Images: Osaka from a New Angle: Canal Cruises a Hit with Inbound Tourists

Dōtonbori Shōtengai is the district’s main shopping drag. (© Nippon.com)

Restaurant signs compete to catch the attention of passersby. (© Nippon.com)

The signboard lights up 30 minutes after sunset. Visitors imitate the famous “Glico pose”: running with hands raised in victory. (© Nippon.com)

Dōtonbori is lined with takoyaki stands, specializing in the piping hot octopus dough balls, and open-air cafés. (© Nippon.com)

The Tazaemon-bashi pier, boarding point for the Tonbori River Cruise, is easy to find: Just look for the bright yellow Ferris wheel. (© Nippon.com)

The cruise does a loop along a roughly one-kilometer stretch between the Nippon-bashi and Ukiniwa-bashi bridges. (© Nippon.com)

It’s fun to travel so close to the canal side. The cruise passes under bridges so low you could touch them. (© Nippon.com)

The bridge railing resembles an endless row of spatulas. (© Nippon.com)

Anticipation grows as the cruise nears the Glico sign, where it pauses for photos. (© Nippon.com)

At night, the colorful lights create a special ambiance. (© Nippon.com)

During summer, the canal is lined with 1,300 paper lanterns. (© Pixta)

An estimated 5,300 Hanshin Tigers fans did the “Dōtonbori Dive” to commemorate their team’s victory on September 15, 2003, after the team won the Central League championship. (© Jiji)