Things to do in Osaka

DodgeBlan

So I'm going to Osaka tommorow for four days. I don't really have any plans.

I'm looking for suggestions on where to go an what to see, but not really the big 'must see' tourist destinations. I want some insider tips.

I just want to see anything that you could only see in Japan.

Things like:
cool restaurants, bars, game arcades of the sort that only exist in my dreams, or anything else.

Gabriel_Pitt

Go to Shinsaibashi, head to the Dotonbori Bridge, and wander around that area for a while. Lots of nightlife there, and some truely spectacular signage. During the day, Namba has a lot of interesting shopping districts and stores scattered around.

TokyoRaver

catch a bullet train to Tokyo

but maybe I'm biased

descolada

I posted this before in a Japan travel thread, but it bears repeating:

http://www.doutonbori-gokuraku.com/foreign/english.html

Dotonbori Paradise Shopping Area (Dotonbori Gokurakushotengai)

It's a three story food theme park modeled after early 20th century Osaka. Unless you have some irrational hatred of Japanese food, you will enjoy this place and you will enjoy it hard.

Food is a huge part of the Japanese travel experience, especially for Japanese people themselves. Even the smallest regions have their signature specialties. If you're ever at a loss for something to do in Japan, try sampling the local food.

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Large multi-story arcades are dime a dozen in major cities, so there's no real need to give you a recommendation on that. Just wander around enough in the downtown areas and you'll find one.

If you're looking for a particularly unique arcade experience, perhaps you should try the Gundam pod game. It costs about 200 yen to make a card, along with 500 yen for two games, but it's a reasonably long and epic experience. The game image is projected from the ceiling of the pod onto the walls of the pod, which makes it an incredibly immersive experience. Along with the pedals and levers, it's the closest thing to actually operating a real robot.

The card you must buy is used to track your personal data. As you rack up points, you can upgrade your gundam and acquire new ones. The catch is that you will play harder and harder opponents. And speaking of your opponents, there's always at least one or two humans among them. The game matches you with similarly skilled players anywhere in the network and fills the remaining slots with CPU characters.

If you have anyone who can play with you, you might be able to take advantage of the headset communication between teammates. Most pods provide complimentary headsets, though there are always at least two jacks where you can plug in your own.

I think I covered most of the basics, but I may be forgetting something... also, I'm pretty sure this game isn't out in the states but, if it is, I suppose it's not quite as unique an experience as I thought....

DodgeBlan

thanks Gabriel and descolada.

That food theme park sounds pretty awesome, definitely going on the list.

MoSiAc

Yes come to the gundam pod game so I might destory you with my newly aquired low level gundam.

Fellhand

Don't other Japanese people consider people from Osaka to be bumpkins? I'd second the train into Tokyo.

Gabriel_Pitt

Umm... no.

And going to Tokyo is a retarded idea. It's like saying, 'Man, Chicago is such a hick town. Why don't I go to New York?' If you're going to _be_ in Osaka, why exactly would you want to shell out something near $300 and six hours for a round trip on the bullet train to go somewhere else?

Anyway, cool thing to do? Get on the subway and go to Shinsaibashi. Find the Crystal city exit, and go up the number 2 stairway exit. Pull a 180 coming off the stairway (IIRC) and go about a block. You should see a Starbucks. Behind you and to your left is an elevator, and a bunch of rather dingy signage. Look for 'El Pancho's.' (seventh or eight floor, I think). Run by a Japanese/Mexican couple. Incredibly good Mexican food. Marguritas are overpriced, but that's the state of all alcohol in Japan.

descolada

Gabriel_Pitt wrote: »

Marguritas are overpriced, but that's the state of all alcohol in Japan.

Eh, mixed drinks are kinda bad, but beer isn't always like that. And nomihoudais (all you can drink) more than balance that out, I'd say.

Eggwich

Ignore all the Tokyo crazies!

I was in japan for a month and absolutely fell in love with Osaka.

Tokyo was just a letdown for me.

MoSiAc

Osaka is a party town, but it focuses on food. According to what I was taught in my history class the people of Osaka were not allowed to spend money on making themselves appear better because its a total merchant town, they couldn't buy fancy clothes, or nice houses etc. So they put all the money into restaurants and food.

Get a baseball sched for the Hanshin tigers. Then find ANY bar in ANY part of Osaka and pray they're having a good game (shouldn't be a problem) you'll have a great time.

Zeromus

Man, I wish I had these suggestions when I was in Osaka. I had a hard time finding anything to do, and everything seemed really far apart and inconvenient. Wasn't my favorite Japan locale.

For what it's worth, I went to a Hanshin Tigers game while I was in Osaka and had an absolute blast - maybe you can arrange that? And though you said you didn't want anything touristy, I thought Osaka Castle was really worth seeing.