Dotonbori Osaka - running man, giant crabs and Spidermen!
Update: The famous Glico Running Man is due to be switched off on 30 November 2026 for renovation work and won't be replaced until spring 2027. A stand-in billboard will bridge the gap, but don't miss the deadline if you're determined to have your photograph taken with the iconic athlete!
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Even if you've never been here or don't even know what it's called (Dotonbori), I'm willing to bet that this narrow canal running through the centre of the city, bedazzled with the neon lights of the billboards along its length, is one of the first images that comes to mind when you think of Osaka. Busy enough during the day, walking around the area in the evening is reduced to a very slow shuffle, it's loud, it's shrill and it's virtually impossible to get the photos you might want, so...
Is it worth visiting Dotonbori in Osaka?
Yes, even if it's just a short visit. Having lived in Osaka for several years, we got our fill of Dotonbori well before the tourist boom. But we still advise first-timers in Osaka to go see it - it would be like visiting New York and not seeing Times Square, visiting London and not going to Piccadilly Circus. You just have to know what to expect and plan accordingly, so as not to get overwhelmed (with the crowds) or indeed underwhelmed (when you realise that the whole fuss is about a 30-metre wall of neon, a big plastic crab and a couple of young guys dressed up as Spiderman).
What is Dotonbori?
Technically, Dotonbori is the name of the canal itself and the city district to the south of it. But when most tourists hear Dotonbori, they think of the stretch of boardwalk alongside the canal from Tazaemon Bridge in the east to Dotonbori Bridge in the west, plus the Dotonbori Shopping Street (Dotonbori Shotengai) to the south. The canal-side walk is lined with restaurants, bars and entertainment venues (for example, the crazy looking, yellow ferris wheel). There are stage areas too, where you can often see street entertainers or performances by up-and-coming girl-or-boy bands. "Shopping Street" is a bit of a misnomer for Dotonbori Shotengai, since in reality it's almost wall-to-wall restaurants and street-food stands, broken up by the odd small souvenir shop here and there and a couple of drugstores.
Dotonbori food: eat until you drop
Osaka’s motto is kuidaore ("eat until you drop"), and Dotonbori is ground zero:
Takoyaki (octopus balls): Crispy outside, gooey inside with a nice chunk of octopus in the middle, topped with bonito flakes and sweet brown sauce. It's practically obligatory to eat takoyaki while in Osaka, but watch out: they're like molten lava and will burn every last tastebud of your tongue if you're not careful.
Okonomiyaki: Savoury cabbage and pork pancakes grilled on teppan plates. In some restaurants, it's a cook-for-yourself situation: you're sat in front of the teppan at your table, given the ingredients and more or less told to get on with it. In others, the chef will do the cooking for you.
Kushikatsu: If there's one other dish that screams Osaka as loudly as takoyaki, it's kushikatsu. Breaded, deep-fried skewers of meat, seafood, and vegetables, traditionally associated with the city's Shinsekai district but also a staple up here in Dotonbori.
Late-Night Ramen: Kinryu Ramen’s open-air tatami counters serving garlicky tonkotsu broth 24/7 under a neon green dragon.
Crab at Kani Doraku: You're very unlikely to miss this restaurant, since it's the one on the corner with the big-ass crab on the wall waving its arms at you. For most tourists, it's a photo opportunity, but, far from being a gimmick, the restaurant is actually highly rated and has been a feature of the Dotonbori landscape for over 60 years.
Those are just some of the stand-out options, but there's honestly something for everybody within a few 100 metres: there's a huge Kura Sushi (conveyor-belt sushi chain), a Bikkuri Donki (a hamburger-steak chain), a Taco Bell and other fast-food options such as a Lotteria that's been there as long as I can remember and several coffee shops, including Starbucks. I always really love a lunch in Ganko - another chain that has everything from sushi and tempura to eel and udon.
What is there to see and do in Dotonbori (aside from eating)
Tonbori river cruise
This is most popular activity in Dotonbori and is an entertaining way to experience the area from another perspective. The flat-bottomed canal boats make their way down the canal and back for a ride of around 20 minutes and you get an amusing and energetic commentary (in English) from a guide at the front of the boat. We've done this boat ride both during the day and after dark and I would highly advise you to book an evening slot. These after-dark slots are very much sought after, however, and you should definitely book in advance if possible. There are currently two different companies doing the river cruises: one accepts reservations online (but we when we tried that recently, it didn't seem to work and we didn't get a confirmation by email) and both accept reservations in person at the Dotonburi ticket offices. If you don't book first thing in the morning for a slot the same evening, you've little chance of success unless there's a cancellation. The river cruises during the day are a much more sedate affair and might be a better option if you get easily overstimulated. But the whole point of Dotonbori is the neon lights, the noise and the chaos, and during the day it can feel a bit blah.
The river cruises generally cost around 2000 yen for adults, 1000 yen for students and 500 for children. But they are included for free as part of the Osaka Amazing Pass, which costs around 3500 yen. Our tip: Tonbori River Cruise + one other attraction = the Osaka Amazing Pass has paid for itself already. Click below to check out the Osaka Amazing Pass on Klook. Klook regularly offers discounts, too!
Don Quijote Dotonbori Ebisu Tower ferris wheel
You probably already know this ferris wheel from pictures - it's very distinctive. I don't think I've seen another oval ferris wheel anywhere else, and this one's bright yellow. The ride takes about 15 minutes and costs around 1000 yen (currently cash only).
Is it worth it? To be quite honest, you might feel like it's one of those iconic Osaka experiences, and it might be worth the ticket price to be able to say you've done it. But it's not one of our favourite activities in Osaka. The views aren't especially good (Dotonbori's not very pretty from above) and the whole experience feels a bit dingy - from the dirty windows to the creaking and clunking noises that the thing makes for the whole ride. I would definitely warn those of a nervous disposition to stay clear. Hep5 in Umeda is an altogether sleeker experience, in my opinion. Plus having the staff take your picture and try to sell it to you afterwards makes this ride feel very tourist-trappy.
Ebisu Bridge
This is Dotonbori ground zero. The bridge crosses the canal from Shinsaibashi shopping arcade on one side to the Ebisubashi-Suji shopping arcade on the other and is right beside the neon billboards (including the Glico Running Man), so is a great vantage point. Early in the day, you might see the odd street performer here, but from late afternoon onwards, the crowds are at a peak and there's only room for the Spiderman guy, who clings from a lamppost in the middle of the bridge and offers souvenir selfies for a small donation. When we were last here, there was a group of young students protesting in the middle of the bridge for a political cause. The police usually move groups like this on as part of crowd management.
Dotonbori Bridge
I actually prefer seeing Dotonbori from this angle. You get the best of the billboards and the rest of the canal, with the little tour boats going up and down, but without the massive crowds. And there's often a Spiderman here too!
Dotonbori webcam
This is just a gimmick but I get a childlike kick out of it every time: there are (at least) two webcams in Dotonbori. One is on the Dotonza building (beside Starbucks) in the Shotengai Shopping Street (opposite the big crab guy) and projects on to the giant screen on the wall right above your head, so you can stand and wave at yourself! By the way, this screen also projects the famous 3D dog in rotation - the canine version of Shinjuku's 3D cat.
The other is a few metres further down the street in the direction of Dotonbori Bridge - possibly above the Family Mart or the entrance to Ebisubashi Suji, I'm not sure. But I do know that the camera is pointed just to the open space beside the crab restaurant in front of Ebisu Bridge. Here's the link: Dotonbori Webcam
Pass the link on to your friends at home, tell them what time you're going to be there and give them a wave live from Osaka!
Kuidaore Taro
This is sort of like a mascot for the Dotonbori district in particular and for Osaka's "eat 'til you drop" philosophy in general. You'll see cute graphic versions of this figure here and there, but the "lifesize" version stands on the Shotengai Shopping Street in front of the Nakaza Cuidaore Building - a tall, skinny, bespectacled dude in a stripey costume, looking like the love-child of Slenderman and Evil Clown. Gives me the creeps but plenty of tourists pose for a selfie with IT.
This one's a wee bit further away from the main drag but is helpfully halfway between the canal and Namba Station, so you won't really have to go out of your way. Hozenji Yokocho is like a mini, slightly more upscale version of Golden Gai in Tokyo with some really cool little restaurants, bars and izakayas lining its cobbled street and centred on Hozenji Temple with its moss-covered statue of Fudo, a Buddhist deity.
Best time to visit Dotonbori
Dotonbori can look a bit sad during the day. Like many of us of a certain age, the buildings lining the canal look better in the dark! Unless there's a particular restaurant you want to try and are determined to beat the crowds, the best time to visit is hands-down after sunset. But you have to prepare for it to be super-crowded. If you're a night-owl anyway, hitting Dotonbori at around 11pm is a completely different story to 3-4 hours earlier. By 11pm, most tourists have moved on, the shops and most restaurants are closed for the night and there are few people around. It's a good opportunity to get a selfie of just you and the running man. Just don't forget about the last train!
How to get to Dotonbori
From Namba Station (Midosuji, Yotsubashi, Sennichimae subway lines / Nankai / Kintetsu): Take Exit 14 or 25; walk 3–4 minutes north to the canal.
From Shinsaibashi Station: Walk south down the Shinsaibashi-suji covered shopping street for 8–10 minutes until it hits Ebisubashi Bridge.
From Shin-Osaka / Osaka (Umeda) Station: Take the Midosuji Line straight to Namba (approx. 8–15 minutes).
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