Osaka Holiday Deals

Holiday In Osaka

If you spend your days searching for images of temples, cherry blossoms and neon-lit streets, you need a Japanese getaway, and you needed it yesterday.

With Osaka holidays, you’re in the food and party capital, and there’s only one rule: Osakans just want to have fun.

Things to Do in Osaka

Sure, you might have a 9-to-5 and a pet cat like a real adult, but you’re still kid at heart. Ride the 112-m Ferris wheel (hope you’re not afraid of heights!) at Tempozan Harbour Village, then visit Osaka Aquarium, one of the world’s largest. Count the spots on whale sharks, spotted manta rays, leopard sharks and more. Looking to get flashed? The jellyfish exhibit can take care of that for you.

Puppets may seem child-like, but Japan’s bunraku tradition is seriously grown-up. Osaka is the birthplace of this hundred-year-old tradition, so get your butt in a seat at the National Bunraku Theatre and let the ningyotsukai drop some knowledge on your Osaka holiday. These aren’t your babysitter’s finger puppets—it can take 30 years to master pulling the strings on the 1.2-m marionettes.

Shopping, Dining & Nightlife

Japan holidays are renowned for being a shopper’s paradise, and Osaka lives up to the hype. Start at Shinsaibashi Suji, a covered pedestrian mall with many (and we mean many) luxury brands. Just south, Amerikamura has hip boutiques, vintage finds and some T-shirts you probably wouldn’t take home to mom. Your shopping adventure ends further south in “Den-Den Town”, the main drag for electronics and gadgets. We bet you didn’t even know you needed a football-playing robot. With awesome Osaka car hire options on lastminute.co.nz, you’ll have plenty of trunk space for all those bags.

If you try just one strange food on your holiday in Osaka, it should be takoyaki, aka “octopus balls”. It’s probably not what you’re thinking: Battered and diced octopus are just rolled up and fried. This popular street food can be found, well, anywhere, but Namba is a good start. You can also find Japanese barbecue (short rib, lamb chops and ox tongue are all on the menu), and the town of Kobe and its famous beef are right next door. Osaka isn’t called “The Nation’s Kitchen” for nothing.

If you’ve got your blowout moussed and you’re bringing your A game, the upscale clubs of Kitashinchi await your presence. Prefer to get a little action tonight? Dotonbori calls with bowling alleys, pachinko parlours and even rock climbing. If you partied a little too hard last night, holidays to Osaka still got you covered. Hozenji-Yokocho Street is a quiet slice of Old Japan, softly lit by lanterns and lined with tea houses where you can sip away your hangover without feeling like you need your sunnies.

What’s Next?

There’s no better way to discover the true meaning of “Land of the Rising Sun” than to see that sun rise for yourself. Find Osaka holiday packages on lastminute.co.nz, where you can mix and match airfares and accommodation for the best deals. Spend that extra cash on some sake and toast your brilliance with a hearty “kanpai!”