How to Spend Two Days in Osaka
- May 15
- 3 min read
Skyscrapers greeted us in our taxi, which smelled faintly of cigarettes. We surely weren’t in Kyoto anymore. Just a fifteen-minute train ride from that city of a thousand shrines, Osaka’s contrast was welcomed. Granted, I loved Kyoto with its temples and the quiet moments I found away from throngs of tourists. Osaka, though, felt different. From the get-go, it seemed familiar to this New Yorker. While some parts of the city were quieter and others more vibrant, each area showed some moxie.
This is how I spent two days in Osaka.
Day One
After dropping luggage off at our hotel, we set off on foot. We walked along busy streets and through urban parking lots en route to Amerikamura (America Village). Colorful murals signaled our arrival to the area. With a youthful vibe, it was full of coffee joints, street art, and plenty of vintage stores stocked full of goods from the United States. The irony of an American shopping for American vintage wear in Osaka wasn’t lost on me, but I still enjoyed exploring, though I didn’t buy anything. For even more New York vibes, there was also a replica Statue of Liberty atop a building here.
From there, my travel crew and I walked toward Dontonburi. As we crossed the river, it was worth a pause to take in the wall-to-wall neon, logos, and an actual Ferris wheel attached to the Don Quijote store. As we progressed onto the main street, the large-scale food signage came into view, alerting passersby to each place’s specialty. It was mostly tourists here, but I didn’t let myself get discouraged by that. While I’m not a big fan of tourist crowds, even I appreciated the area. I likened it to a first-time New York City visitor skipping Times Square. That’s not a part of the city I generally care to be in, but you must experience it once. For us, the objective here was Takoyaki, the octopus balls the city is known for.
After a brief rest at the hotel, we were off to pre-dinner drinks at Bar Bota. Located on the rooftop of the Four Seasons hotel, it offered incredible views of Osaka, all from a beautiful space with spectacular service.
Dinner brought us to Yokahu, where we’d reserved a multi-course menu at this low-key spot, a bakery by day and restaurant by night. The chef himself took turns in the kitchen and at our table, a sort of one-man restaurant band, carefully explaining each seasonal dish he’d prepared just moments prior. The standout course of the evening for me was venison with local greens. My husband also took part in a special add-on course—bear.
Day Two
If the first day brought crowds and lively streets, the second was the opposite. We slowed things down by exploring Nakazakicho, an artsy area just outside Central Osaka. It was full of quaint coffee shops, bakeries, boutiques, and small streets that I could have meandered along for hours. Instead, we found ourselves at a nearby covered market. While Nishiki Market in Kyoto was a highlight of our time there, it also catered primarily to visitors. Tenjimbashi Market in Osaka had a truly local feel, though. We ended up in a noodle shop, slurping up some udon goodness with no English to be heard anywhere.
With a rainy afternoon upon us, we opted to return to Central Osaka for some time indoors at the National Art Museum. Encased in glass, it was worth a visit here for the architecture alone. But the exhibits were also noteworthy. The permanent collection was compelling for its walk-through history—some of it capturing difficult events from the not-so-distant past. We exited the museum to find drier skies and walked along the Dojima and Tosabori Rivers, which were full of springtime flowers.
Our second Osaka dinner took us to Shinsekai, a retro neighborhood full of lots of food spots. With the Tsentenkaku Tower just up ahead, we found ourselves at Slice of Beef, which, as the name implies, serves up a lot of beef. Seated at a table in the back with its own grill, we enjoyed prime cuts of wagyu beef and offal all cooked to our liking.
To close out our time in Osaka, we ventured to Bible Club. Designed to look like a classic American speakeasy from the 30s, even the bathroom featured old-school American toilets—quite a change from the technological Japanese marvels found everywhere. Toilet humor aside, this place made a great Old Fashioned.
Hotel
We were able to cash in Marriott points and stayed at The Aloft Osaka Dojima. It’s centrally located, and I was pleased to find a larger-than-expected room, where I could even comfortably unroll my travel yoga mat. The rooms also had a mini-fridge, which was helpful for storing my konbini snacks.
