Tenma and Tenjinbashisuji天満・天神橋筋

Feels:

Locals' drinking streets under the tracks

Suits:

Cheap izakaya and a 2.6 km covered shopping street

Best time:

18:00–23:006:00 PM–11:00 PM

Watch out for:

Expecting English menus everywhere.

In short:

Locals' drinking district by JR Tenma station; the arcade runs north from Osaka Tenmangū shrine.

Think of Osaka as two centres on one red line. Umeda (Kita) is the rail hub around Osaka Station at the north; Namba and Shinsaibashi (Minami) are the food and nightlife centre to the south; the Midōsuji line joins them in about 15 minutes. The castle park sits east of the centre, Shinsekai and Tennōji to the south, and the bay (aquarium, Universal Studios) to the west. Shin-Osaka, for the Shinkansen, is one stop north of Umeda across the Yodo River.

Lines from the Osaka drinking guide that name this district.

• Tenma · Cheap izakaya and standing bars around JR Tenma station · until about 23:00–01:00The best-value evening in the city; many places are cash only.
• Izakaya · Japanese pub with small plates · until about 23:00–24:00 · ¥3,000–5,000 (≈ US$25–35) an eveningTenma, Fukushima, Ura-Namba, every station
• Standing bar (tachinomi) · Counter drinks and cheap snacks · until about 22:00–23:00 · ¥300–600 (≈ US$3–5) a drinkTenma, Kyōbashi, Shinsekai, Umeda under the tracks
• Kushikatsu counters · Fried skewers and beer · until about 22:00 · ¥1,500–3,500 (≈ US$11–25)Shinsekai, Tenma, Namba
• Sake and shōchū bars · Tasting sets from Kansai breweries (Nada, Fushimi) · until about 23:00 · ¥1,200–2,500 (≈ US$9–17) a setUra-Namba, Kitahama, Tenma

Markets and shopping streets from the Osaka buying guide that name this district.

• Tenjinbashisuji shopping street · Everyday food, clothes, snacks · About 10:00–20:00About 10:00 AM–8:00 PM · haggling: noAbout 2.6 km under one roof; the locals' version of the Minami arcades.About 1.6 mi under one roof; the locals' version of the Minami arcades.