A 1 Day Osaka Itinerary: How To Maximize Your Time!

A 1 day Osaka itinerary! If you are researching a trip to Japan, you probably know by now that there are a million amazing places to visit, but a lot of space between them. So, there is a good chance you want to maximize one day in Osaka so you can see more amazing places in Japan!

On our 8 day trip to Japan, we stayed three nights in Osaka. However, one night was at the end of a travel day from Tokyo and one day we opted to do a day trip. So really we spent just one day exploring the best of what Osaka has to offer!

So here is how to spend one perfect day visiting amazing temples, markets, Osaka Castle and more!

One perk of Osaka (compared to Tokyo) is that it feels much more manageable with less time. It does take some travel time to get to places like Osaka Castle, but you can really see and do a lot in one day in Osaka!

To efficiently see Osaka in one day, I recommend visiting the popular temple of Shitennō-ji first and seeing the temples and sights in this area in the morning. Then knock out the sites that are located more outside the city center (such as Osaka Castle) before heading back to the city center in the evening to see the sites that come to life at night!

• Morning: Shitennō-ji Temple, Isshin-ji Temple, Shinsekai Market and Tsutenkaku Tower
• Afternoon: Sumiyoshi Taisha, Osaka Castle, Namba Yasaka Jinja, Kuromon Ichiba Market
• Evening: Dotonbori & Return to Shinsekai Market and Tsutenkaku Tower (Optional)

Was one day enough?

We felt we saw enough and did enough on our first day in Osaka that we opted to spend our second day in Osaka taking day trips to Nara and Himeji Castle!

Shittennō-ji temple

Start your day at the Buddhist temple, Shitennō-ji. This is Japan’s oldest temple (!) and is one of the most popular temples in Osaka. It is also pretty centrally located AND located nearby several other highlights, therefore I recommend seeing it first!

Shitennō-ji Temple comprises of an inner and outer precinct. The outer grounds have several tori gates and are free to enter. However, the beautiful pagoda, Gokuraku-jodo Garden and treasure house are located in the inner precinct, which you have to pay to enter.

• Hours: 8:30am-4:30pm (4pm during off-season)
• Cost: Around 300 yen ($2 USD)

It is worth paying to enter the inner precinct if you are going to visit Shittenō-ji Temple. The pebbled grounds and pagoda are beautiful (especially if you have it mostly to yourself like we did). You can climb to the top of the pagoda for free. However, there is a shrine at the top, but no view of the grounds from above.

Isshin-ji Temple

Shinsekai Market & Tsutenkaku tower

Isshin-ji Temple is located a short walk from the Shinsekai District and Tsutenkaku Tower, so while you are on this side of town, you should visit this popular area without the crowds.

Shinsekai is a general district that is home to a vibrant nightlife, but it also has a nice daytime market. Here you will find shops, restaurants, souvenirs and the Shinsekai Market (Ichiba).

The Shinsekai Ichiba is a covered market with stalls of food, used clothing, new clothing, souvenirs and more. I’ll admit, though, this market isn’t as good (in my personal opinion) as the Kuromon Ichiba Market.

Tsutenkaku Tower is another popular spot to see in Osaka and is located in the Shinsekai area. Though it lights up and is worth seeing at night, it gets crowded then too! While you are this close to it, I recommend visiting it without the crowds as well.

If you opt to return to see it all lit up at might (which I think you should) you will have a vastly different experience!

Sumiyoshi Taisha

From the Tsutenkaku tower, head to Sumiyoshi Taisha. This is a nice shinto shrine that is far less crowded than many of the others, but it IS located further outside the city.

Sumiyoshi Taisha is the head shrine of the over 2,000 Sumiyoshi shrines located throughout Japan. It is home to multiple beautiful areas.

The main shrine consists of 4 buildings but there are a total of nearly 30 shrines and subsidiary shrines.

Along with the beautiful shrines, you will find an iconic red bridge, stone lanterns, gardens and more.

• Cost: Free

Osaka Castle

Sumiyoshi Taisha is out of the city center to the south and Osaka Castle is out of the city center to the north. So though its going to be a trek from one to the other, I still recommend visiting them back-to-back so you can maximize your time in the city center when you return!

• Travel Time from Sumiyoshi Taisha to the Osaka Castle: About 49 minutes via train and to walk to the castle

Osaka Castle is a 5 story castle and one of the most famous landmarks of Osaka! I think it is worth seeing on your first trip to Osaka.

Not only is the castle beautiful, but the grounds up to the castle are as well. It is surrounded by a moat and rock wall on about acres of land (pretty large space!)

You can also tour the inside of the castle, which consists of about 7 floors and a museum explaining the use of the castle and battles during its time period. Plus, there is a viewing platform where you can get a good view of the castle grounds and Osaka below.

We opted out of visiting the inside for a few reasons:

1. We planned to visit Himeji Castle and see the inside of it
2. The reviews of visiting the inside on your own aren’t great
3. With one day in Osaka we were going to have to miss something else to have time to tour the inside

However, if you really want to see the inside of the castle and see the view from the top, you may opt to do a guided tour of Osaka Castle. When it comes to places that hold a lot of history (that I am not very familiar with) I find I get a lot more out of the experience if someone is giving me the history while I explore!

• You can choose between a 1.5 hour or 3 hour tour- I REALLY don’t suggest a 3 hour tour if you only have one day in Osaka, but you can likely make a 1.5 hour tour fit into your schedule

Kuromon Ichiba Market

Dotonbori

One of the most famous streets in Osaka is Dotonbori and all of its lights! This street runs parallel to the Dotonbori canal and, though pretty in the day, really comes to life at night with its lights!

In the Dotonbori area you will find loads of restaurants, shops, bars and bustling energy and entertainment.

I can probably guess that you have seen photos of Dotonbori; the canal, the running man sign, the bridges across the canal, etc are iconic to Osaka!

So whether you explore on your own or on the tour, you definitely want to visit this area at night!

Want a view from above? You can take a ride on the Eibisu Tower Ferris Wheel (big yellow thing below) which consists of clear, closed-in bubbles that you sit in and get a view of the city below.

Back to Shinsekai

If you are a night person and don’t mind staying out later or if you have timed your day well and want something else to do, I highly recommend returning to the Shinsekai area to see the lights at night!

This area is known for its neon-light, carnival-looking streets and you will get a completely different vibe during the night than you did during the day!

As I mentioned, we spent three nights in Osaka, so we actually revisited this area when we returned from our day trip on our second full day. But if this is your only night in Osaka, I recommend squeezing it in!

We explored Osaka all on our own. But, as we made our way through the city (and through Japan in general) we found ourselves wishing we knew more of the history of everything we were visiting. There is just SO much history in Japan and just so much to know about the temples and shrines, etc.

Therefore, if you like to know the history behind what you are visiting, you can considering take a half day guided tour to get a little more history of Osaka.

This 4 hour guided walking tour will cover A LOT of what we covered and then leave you with half a day to do what you would like to see on your own! The tour visits:

1. Osaka Castle
2. Tennoji Park (Where Isshin-ji Temple is
3. Tsutenkaku Tower and area
4. Namba
5. Dotonbori
6. + Other gems

What to know!

Guided Walking Tour

Duration: 4 hours
Time: 8:30am or 1:30pm
Rating: 4.9/5 stars (out of 218 reviews)
Cost: Around $45-50 USD per person

Book a tour!

What to do with an extra day in Osaka? You can spend it exploring the city, of course, but I recommend taking a day trip!

There were a couple of things we wanted to see that were good day trips from Osaka; Nara and Himeji Castle. We had planned to choose one of the two, but with an early enough start we were able to do both in one day!

Nara is home to the famous bowing deer of Japan which are cool enough to see themselves. But there are also several temples and shrines in the area to see.

Everything you need to know about a day trip to Nara!

Himeji Castle is Japan’s largest castle! It is also sitting on a beautiful plot of land surrounded by a moat and rock wall. The architecture and size of the castle really are incredible (though visiting the inside

Nara is an hour east of Osaka and Himeji Castle is an hour and a half west. So, though your trips to and from Osaka aren’t bad, you will have a 2.5 hour trip between the two.

However, as I said, if you get an early start you can definitely see both in one day!