OsakaPlay Recommendations

Midosuji is Osaka's main north-south boulevard, about 4 km long, running from Umeda through Hommachi and Shinsaibashi to Namba. Widened in 1937 with funds raised by Osaka merchants, it is a representative street blending Kansai merchant spirit, with about 900 ginkgo trees planted along both sides. Each autumn, the golden ginkgo avenues create a tunnel-like spectacle, Osaka's most iconic autumn scene; in winter, LED illuminations form the 'Midosuji Light Festival.' Linking Osaka's main commercial districts, shopping centers, office towers and cultural attractions, it is the epitome of Osaka's urban character.

Shinsekai is the most iconic retro entertainment district in Naniwa-ku, Osaka, built in 1903 for the Fifth National Industrial Exhibition, blending Paris Arc de Triomphe and American Coney Island styles. Centered on the 103-meter Tsutenkaku Tower, the red-and-white steel tower is Osaka's iconic symbol, with a Billiken god of fortune statue at the top. The area is lined with kushikatsu establishments like Yaekatsu and Daruma, crepe shops and retro bars. Neon lights and jazz music flow at night, making it a must-visit area for Osaka's folk vitality and retro charm.

Osaka Korea Town (Tsuruhashi), in Ikuno-ku, is Japan's largest Korean residential area, also called Tsuruhashi Korea Town. The district gathers about 120 Korean restaurants, food ingredient shops, cosmetics stores and sundries stores, a multicultural neighborhood formed since the 1920s. Visitors can taste authentic Korean BBQ, budae-jjigae army stew, tteokbokki, Korean fried chicken, kimbap, and shop for Korean snacks, kimchi, seaweed, cosmetics and K-drama merchandise. A 5-minute walk from JR Tsuruhashi Station, it is Osaka's most exotic and multicultural representative neighborhood.

Mozu-Furuichi Tumulus Groups, spanning Sakai, Habikino and Fujidera in Osaka, are large 4th-5th century burial mounds from the Kofun period, inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in 2019. The group contains 49 keyhole-shaped tombs, the largest being Daisenryo Kofun (attributed to Emperor Nintoku), ranking with Egypt's Great Pyramid of Khufu and China's Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor as one of the world's three largest tombs. The tumulus groups demonstrate the peak of Yamato court power, with the Nintoku-ryo front square, museum, bicycle paths and walking trails nearby, representing key cultural heritage for understanding the formation of the ancient Japanese state.