Time: 9:00 - 17:00 / 10:00 - 18:00 (8 hours approx.)

Meeting place: Your hotel

Style: Guided tour

Highlight

• Take in the view of the city from a bird's-eye view from the Floating Sky Observatory at the top of the Umeda Sky Building.
• Walk through part of one of Japan's longest shopping streets, the Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street, and stop at Osaka Tenmangu Shrine
• Learn about some local history at Osaka Castle
• Enjoy one of Osaka's local delicacies and experience for yourself why Osaka is known as Japan's Kitchen
• Experience the retro neighborhood of Shin-Sekai
• Do some shopping in the bustling Namba district and ake in the nightlife on the Dotonbori River

Schedule

Rate (tax included)

Description

Start your tour at your hotel and either walk or take a train to Umeda, where you will go to the top of the Umeda Sky Building.  In the Floating Garden Observatory on the 39th and 40th floors, you can see as far away as Awaji island from a breathtaking 170 meters off the ground.

Then, take a short train ride and visit the shopping street that claims to be the longest in Japan, called the Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street.  Here, you will see anything from small boba stands, to clothes stores, to crowded conveyor belt sushi restaurants.  You will also visit Osaka Tenmangu Shrine, a tranquil respite from the busy city.  Dedicated to the Shinto deity of study and scholarship, Osaka Tenmangu is home to one of Japan's 3 biggest festivals in July, the Tenjin Matsuri.

After another short train ride you will visit Osaka Castle and the surrounding Osaka Castle Park.  Built in the late 1500's, it was (at the time) the largest castle in Japan.  Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a prominent historical figure, intended for Osaka Castle to become political center of a newly unified country, but unfortunately for the Toyotomi family their rule was ended by the Tokugawa family in the early 1600's.

Next, experience a completely different side of Osaka's history at Shin-sekai.  This unique neighborhood was built in the early 1900's, but declined rapidly in the decades after the war and later rebuilt to its current state.  It has a distinct retro vibe, and you can even play some old-fashioned arcade games.  Shin-sekai is home to Tsutenkaku Tower, which was modeled after the Eiffel Tower.  

You will also eat lunch here in Shin-sekai, at a local restaurant recommended by your guide.  Osaka has several regional foods, including a savory pancake-shaped dish filled with meat and vegetables called okonomiyaki and fried food on skewers called kushikatsu. 

In the evening visit the Namba area and the Dotonbori River area.  There are many things to see here--modern shopping streets, small izakaya bars, pachinko gambling parlors, a shopping area known for its American vibe, a food market, and even a small shrine--so let your guide know what you're in the mood to see. Finish your tour at your hotel.

Included

• Guide fee and guide transportation cost
  

Not Included

• Entrance fees (Umeda Sky Building, Osaka Castle)
• All transportation costs
• Meals, snacks, and drinks

Cancellation policy

• 2 days before - 70% refund
• 1 day before - 50% refund
• no show or on the day cancellation - 0% refund