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25/25

Osaka

Osakans have a reputation for directness, good humour and a nose for business. The city wouldn't win a beauty contest but there's a hearty warmth to the place and to the people, who consider themselves to be more down-to-earth than their refined neighbours in Kyoto.

 

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01
Essentials

01 Osaka is fiendishly hot in the summer. Japanese people know to carry a small flannel or handkerchief for discreetly mopping sweaty brows. Also useful as a hand towel - public loos rarely have hand dryers.
02 Eat Korean food - Osaka has Japan's largest population of ethnic Koreans.
03 Osaka has its own escalator etiquette - stand on the right hand side (in Kyoto, it's the left).
04 If you've got time to kill, buy a bento lunch box, a one-cup sake (or a picnic glass of chilled rosé from Muji) and sit in the rose garden on Nakanoshima Island.
05 Show your knowledge of the local dialect - Osaka-ben - by saying “okini" for thank you.
06 Convenience stores are a Japanese wonder. Lawson, Family Mart, and the rest are well-stocked with everything from stationery to spare undies.
07 Cover up tattoos or you'll find yourself barred from almost every gym and public bath - it doesn't matter if you're a yakuza (gangster) or not.
08 Go to a big pharmacy such as Matsumoto Kiyoshi for a range of useful products unique to Japan - from deodorant wipes to energy-boosting "genki" drinks.
09

When you find a shop or a restaurant you like, be sure to take their card for future reference. You'll never find your way back otherwise.

10 If asked, say that your favourite Japanese baseball team is the Hanshin Tigers. Such is the Osakans devotion to the Tigers that they jump off Shinsaibashi bridge whenever they win a major championship. An unusual event, even if they have the loudest fans in the league.

02
Hotels

Independent and easy
Dojima Hotel
2-1-31 Dojimahama, Kita-ku
+ 81 6 6341 3000
dojima-hotel.com

Dependable chain
Hyatt Regency
1-13-11 Nanko-Kita, Suminoe-Ku
+ 81 6 6612 1234
hyattregencyosaka.com

Premium
Ritz Carlton Osaka
2-5-25 Umeda, Kita-ku
+ 81 6 6343 7000
ritzcarlton.com

03
Dining

Fast breakfast
Vade Mecvm
Takagi Building, 1-13-21 Kyomachibori, Nishi-Ku
+ 81 6 6447 1335
vademecvm.com

Business breakfast
The Diner
Dojima Hotel
2-1-31 Dojimahama, Kita-ku
+ 81 6 6341 3000
dojima-hotel.com

Working lunch with colleagues
Fudo
Graf Building
2F, 4-1-18 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku
+ 81 6 6444 4009

Need-to-impress-clients lunch
Kigawa
1-7-7 Dotonbori, Chuo-ku
+ 81 6 6211 4736

Lunch on your own
Digmeout Art & Diner
2-9-32 Nish-Shinsaibashi
Chuo-ku
+ 81 6 6213 1007

Afternoon tea/drink
Dieci
2F Tenichi building 1
1-1-11 Tenjinbashi, Kita-ku
+ 81 6 6882 7828
dieci-cafe.com

Dinner on your own
A
E-ma B2F, Umeda 1-chome
Kita-ku
+ 81 6 4795 7594

Dinner with colleagues
Kushiyoshi
1-46-24 Hannan-cho, Abeno-ku
+ 81 6  6700 4333
kushiyoshi.net

Private dinner
Nagahori
2-6-5 Shimanouchi, Chuo-ku
+ 81 6 6212 5856

Big dinner with partner clients
Maimon
Umeda-2-2-22, Herbis Plaza Ent 5F
+ 81 6 6456 2388

Drink after dinner
Dragonfly Café
2-16-8  (3F) Nishi-Shinsaibashi
Chuo-ku
+ 81 6 6226 8217

Late drinks
Osaka B Bar
2F Hilton Plaza East, 1-8-16 Umeda, Kita-ku
+ 81 6 6341 2375
baccarat.com

Late bite
Manmasa
3-3-2 Momodani, Ikuno-ku
+ 81 90 2592 9687

On the tiles
Noon
Under JR Kyoto Line, 3-3-8 Nakazakinishi, Kita-Ku
+ 81 6 6373 4919
noon-web.com

04
Reading

Bookstore
Hacknet
Basement of Dojima Hotel
+ 81 6 6341 3717

05
Shopping

Something you can't get anywhere else
Furniture by Truck
1-6-10, Kamimachi, Chuo-ku
+ 81 6 6764 5405
truck-furniture.co.jp

Lost luggage - where to buy dress shirts, socks and undies
Head for the Umeda district

Something for the kids
Wooden toys by United Arrows Green Label Relaxing
3F Namba Parks, 2-10-70 Nambanaka, Naniwa-ku
+ 81 6 6634 1265
green-label-relaxing.jp

Hanshin Tigers souvenirs from the official Tigers shop
Diamor Osaka shopping centre, Umeda, Kita-ku

Something for someone you love
Design from Graf
4-1-18 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku
+ 81 6645 92100
graf-d3.com

Something for yourself
Functional basics and T-shirts at SOPH
1-20-13 Minami-Horie, Nishi-ku
+ 81 6 6535 7674
soph.net

06
Two hour tour

01 Museum of Oriental Ceramics
One of the great ceramic collections in Japan.

02
National Bunraku Theatre
Osaka is the home of Bunraku, puppet theatre (don't think marionettes - this is a whole other art form).

03
Yabafo
Take the plunge - ideally not after lunch - in Japan's first vertical free-fall ride to be mounted in a building. The creation of architect Shin Takamatsu, it takes centre stage at Osaka's new NamBa HIPS leisure complex.
1-8-16 Namba, Chuo-ku
+ 81 6 6213 8840
yabafo.com


07
Limousine/car

Taxis and Limos
MK Osaka
+ 81 6  6452 4441
mk-group.co.jp

08
Transport

One-day Pass - ¥850 (€5) for adults for unlimited travel for one full day on subways, the New Tram, and city buses (you can also get a discount on some sights like Osaka Castle with this pass).

Alternatively, use the prepaid Rainbow pass which you charge up with a minimum of ¥500 (€3) - good for subway, the New Tram and city buses. No limit on validity.

09
Fitness

Good gym
City Plaza Hotel

Good running route
Osaka Castle Park

Credits

Writer: Fiona Wilson

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