Shinsekai

IT IS A GHOST TOWN! I am very disappointed by this place. It’s not like those lively streets I see in Japanese drama. The other side of Tsutenkaku has a lot of restaurants, but most of them had only deep fried dish that I don’t eat.
While I was in the tower, I asked a question to a girl who works there to take pictures for tourists. She was very rude and unkind. I will not visit this place ever again.

Why 5-​star? Well, because this is Osaka’s History.
Recently I found out that this area is considered to be the slum area of Osaka. Really? Nothing slum about it though.
But this is the place where Kushi Katsu is invented so if you love that food then you need to visit it’s original place of discovery :)
Shinsekai is not you typical tourist spot. Some area are slowly turning nicer for tourist but this is still a very local Osaka spot. Old folks, some might be homeless, playing go. I really wanted to go inside and watch them play but seeing all the smoke, I gave up.
Standing restaurants with cheap beer and cheap food.
If you are looking for a flashy tourist spot, then this place will disappoint you. But if you are looking for a historical, real Osaka then come here.
Shinseikai, A place that you will either like or hate BUT Who knows you might discover some hidden gems around the area.

Forget those haters who call this neighborhood seedy! I was fortunate to stay at a B&B in the middle of Shinsekai and it definitely made my Osaka trip unforgettable. Shinsekai is as iconic and flashy as the more popular Dotonbori but better because of cheaper food, so if you love food but don’t like to empty your wallet, come to Shinsekai!
Meaning «New World», Shinsekai was far from being new. In 1912, Osaka created the New World, which the northern half was modeled as Paris and the southern half as New York. Shinsekai was the new downtown that further prospered with the construction of the nearby Luna Park, a state-​of-​the-​art amusement park.
Unfortunately, after WWII, the Westernized neighborhood was heavily neglected especially with the closing of Luna Park, and the once flourishing downtown fell as Japan’s poorest neighborhood that further worsened with widespread fire and prevalent criminal activities. However, Osaka redeveloped Shinsekai toward a different direction: a manga-​inspired, nostalgic district bursting with neon signs that are like manga speech bubbles coming to life!
Here is where you will find a large amount of restaurants that serve the neighborhood specialty kushikatsu (Fried skewers) along with many delicious food at cheap pricing. The best part is that some restaurants that have long lines in other parts of Osaka like Kushikatsu Daruma (The one with a super fierce chef face as the logo) and Fugetsu Okonomiyaki have very little wait at the branches here because of larger facilities and more competitions, so if you see a place you want to eat that has a long line, just come to Shinsekai!
As you indulge in food, don’t forget to take some photos of the crazy neon setup here and get some cheap drinks from the many 100-​yen vending machines (I don’t know how many Capisco I have chugged in the four days I was there). After staying there for a few days, I found Shinsekai to be one of my favorite places in Japan, as this culinary heaven never allowed me to sleep hungry. It would be a shame if you let past reputation to stop you from at least swinging by this awesome part of Osaka!
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tl;dr version:
1) Awesome neighborhood equal to Dotonbori though with past bad rep
2) Many restaurant branches with larger facilities and shorter wait here
3) Cheap food selection with heavy focus on kushikatsu
4) So photogenic!

If you came to Osaka for food, fun, and some funny photos — you came to the right place. If you were hoping for a historically rich experience like Osaka castle and you prefer rice porridge to savory morsels, do not come here.
There are a lot of Kushi Katsu joints, Tacoyaki stands, and silly crab and other mock ups. This and dotonburi were my favorite food destinations in Osaka. Go with a group, get an all you can drink combo with friends and find out why Osaka is a different culture than the rest of Japan! It’s fun!

There’s really not much to do here in Shinsekai. It’s a small neighborhood and it’s not too busy. Supposedly the kushikatsu here is what it’s known for. It’s alright, not amazing. Lots of lighting is in the area and there are several statues and posters of a muscle-​man animé. People say it could be dangerous in Shinsekai, but that’s relative. It doesn’t seem so to me.