka hungry, this is the itinerary you want.

🏯 Osaka Attractions We Visit
• Osaka Castle – history, views, and a must‑see cultural stop
• Umeda Sky Building – the best 360° city view in Osaka
• Kuromon Market – Osaka food tour through the “Kitchen of Osaka”
• Shinsekai & Janjan Yokocho – retro streets, classic Osaka street food
• Tennoji Zoo – a slow-down stop between food runs with some furry friends
• Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan – one of the best aquariums in the world including WHALE SHARKS!
• Dotonbori – sunset canal cruise, neon overload, and late‑night eats
• Glico Running Man for an Iconic Osaka Night Photo

Food + culture + chaos = The Best of Osaka. This Osaka Travel Guide and Japan travel Itinerary is everything you need to get the most out of your next adventure there!

🔥 Osaka Travel Tips
• Osaka Amazing Pass can save time + money 👉 https://tinyurl.com/Osaka-Amazing-Pass-1 👈
• Kuromon Market is best in the morning for freshness
• Bring cash for street food stalls
• Dotonbori gets insane at night — visit before sunset, stay for the chaos
• Whale sharks are most active midday at the aquarium
• Umeda Sky Building is perfect before sunset
• Shinsekai is great for cheap eats and retro vibes. Try kushikatsu her but No Double Dipping!

If you enjoyed exploring Osaka with me, drop a comment below and tell me what YOU would try first. And if you’re new here, welcome to The Country Collectors — hit subscribe for more food adventures, hidden gems, and the real side of Japan. 🇯🇵✨

#japanesefood #foodtour #nightlife #localfood #foodadventure #travelguide #japanfood #travelvlog #takoyaki #japan #japanvlog #thecountrycollectors

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