So, let me guess: you are in Osaka looking for anime spots or attractions?
Well, you’re on the right post.
Right now, I’ll show you the best anime spot in Osaka.
The best part?
It is completely FREE.
What is Nipponbashi (DenDenTown)?
Nipponbashi, known colloquially as “Den-Den Town,” is a small outdoor shopping district. In a few words, it is the best geek spot in Osaka, Japan.
Compared to Akihabara, Nipponbashi is smaller, so you won’t get lost!
Access
How to get there?
The closest stations are:
- Ebisucho station (Sakaisuji Subway Line)
- Nipponbashi station (Sakaisuji Subway Line, Sennichimae Subway Line).
How to get from Dotonbori to DenDenTown?
It is a 14-minute walk (south) from Dotonbori to DenDenTown. And, no, you don’t need to take the metro!
Shopping hours
Most of the stores open from 10 am to 9 pm.
What is the best time to visit Nipponbashi?
It doesn’t matter; any time is a good time to visit.
Where can I find a coin locker?
If you hate carrying things around (like me) and want to leave your stuff while doing some “otaku shopping”, you can leave it in a coin locker.
You can find some inside Nipponbashi station.
If you are struggling to find one, you can show the following question to any metro staff:
コインロッカーはどこにありますでしょうか?
coinlokka ha doko ni arimasudeshouka
Where are the coin lockers?
Where to find currency exchange and/or ATM?
Here are two currency exchange stores:
- Currency Exchange Kong, it is a 1-minute walk from the Namba station’s C1 exit.
Address: 〒542-0076 Osaka, Chūō-ku, Nanba, 3-chōme−8, 中央区難波5
- Currency Exchange OSAKA NIPPONBASHI
Address: 5-chōme-9-12 Nipponbashi
As for ATM, there are plenty around DenDenTown. Just search for “atm 日本橋大阪” and Google will show a lot of results.
If you don’t have internet, ask one of the metro’s staff:
一番近いATMはどこですか？
ichiban chikai ATM ha dokodesuka
Where is the closest ATM?
Don’t forget that many stores in Japan don’t accept credit card, so please bring a lot of cash!
How much money do I need?
It depends on what you want to buy. If you are looking for anime Figures and cosplay, you will need a bigger budget.
How much time do I need?
That is all up to you. You can spend anywhere from 1 hour to a whole day visiting stores & doing shopping.
If you have already visited Akihabara in Tokyo, I think that one or two hours will be enough. Remember: Akihabara is bigger and I think you’ll have more luck finding bargains there.
Re:Zero: Ram & Petelgeuse’s key chain
What can I expect from DenDenTown?
- Anime & manga stores (figures, keychains, etc)
- Maid café
- Electronics
- Restaurants
- Retro video games
- Gashapon (Japanese toy capsule)
- Anime-themed café
In other words, a variety of stores and a lot of fun!
One Punch Man: Saitama figure
Where to find cheap anime figures?
You will find a lot of stores selling anime figures and anime goods. The prices can range from 1,100 yen (10 USD) to 30,000 (274USD). It depends on the quality of the figure.
My advice is to check a lot of stores before buying anything.
You can find the same product in a different store at a lower price!!
Compare prices before buying anything! Don’t get antsy!
One store that drew my attention was Torejara, because I found some figures of “old” anime like Bleach, Shaman King and Death Note.
Also, I found second-hand Saint Seiya figures for around 4,000 yen (36 USD).
You can also find cool anime merchandise in Animate’s building. Lashinbang, Melonbooks, and C-labo are all stores you can find in the same building as Animate.
What is the best retro video game store?
Super Potato!
*Super Potato has stores in Tokyo, Nagoya, etc. You can find more information on their official website (only in Japanese).
Address: 〒556-0005 大阪府大阪市浪速区日本橋3-8-18 平田ビル１階
Where to buy Anime T-shirts?
The best place to find anime T-shirts in Osaka is definitely GEE! Store.
You can find T-shirts of:
And much more!
Address: 7-7 Nanbasennichimae, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0075, Japan
If you are in Tokyo and want to buy some t-shirts, you need to check out this post:
Where can you find cosplay costumes?
You can also find cosplay at GEE! Store. For example, I ran into Rem & Ram’s cosplay from Re: ZERO.
Are there anime events in DenDenTown?
The most important anime event that takes place in Nipponbashi is Nipponbashi Street Festa. It has been held once per year in March.
Are there anime-themed cafés?
There is one café called Good Smile × Animate Cafe Osaka Nippombashi. The cafe is decorated with a different anime every month.
This month, the cafe is filled with Tsukino Paradise decor and next month it’ll be World Trigger’s turn!
Address: Japan, 〒556-0005 Osaka, Naniwa-ku, Nipponbashi, 4-chōme−４丁目15-17
Where to buy manga?
The biggest stores to find manga are:
- Comic Toranoana
- Comics
- Melonbooks
Where to buy cheap collectible card games?
There are a lot (believe me, a lot!) of collectible card stores in Nipponbashi.
You will spot one every 50 meters!
Some of them are:
- HobbyStation
- Torekamania
- Dragonstar
- C-labo
The best one?
As I mentioned in the Anime Figures section, check a lot of stores before buying anything.
You can find the same card in a different store at a lower price.
Again: compare prices before buying, don’t get antsy!
Some of the popular trading card games you will spot are:
- Yu-Gi-Oh!
- Magic: The Gathering
- Pokémon
- Duel Masters
- Dragon Ball Heroes
Also, you’ll be surprised to hear you can also find cards of:
- Code Geass
- Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack On Titan)
- KonoSuba!
- Detective Conan
- Fate/Apocrypha
…and more!
They also sell deck protector sleeves of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Goblin Slayer and more!
Remember that most of the cards are in Japanese. I couldn’t find cards in English. Please let me know in the comments below if you know a store that sells them.
Where to buy board games?
One of the Yellow Submarine stores sells a lot of different board games.
You can even find a board game of Gundam!
*Note that most of the board games are in Japanese.
Address: Japan, 〒556-0011 Osaka, Naniwa-ku, Nanbanaka, 2-chōme−1−3 川合ビル
Gashapon (Japanese Toy Capsule)
Walking around DenDenTown you will spot a Gashapon machine outside almost every store.
You can find gacha of Kaguya-sama, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Dragon Ball, etc.
Video game-themed convenience store
One Lawson convenience store is Dragon Quest-themed. The walls and floors are covered in Dragon Quest: Builders decorations.
If you can’t go to Osaka, there is also one in Akihabara, Tokyo..
And by the way, if you love Square Enix media, check out this article below:
Where to buy non-Japanese anime products?
Well, in that case, you are in the wrong country!
Just kidding.
There is a store called Astro Zombies where you can find official merchandise of Marvel, DC, Disney, and other non-Japanese series.
Address: 3-chōme-6-9 Nipponbashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka, 556-0005, Japan
Maid cafés in Nipponbashi
Aside from anime stores, you can also find Maid Cafés. Parlante, Maidreamin & Cocha are some of them.
What to eat in DenDenTown? Any vegetarian place?
You can find Takoyaki, Hamburgers, Kebab, etc.
My recommendation is to try Ebiyaki (shrimp balls)!
It’s exactly the same as Takoyaki but instead of octopus, it’s shrimp inside instead.
Try it!!! If you’re like me and don’t like octopus, you MUST try ebiyaki,
So far, this is the only restaurant where I could find Ebiyaki in Japan.
Address: 3-chōme-8-14 Nipponbashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka, 556-0005, Japan
I couldn’t find a good restaurant for vegans and vegetarians. But, there’s a Family Mart in the middle of DenDenTown so you can buy things like rice balls (onigiri) and fruits. If you know any good restaurants, let me know in the comments and I will add it.
Any other cafés?
Yes, try out Ookini Coffee.
My travel buddy doesn’t like anime, what should I do?
Dotonbori is one of the biggest attractions in Osaka, they can go there while you’re walking around Nipponbashi.
It’s just a 14-minute walk.
Another spot nearby is the Kuromon Ichiba Market.
What should I do after visiting DenDenTown?
Walk north for 14 minutes to get to Dotonbori.
Or, you can go to Umeda. It’s a nice place to visit and there’s also a Pokémon Center there. Umeda is around 30 minutes by train.
Is it worth it to go to Osaka/Nipponbashi?
If you’re in Japan for fewer than 10 days, I wouldn’t recommend you go to Osaka. I think that splitting the days between Kyoto and Tokyo would be wiser.
If you happen to be in Osaka, pay DenDen Town a visit. The place is worth going on its own, and you will have a lot of fun!
That said, if you already did a lot of anime tourism in Tokyo, like visiting Akihabara for example, I wouldn’t recommend going,
Because Nipponbashi is like a very small Akihabara.
And that is all. I hope this was helpful,
Is there something that I forgot to add in this guide?
How was your experience at this anime spot?
Let me know in the comments below! 😀