Theater + shopping in Osaka

Namba is the heart of the shopping and entertainment area in Osaka, Japan. On a trip in September ’05, my husband, Don, and I took the Chuo Line subway from Osaka to Honmachi, then boarded the train on the Yotubashi line (blue color code). Once we emerged in Namba, we had no problem locating the roofed shopping street.

Dotonbori street runs off the shopping street. Here, Shochikuza Theater, the National Bunraku Theaer, Shin Kabukiza Theater, the Namba Grand Kagetsu Theater (which features comedy performances) and the Museum of Kamigata Performing Arts stand side by side with cinemas and pachinko palaces.

This is also the heart of restaurant row, where eateries compete for your attention with an unbelievable assortment of giant, colorful figures: blowfish, crabs, octopus, Buddha in an apron, and more.

We emerged from Dotonbori onto the Ebisu-bashi (Crab Bridge) and came to the Midosuji shopping promenade, with shops that date back to the Edo period (1603-1867). Today it looks like a completely modern street, yet in the midst of the hustle and bustle there was a little shrine where passersby took time out for a moment of meditation.

MINEKO McCLURE

Fairmont, WV