Audio tour · Japan

Osaka

A self-guided audio walking tour of Osaka.

Osaka is the friendliest city in Japan to arrive in hungry and with no plan. The streets around Dōtonbori pull you in with noise and light, but walk a little further and the city softens into canal side calm and ancient shrine grounds that feel completely removed from the commercial din. It is a place that rewards wandering, where the gap between a busy covered arcade and a quiet temple courtyard is often just a single turn. In the app, 37 stops in Osaka are narrated aloud, about 1h 3m of listening across 5 walking routes, in 13 languages, offline once downloaded. Choose a route or build your own, then walk while a calm voice tells you the story of each stop. The app also maps 100 Instagram photo spots, social media photo locations with directions to where you stand for the shot.

Available soonon the App Store

The mobile app is available soon

What you'll hear in Osaka

The opening lines of a few narrations, straight from the tour.

Umeda Sky Building. When you look at these towers, you are seeing the result of a massive shift in plans.
Shitennō-ji. When you stand here, you're standing at the site of a massive national effort.
Tower of the Sun. You are standing before a structure that was built specifically for the 1970 World Expo.
Church of the Light. You are standing in a place that seems almost impossible, a structure defined by what it lacks.
Gate Tower Building. You are standing in front of a building that is genuinely unique.
Abeno Harukas. Take a look at this massive building.

All 37 stops in Osaka

Every stop is narrated. Walk them in any order, or follow a route.

Landmark (22)

Shitennō-ji
Tower of the Sun
Sumiyoshi-taisha
Tennōji Zoo
Mount Tenpō
National Museum of Art, Osaka
Isshin-ji
Hōzen-ji (Osaka)
Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts
Hiraoka Shrine
Myōkoku-ji
Fujita Art Museum
Sankō Shrine
Imamiya Ebisu Shrine
Ikasuri Shrine
Abeno Harukas Art Museum
Kōzu-gū
Nanshū-ji
Jigen-ji
Osaka Resort City 200
Tsunashiki Tenjin Shrine
Sumiyoshi Angū

Skyscraper (5)

Umeda Sky Building
Gate Tower Building
Abeno Harukas
Osaka Prefectural Government Sakishima Building
OAP Tower

Theatre (4)

Orix Theater
National Bunraku Theatre
Umeda Arts Theater
Hyogo Performing Arts Center

Religious (1)

Church of the Light

Bridge (1)

Nipponbashi

Monument (1)

Grand Ring

Palace (1)

Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace

Park (1)

Minami-Temma Park

Tower (1)

Senpukan

Walking routes in Osaka

Curated orders through the city. Or build your own and press Play All.

Umeda Skyline and River Walk. From the floating garden of the Sky Building to the riverside shrines and theaters of north Osaka, this walk traces the dramatic vertical and horizontal contrasts that define the Umeda district. (8 stops)
Tennoji Temples and the Tallest Tower. Ancient temple grounds and a world class art museum lead you through Tennoji to the soaring heights of Abeno Harukas, Japan's tallest skyscraper, and back into the old merchant streets below. (8 stops)
Sakishima Waterfront and the Low Mountain. A breezy loop around Osaka Bay takes in the Grand Ring monument, the government tower rising from reclaimed land, and Mount Tenpo, the most gently humbling summit in Japan. (4 stops)
Sumiyoshi Shrines and Quiet Temples. The ancient grand shrine of Sumiyoshi leads through tucked away precincts and wooden gates to a pair of serene Buddhist temples in the peaceful southern reaches of the city. (4 stops)
Namba Stages, Shrines and Hidden Palaces. Starting from a grand concert hall, this walk winds through the lantern lit alley of Hozen ji, past Bunraku puppet theater, and deep into the shrine courtyards and museum gardens where Naniwa's ancient palace once stood. (8 stops)