Dōtonbori

photo by そらみみ (Soramimi) · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by jetsun · CC BY-SA 3.0

The canal is named after Yasui Dōton, who had it dug in 1612 for urban development.

You walk along the canal among the giant restaurant signs (the Glico runner, the mechanical crab of Kani Dōraku), which light up at sunset above the crowd. Ebisu-bashi bridge, at the junction with Shinsaibashi-suji street, is the point where all the streets converge. Along the bank there is now also a pedestrian walkway, the Tonbori River Walk.

The canal was dug from 1612 onwards on the private initiative of Yasui Dōton, hence the name. In the Edo period the area developed as a neighbourhood of theatres (among them kabuki theatres, the traditional Japanese theatre with only male actors) and teahouses, becoming the centre of entertainment in the old city of Osaka. Today it is the heart of the Minami neighbourhood: street food, huge advertising signs and nightlife.

ℹ️ It is a public street: there are no fixed opening hours; the hours are those of the individual venues. You reach it from the Namba stations (Midosuji, Sennichimae and Yotsubashi metro lines; Kintetsu; Nankai).

🚉 Ōsaka Namba · 6 min walk

Sources: osaka-info.jp

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