Osaka

December 2025

A collection of photos from a trip to Osaka, Japan, featuring scenes primarily from Dotonbori, Namba, Shinsekai, Nakazakicho, and other surrounding neighborhoods.

Kodak Vision3 500T (35mm), Kodak Vision3 250D (35mm), Kodak Portra 400 (35mm)

Dotonbori at Sunrise

My hotel in Osaka was in Shinsaibashi, which was a short walk from Dotonbori, one of the main tourist districts in Osaka. Home to the famous "Glico man", the area runs along the Dotonbori canal with various tourist-catering businesses on either side of the water.
While it is an extremely busy area during the day and night, filled to the brim with crowds, I was able to walk around here before sunrise and take in the quiet moments that Dotonbori enjoys right before the tourists start filling in the streets and bridges.

Nakazakicho

To the north of Dotonbori and Namba, which are areas catered more towards mass tourists, is a quieter neighborhood called Nakazakicho. It is littered with cafes, art galleries, secondhand and antique stores, and shops selling various handcrafted items.
I spent a day just walking around Nakazakicho taking in the views, visiting many of the shops and cafes, and eventually making my way to Umeda to catch a train back to my hotel.

Kuromon Market and Namba

Another day, I made my way to Kuromon (Fish) Market, which is a public market in the Minami area of Osaka. It has various shops specializing primarily in selling fish, meat, and produce. I didn't take very many photos inside the market, but mostly took photos outside the market proper before eventually making my way to Namba.

Shinsekai and Tsutenkaku

One of the nights, I made my way to Shinsekai to walk around Tsutenkaku tower and take in the nightlife. Tsutenkaku is a landmark in Osaka located in the Shinsekai district, and there are various markets which stretch in each direction from the tower.
The neon-lit streets with the imposing tower watching over them made for some amazing scenes for photography, and I spent a few hours walking around this area taking photos and visiting the izakayas.

In Closing

It was my first time visiting Osaka, and I only wish I had budgeted more time to spend here. I feel like I barely scratched the surface of the city, and there were many neighborhoods I didn't get to see. I had initially planned to get a view of Osaka Castle, but didn't manage to fit it into my schedule this time!

On my last day in Osaka, I caught my Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka station to get back to Tokyo. I eventually boarded my flight back to Vancouver in Tokyo, but I was determined to come back to Osaka again to see all the things I couldn't this time.