Itineraries

A three-minute walk along the main street from Nakazakicho Sta., take the narrow path beside the hair salon and open the door; you'll find a shop packed with numerous kimonos. Most of them are antique kimonos in cute retro colors such as purple, vermillion and orange, or modern items like denim kiomonos, cute geta using German ribbons as straps, and more. A select shop run by a kimono enthusiast, and worth a visit for anyone.
1-day kimono rentals also available.
Choose your favorite-patterned kimono, and the owner will select an obi and fix you up in an antique style. The rental fee is 9,000 yen/day for an all-inclusive set of undershirt, tabi-socks and other accessories.
No need for reservations, but better to make a reservation in advance just in case the shop is busy.
Enjoy a somewhat different stroll around Osaka wearing a chic kimono.

Step out of Chana, cross the main street into the alley. The Nakazaki-cho neighborhood is a unique area dotted with sundry shops and cafés hither and yon run by young owners in the old streets that escaped wartime bomb damage. Look out for small colorful signboards hung along the eaves of old wooden houses, or stylishly designed entrances. Old ladies chat calmly right next to a cat sitting under the sun. The peaceful scene of kids playing　with balls in the streets somehow suits the small and unique shops, fastidiously maintained in their own mysterious way. If you find an interesting shop, don't hesitate to enter.

As you go up to the ninth floor of the corner building at Tenjimbashisuji 6-chome of Kita Area in Osaka, the life-sized streets of Osaka from the Edo Period (early 1830's) will spread out before your eyes. Step into the town, and you'll find a public bath, drug stores, novelty shops and kimono shops, while walking through the alley, you'll also catch a glimpse of what the life of ordinary folk was like in row houses along the back alley. Solid pillars, the scent of tatami and wood, and white plastered walls... The time flow of a day is expressed through lighting and sound effects - even thunder, festival music or the chattering voices of housewives' gossip. You're totally in another world, in this space just as if you've wandered into a historical drama. In addition, the modern life of Osaka is re-created with precise models and documents on the eighth floor. Traditional old-time toys and snacks are sold at the museum shop - ideal for souvenirs!

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Right outside of the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living is the Tenjinbashisuji Shotengai stretching out from north to south. This arcaded shopping street, said to be the "longest in Japan", is a busy street with a total of approx. 600 shops standing all in a row. All kinds of shops are located here, from restaurants of all categories, shops selling convenience goods or clothes, cafés, bars and amusement facilities. You can count on sushi, just right for enjoying a meal while wearing kimono. There is a block where reasonably-priced and good sushi bars are concentrated; the shopping street is fun to stroll around.

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Walk westward along Sennichimae-dori from the station, and you'll see the cobbled slope, Shingonzaka, on your left. Located in this area are the historical slopes called "Tennoji Nanasaka (seven slopes)", surrounded by temples, giving the area a traditional atmosphere. Shingonzaka is one of them, where the atmosphere changes completely once you turn in from the main street, leading you into a quiet townscape. At the end of the slope is the famous Ikukunitama Shrine, where a historical scene unfolds with the elegant night-light made in 1860. Crossing westward through Ikukunitama Shrine, you will get to Genshojizaka, one of the best known among the Tennoji Nanasaka. Walk down the steps and the curving road, and it will lead to the old cobbled downhill slope. Appreciate the good old streets of Osaka in a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.

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