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Osaka Nightlife

Osaka's nightlife is vibrant, hectic and extremely diverse, and there are an enormous number of bars, clubs, restaurants and entertainment venues throughout the city. Check the free magazine Kansai Scene for the latest info on clubs, bars and one-off dance events.

Osaka also has a lively music and performing arts scene, which showcases its rich cultural traditions as well as its contemporary arts scene. Full details of all traditional arts performances are listed in the free quarterly booklet Meet Ōsaka, which is available at all the tourist offices, as well as in the free monthly Kansai Scene magazine.

Bars in Osaka

Cinquecento

Funky little shot bar in Shinsaibashi with a friendly atmosphere and a local and international clientele. The martini menu is superb and there’s draft beer available as well. The food menu features burgers, as well as small servings of snacks and nibbles. This is an easy place to enter on your own.

1F 2-1-10 Higashi Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6213 6788.

Fubar

This lively sports bar also has a dance club on a separate floor, with guest DJs on Fridays and Saturdays. Most of the time, this is where sports-mad fans come to see live broadcasts of international football. Fubar serves tasty pizza, bagels, burgers, panini and pita wraps. Happy hour for daft beers and cocktails is from 1900-2000 every night.

2F 1-5-2 Shinsaibashi-suji, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6245 3757.
Website: www.fubarosaka.com

The Blarney Stone

Lively Irish pub in the heart of Umeda with live bands, darts and pool. There’s Guinness and Kilkenny on tap, plus a large selection of international and Japanese brewed ales. The bar food menu has good value standards such as fish and chips and pie and mash. There’s also free Wi-Fi internet access.

2-10-15 Sonezaki, Kita-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6364 2001.
Website: www.the-blarney-stone.com/umeda/index.php

Clubs in Osaka

Club Karma

Club Karma hosts all-night techno and house events on Fridays and Saturdays, often when big-name foreign DJs are in town. It has a rather stark interior so it’s not the place for lounging around. The food menu is good and there’s a happy hour until 2100.

B1 1-5-18 Sonezaki-Shinchi, Kita-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6344 6181.
Website: www.club-karma.com

Joule

This is a wildly popular club in the frenetic Shinsaibashi area of Osaka. It has a definitely mainstream music policy but the atmosphere is casual and friendly. There’s a third-floor lounge for chilling out when the dance floor gets too full.

2, 3, 4F 2-11-7 Nishi-Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6214 1223.
Website: http://iflyer.tv/joule

Sam & Dave

This is a chain of nightclubs that are all characterised by a high-energy factor, as well as plenty of fun and drink enjoyed by foreigners and locals alike. There are regular guest DJs playing house, R&B, hip hop, disco and Top 40. The most popular Sam & Dave is in Nagahoribashi, but there are also clubs in Shinsaibashi and Umeda, which also attract large crowds.

1F 1-21-19 Shimanouchi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6243 6848.
Website: www.samanddave.jp

Live Music in Osaka

Billboard Live Osaka

This is an intimate supper club with top jazz, soul, R&B and folk performers every night. The sound system is excellent and Billboard’s in-house restaurant and bar serve tasty food and drinks.

B2 2-2-2 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6342 7722.
Website: www.billboard-live.com/club/o_index.html

Blue Note Osaka

The Blue Note is one of Osaka's finest live venues, featuring top international and Japanese artists performing an eclectic range of musical genres from jazz to R&B. There are two shows a night – the first starts at 1830 and the second at 2130.

2-3-21 Sonezaki-shinchi, Kita-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6342 7722.
Website: http://osaka-bluenote.co.jp/obn/information/information.html

Shinsaibashi Club Quattro

This is a popular club in Osaka for reggae, hip hop, metal and hard rock acts and attracts a young crowd. Gigs start surprisingly early in the evening, so arrive on time to make sure you see the show.

8F, 1-9-1 Shinsaibashi-suji, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6281 8181.
Website: www.club-quattro.com

Classical Music in Osaka

Osaka Festival Hall

Located on Nakanoshima Island and seating more than 2,700 people, Festival Hall is the Kansai region's main music hall, hosting a wide range of musical performances including big opera and ballet productions.

2-3-181 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6231 2221.
Website: www.festivalhall.jp

The Symphony Hall

The first venue in Osaka specifically built for classical music (opened in 1982), The Symphony Hall has a capacity of 1,704 seats and a reputation as one of Japan's finest classical music venues.

2 Oyodo-minami, Kita-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6453 6000.
Website: www.asahi.co.jp/symphony

Theatre in Osaka

National Bunraku Theatre

Osaka is the birthplace of Bunraku, Japan's own style of puppet theatre, and the National Bunraku Theatre keeps the art form alive and well.

1-12-10 Nippombashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6212 2531.
Website: www.ntj.jac.go.jp/english

Osaka Shochikuza Theatre

The stately Osaka Shochikuza Theatre puts on three to five different Kabuki theatre performances annually, including the Shinshun Dai Kabuki (New Year's Great Kabuki).

1-9-19 Dotombori, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6214 2211.
Website: www.shochiku.com

Shin Kabukiza Theatre

Kabuki theatre can also be seen at the magnificent Shin Kabukiza Theatre in Namba. The theatre also stages top-artist Manzai, or two-man comedy acts, modern drama, and a variety of popular shows.

4-3-25 Namba, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Tel: (06) 6631 2121.
Website: www.shinkabukiza.co.jp

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