Japan’s celebrated culture of ‘anime’, ‘manga’, ‘cosplay’ and all things ‘otaku’ draws as many international visitors as its celebrated temples, shrines and traditional culture. While Osaka doesn’t can’t match Kyoto and Nara in terms of its temples and shrines, it does outshine them when it comes to otaku culture – and that’s a big attraction for many, many travellers. If that’s you and you’re headed to Osaka, you should prioritise time in Nipponbashi or ‘Den Den Town’. Located between Ebisucho Station to the south and Nipponbashi Station to the north, the streets of Den Den Town are full of shops selling all things ‘anime’, ‘manga’, pop-culture and electronics.

Basically, it’s a nerd’s delight! Shops are concentrated along two main streets – Nipponbashi-suji / Sakai-suji and the parallel-running Ota Road – making it fairly easy to navigate. Ota Road – short for ‘Otaku Road’ – boasts numerous shops dedicated to anime and manga including those selling collectible figurines and cards along with ‘gashapon’ stores, dedicated to Japan’s mild obsession ‘gacha gacha’ (coin-operated toy capsule machines). Opening times will vary according to the specific store with most open between 11:00 to 19:00.