Dotonbori and Namba

If you have one image of Osaka in your head, it is probably Dotonbori: a canal running between walls of blazing signs, a giant mechanical crab waving its legs over a restaurant door, and crowds posing on the Ebisu Bridge in front of the Glico running man. The district takes its name from Yasui Doton, the merchant whose fortune funded the digging of the canal in the early seventeenth century, and from the start it was an entertainment quarter, lined with kabuki and puppet theaters and the teahouses that served their audiences. The theaters have mostly gone, the Shochikuza near Ebisubashi being the survivor, but the urge to entertain has only grown louder. Today Dotonbori is the centerpiece of Minami, the southern downtown, and the capital of kuidaore, the Osaka art of eating yourself into ruin. Its famous signs are three-dimensional and often absurd: the crab of Kani Doraku, a pufferfish lantern, a dragon curling over a ramen shop, a gyoza chain's giant hand, the rotating Daruma minister of a kushikatsu restaurant, and Kuidaore Taro, the drum-beating clown who has been the street's mascot for decades. Down on the water, the Tombori River Walk lets you stroll the canal banks beneath the signs, and small boats run short cruises along it. Around Dotonbori spread the shopping arcades of Shinsaibashi to the north, the backstreets and tiny bars of Hozenji Yokocho, the Namba Grand Kagetsu comedy theater and the anime and electronics stores of Nipponbashi to the east. It is free, open at all hours, and close to Namba Station.

Dotonbori is a place to eat, and the trick is to graze rather than sit down for one big meal. Takoyaki, octopus dumplings cooked in molded griddles and topped with sauce, mayonnaise and bonito flakes, is the essential street snack, and you will see lines at the famous stands; any busy stall will do, but let them cool before biting, since the centers are molten. Okonomiyaki, the savory cabbage pancake cooked on a griddle at your table, is Osaka's signature dish and worth a proper sit-down. Kushikatsu, breaded and deep-fried skewers, is better in Shinsekai but excellent here too. Kani Doraku serves crab in every form, and the side streets hide ramen counters, gyoza bars and standing izakayas. Eat at the stall or step aside to finish; Osaka is more relaxed than Kyoto about eating outdoors, but crowded walkways are not the place for it, and Osaka has banned smoking on its streets, so use designated smoking areas.

Timing changes the place. By day, Dotonbori is cheerful but slightly faded; after dark, when the signs come on and their reflections fill the canal, it becomes the electric postcard you came for, and it stays lively late into the night. Weekend evenings are packed, especially on the Ebisu Bridge, where everyone stops to photograph the Glico sign, so keep moving and watch your bag in the crowd. For a quieter moment, slip into Hozenji Yokocho, a stone-paved alley a block south, where a moss-covered Fudo statue is splashed with water by worshippers and the little restaurants feel like old Osaka.

Namba Station, served by the Midosuji, Yotsubashi and Sennichimae subway lines and the Nankai and Kintetsu railways, is right beside Dotonbori, which makes the area the most convenient base in Osaka for nightlife and for trains to Kansai Airport and Nara. Kuromon Market is a ten-minute walk east, Shinsaibashi's covered shopping street runs north from the Ebisu Bridge, and the American Village youth-fashion district and the elegant Midosuji boulevard are close by. Start with a canal walk at dusk, eat your way along the street, then cross into Hozenji Yokocho for a drink.