Osaka Shinsekai: Cheap Dining and Plenty of Atmosphere

Shinsekai teems with people looking for cheap, delicious food.

The popular Yaekatsu restaurant in Shinsekai always has a long line outside.

All the food lined up on the counter looks fresh and delicious.

You can watch the staff fry up your order right before your eyes. Free sauce and cabbage awaits customers on every counter and at every table.

It’s best to get lots of sauce all over the skewer with that first dip.

Kushi-katsu are around ¥100 per skewer and are generally ordered three or more at a time.

Doteyaki are around ¥300 for three skewers.

Myōdai Tsurukameya, located right by Tsūtenkaku.

Sennariya in Janjan Yokochō Alley

The retro interior is very relaxing.

Kankan has waste bins just outside, making it easy to eat and run.

Fluffy, delicious takoyaki.

Tsūtenkaku rising up from Shinsekai.

The view from Tsūtenkaku’s observation offers a great view of Abeno Harukas, the tallest building in Japan (and third-tallest structure of all kinds, behind Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Tower) at 300 meters.

The shrine to Billiken located on the fifth-floor observation deck.

The top of Tsūtenkaku features a weather forecast display, this particular one indicating “clear skies followed by clouds.”

The Billiken Shrine offers omikuji fortune-telling strips of paper. 

One of the many statues of Billiken appearing outside of restaurants in Shinsekai.