Shinsaibashi

If you need to shop for anything and everything… come here. I wasn’t really trying to shop, but I did browse through a few shops. Actually it was a bit overwhelming lol I honestly was soooooo tired just walking in this area. This place is HUGE. There’s everything you may need, want, don’t want/​need… just everything haha.

Shinsaibashi is one the main tourist area of Osaka and the Shinsaibashi Shotengai is a nice place to check out different shops in this area.
My route usually starts from Hommachi then slowly walk my way here. There are lots of shops and restaurants but be warned that on weekends it tends to get really crowded. One reason I don’t come here on weekends anymore.
Crowded or not, it’s a great place to see the shopping district of Southern Osaka.

This is an awesome place to wander and shop around, but not enough time when with a tour group — area is huge!

Similar to Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi is a covered plaza with plenty of shops, cafes and other stores. There’s plenty of variety from mid-​range to high tier fashion shops for men and women. We spent most of our time shopping here since there were so many familiar name brand stores, as well as brands local to Japan. Some prices were cheaper than US prices, so it was a steal to buy them!
One of the stores we randomly stumbled upon was Comme des Garçon. The store is very spacious and had plenty of their Play collection on display. They were selling shirts at a pretty big price difference from the state, so my friend bought a tee.
Found a really cool and affordable spot for lunch. Wish I knew it’s name, but I’ll post pictures! They specialize in wooden rice bowl sets typically topped with sashimi, broiled eel or meats. The set can be enjoyed four different ways with soup and seasonings included for roughly ¥1200 on average. Not bad and it kept us full until dinner!
Since a bridge connects Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori, you should definitely check out both. There’s plenty of things to see! One of the things you should go into is a Don Quijote, which is right next to a takoyaki shop and faces the waterfront. You can’t miss it!

The last time I was in Osaka over 10 years or more ago, I did not remember much all I remember is Shinsaibashi 心斎橋.
As a tourist, 心斎橋筋 this area with all those neon lights in your face advertisment, might be one of the most visited area when I was in town.
Shops, Restaurants, Bars. Meeting places for everyone locals and tourists alike. And of course the young people love hanging out here too.
So come here at least once as a tourist and then you can go and explore the real Osaka!