Osaka, Japan — Shopping
Shopping in Osaka, Japan
Shopping opportunities in Osaka are so plentiful it will take an extremely determined shopper to exhaust them. Osaka is renowned for it long covered-shopping streets and vast underground shopping malls, as well as specialist shopping areas for electronics and kitchenware.
Markets
On the 21st and 22nd of each month, a large flea market is held in the precincts of Shitenno-ji temple. This is a great place to pick up second-hand silk kimono and other traditional wares.
Shopping centers
Kita has the largest underground shopping mall complex in Japan, connecting most of the train stations in the area and containing a vast number of brand stores, fashionable boutiques, cafés and restaurants. Some of the largest malls are Yodoyabashi Camera, located around JR Osaka Station, and the Hankyu Grand Building and the Hankyu Sanbangai, near Hankyu Umeda Station. The ultra-trendy fashion district of Chayamachi is located nearby. In Minami, the Namba Parks shopping mall is one of Osaka's most fashionable commercial areas, with more than 100 retail outlets, in a pleasant park setting. The Minami area also has several large underground malls, including Crysta Nagahori and Namba Walk. There are also several big shopping complexes above ground, including Shinsaibashi OPA.
Key areas
Japan's longest shopping street, Tenjinbashi-Suji Shopping Arcade, is located in Kita. It is a 2.6km-long (1.6 miles), vault-roofed line of shops interspersed with cinemas, game centers, bars and restaurants. Another key area is Mido-Suji Avenue, a wide, tree-lined street that is Osaka's main north-south thoroughfare. It is also the place for exclusive fashion and design, with elegant brand shops featuring the latest European fashions. The nearby America-Mura has hundreds of fashion shops, bars and restaurants aimed at young Osakans with a taste for rock, punk and hip hop. Nippombashi Den-Den Town in Minami is a paradise for fans of electronics and gadgetry. If you are keen on Japanese cooking, Doguyasuji, just west of Nankai Namba Station, is an entire street of kitchen and tableware shops. It is the place to pick up every kind of pot, pan, dish and chopstick required for Japanese cooking.
Shopping hours
Standard shopping hours in Osaka are Monday to Sunday 1000-2000. Some of the major department stores open until 2100.
Tax information
Some stores will refund the 5% consumption tax if you spend over ¥10,000. You'll need your passport to claim the refund.
