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!
- 1 Day Osaka Itinerary Summary (With a Map)
- Morning: Temples & Shinsekai Area
- Afternoon: Temples, Osaka Castle & Markets
- Evening: Dotonbori & All the Lights
- Want a Little History in Your 1 Day Osaka Itinerary?
- Want to Add an Extra Day to Your 1 Day Osaka Itinerary?
- Final Thoughts on this 1 Day Osaka Itinerary
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1 Day Osaka Itinerary Summary (With a Map)
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!
Morning: Temples & Shinsekai Area
Begin your epic day in Osaka visiting temples that are located in the central area of Osaka.
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
After finishing at Shitennō-ji Temple, I recommend visiting the nearby Isshin-ji Temple. Isshin-ji is another Buddhist temple, but looks vastly different from that of Shitennō-ji.
Though it does have a bit of a modern entrance, the wooden temples behind it are beautiful .
It is known for its burial ceremony, which happens yearly in April and you will notice the beautiful cemetery that is behind the temples.
This temple felt unique in that it had the most locals actively burning incense and entering the temple for worship.
- Hours: 9am-4pm
- Cost: Free to enter
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!
Afternoon: Temples, Osaka Castle & Markets
After visiting the cluster of highlights in the southern portion of downtown Osaka, I recommend hitting some highlights that are a bit further out of central Osaka (and then return to end the night!)
Travel Time: 23 minutes to Sumioshi Taisha from Tsutenkaku Tower
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:
- We planned to visit Himeji Castle and see the inside of it
- The reviews of visiting the inside on your own aren’t great
- 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
From the castle you can make your way back to the city center to complete your perfect day.
If you want to visit the Namba Yasaka Jinja temple (the famous green-headed one) this is a great time to do it. We skipped out due to timing reasons, but it is within a 15 minute walk from the next must-see site, Kuromon Ichiba Market!
The Kuromon Ichiba Market is a MUST for your 1 day Osaka itinerary. This market has about 150 stalls full of all the food you can think of- wagyu, tempura, noodles, fresh seafood, fruits, etc, but also has some shopping as well.
A few things to know:
- Have CASH
- There are places to sit and eat
- Come hungry!
- Hours: 8am to 6pm (so be sure to get here in time!)
Evening: Dotonbori & All the Lights
There are a couple of places you will want to see at night; the daytime effect just isn’t the same. So, after filling your bellies of food, take the short 10 minute walk to Dotonbori!
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.
Learn from a Local!
Want some insight on great bars and restaurants? Consider taking a pub crawl tour and learn from a local!
- Price: Around $30
- Rating: 5/5 on GYG
- Duration: 3.5 hours
- Start Time: 7pm
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!
Want a Little History in Your 1 Day Osaka Itinerary?
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:
- Osaka Castle
- Tennoji Park (Where Isshin-ji Temple is
- Tsutenkaku Tower and area
- Namba
- Dotonbori
- + Other gems
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
If you opt for the guided tour, the remainder of what you will still need to see will be Shitennōji Temple, Sumiyoshi Taisha and Kuromon Ichiba Market. You can easily fit these three into the other half of your day and still have time at night to visit the bright lights of Dotonbori and Shinsekai at night!
Want to Add an Extra Day to Your 1 Day Osaka Itinerary?
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
Everything you need to know about a day trip to Himeji Castle!
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!
Final Thoughts on this 1 Day Osaka Itinerary
Osaka was one of our favorite stops during our week in Japan. It is SO CLEAN, vibrant, and full of good food! Was this a super busy 1 day Osaka itinerary? Absolutely; we waked over 20,000 steps! However, we felt like we were able to accomplish a lot in one day and were happy to get outside the city a bit on our second day!
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