Take a deep-dive into Japanese culture and experience Osaka like a local on this evening walking tour. Join your Japanese-Australian guide, Andy, to explore the city’s historic districts, including the former ghetto and the Red Light district. Learn about Osaka’s history, heritage, and local traditions; venture down the backstreets to visit quirky sites often missed by travelers; and sample traditional street foods. Upgrade to include a delicious dinner of typical ‘kushikatsu’ cuisine.

Explore Osaka’s local neighborhoods and see sights most tours miss
Sample delicious Osakan street foods and dine at a traditional restaurant
Insider tips and recommendations from a local guide
Personalized small-group tour with a maximum of 12 people

What's Included

Dinner
After Tour Assistance: If you want to go to a bar,shopping or entertainment area I will take you.
Food stall：Taste testing at a food stall during the tour.

Alcoholic Beverages

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

FamilyMart MYS Daikokucho Station
2-chōme-5-16 Shikitsuhigashi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka, 556-0012, Japan
Meet at Daikokucho Station (Midosuji Line), Exit 1, at the top of the stairs (In front of "Family Mart" Convenience store. Note: Only 1 stop away from Namba station. Only 6 stops away from Umeda station.

Start time

05:30 PM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems

Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Lindambowler7

What a fantastic tour! Michael our guide was amazing and we felt very safe and well informed roaming the dark side of Osaka’s backstreets. There was a little bit of everything, amazing food, laughs, history and culture. Highly recommend this tour for stepping outside the normal tourist spots!

Reviews

5.0

969 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 969 reviews

Not your average tour

Suma_F, Apr 2024

This backstreet tour is for real. If you want to visit some areas that you might be intimidated by to see on your own then this is the tour for you. So interesting and possibly a little scary for some but understand this is Japan; violence doesn't really happen here. So nice to have a guide take you through it as it is richly cultural too. Wow not to be forgotten...

An awesome experience!

Tony_S, Apr 2024

A great experience, fantastic group of people and our guide was awesome. Even though it rained a little, I think that added to the experience. I recommend this tour.

Brian was a great guide...

Ann_W, Apr 2024

Brian was a great guide to the seedy side of Ōsaka. Drew our attention to things we would have just walked past. A crazy night!

Real good time

Piers_T, Apr 2024

Really great tour. Our guide was Taka, and as a born-and-raised Osaka-an(?) he gave a great look into the under belly of Japanese life. You’ve seen shrines and shopping centres. But you haven’t really seen Japanese life yet. I recommend the meal option. The restaurant is an authentic local spot, which I guarantee you wouldn’t brave on your own. But the food is delicious, and the place has a great atmosphere. The pace is reasonable, the guide was very accommodating, and the sights were exactly what I wanted from a back street tour. Don’t leave Osaka without booking this.

An absolute must-do in Osaka

Sebastian_D, Apr 2024

Kevin was an amazing guide, with great knowledge on various social topics of Japanese culture and society. The places he got walked us through were the most distinctive and unique places of my whole stay in Osaka. Lastly, the dinner at the end was very tasty and was a great finisher to already wonderful experience.

The “Real Osaka” Tour

DEANNA_P, Apr 2024

This is a great and interesting tour. 3 hours through the streets of Osaka that tourists wouldn’t necessarily go. A chance to see Osaka as a local. Our tour guide, Taka, was amazing. He answered so many questions about Osaka, it‘s people and culture. If you’re i retesting in learning about the everyday life of the people in Osaka, I highly recommend this tour.

A great experience

Lindambowler7, Apr 2024

Deepest parts of osaka

Amanda_S, Apr 2024

Was really great learning and seeing the deepest parts of Osaka and learning the current day life in Osaka our guide mico was fantastic and very friendly.

A Must Do

Caleb_W, Apr 2024

Michael was a funny, friendly and informative guide. The tour featured unique insights about the area, and the restaurants featured were amazing. Highly recommend

Down and Dirty Backstreets of Osaka

Ruth_R, Apr 2024

Great tour Guide, Bryan from Derry, Ireland! Very interesting to learn so much about the underbelly of Osaka. Really enjoyed walking through so many varied areas. Pink Brothel District was very revealing. BIG thank you to Bryan for his storytelling, people skills, and humor.

Quirky and interesting

Rachel_S, Apr 2024

An interesting account of aspects of life in Japan which you would not see on the normal tourist route. Sasha was a well informed and experienced resident of Japan who gave a sincere account of the life there.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Quirky is the word! Another is uncensored and unfiltered. That is all we are about in this great land of ours! Sasha studies this at Osaka University, so he is happy to pass on his knowledge...and humor too 😀

Very good

Vishnu_G, Apr 2024

Very knowledgeable guide with massive experience in Osaka. Offered a very unique perspective and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Full five stars for the guide and the trip !!!

We saw it all

Josh_E, Apr 2024

Super fun walking tour. Great insights on the area and history. Respectfully showed the veiled side of the city and culture. Great sense of humor and pace.

Not your regular tour.. 10/10

Jamiro_E, Mar 2024

Taka-san was an amazing tour guide! He's such a chill guide and everything he had to say was super interesting. It was a very fun learning experience with many different aspects. And we absolutely loved the restaurant at the end as well. Whether it's your 1st or 5th time visiting Osaka, we definetly recommend this tour! Taka, if you ever come to the Netherlands you should let us guide you too!

Very pleasant tour, out the box perspective.

Marielaurence_g, Mar 2024

The guid, Sacha, was really interesting and knew a lot about the city and Japan. We had an out the box perspective and visit a very lively area, stropping at some significative points in the daily live of people Finally we have diner with the group and we really enjoyed this time. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone curious of Japan.

Good but be careful choosing the dinner option

Jane_T, Mar 2024

Our guide himself, was very good and overall the experience was good BUT the dinner at the end was not that great. The place was okay, food was salty and two people in our group were sat opposite a local person who was drunk. Not a pleasant thing when trying to eat. It was also quite late by the time we sat down to eat.

Different in a good way, best for adults!

Brian_G, Mar 2024

We had a lovely time going through the streets of Osaka, learning about the interests of the people that live and frequent there. Brian was very engaging as a tour guide, giving us the lay of the land. We explored Shinsekai areas, navigating mazelike neighborhoods, had takoyaki, beverages, shot some arrows, lots of cool interaction within the group! would definitely recommend!

Top Cultural tour

Margaret_S, Mar 2024

Sasha has a deep knowledge of Japan. He is writing a thesis on the culture as a brand & his goal was to peek behind the curtain of the public image of Japan to give us a local’s understanding of life. We highly recommend this tour!! The dinner at the end was scrumptious as well!!

Great time

Candice_W, Mar 2024

Great your and very knowledgeable. It was interesting to see other areas we likely would not have came across. The food was also good!

Great tour. Lots of insights into Japan.

Wadie_M, Mar 2024

One of the best tours we had. Sasha was very knowledgeable and gave us so many details and anectodes about Japan and Osaka. He made us laugh many times and has given a unique insights on the Japanese scoiety. Highly recommend this tour.

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