Just a heads up for anyone planning to go to Katsuoji and Minoh during the autumn leaves this year.

It hasn't been officially announced yet, but during the weekends of the autumn leave season (most likely November 14th~December 6th), there will be a 1 way system imposed on the road up to Katsuoji from Minoh station, and there will be no access between the waterfall and Katsuoji, apart from by walking.

This means, anyone planning on going by taxi or bike between the temple and waterfall, that won't be possible, you'll have to walk.

The specific dates haven't been officially announced for this year yet, but I called the Minoh tourism association to check and they said they will do soon, and the restrictions will be in place this year too.

You can see a map with the specifics from last years restrictions:

https://www.city.minoh.lg.jp/kankou/ippoutsuukoukisei2024.html

Anyway, for anyone that wants to cycle up there, or use taxis, please go on a week day during that time.

edit: I said I called the police, but it was actually the tourism association who said it's the police that handle it but it's going ahead. I actually did just try to call the police to ask them about a specific point about it, but they said they couldn't answer any specific questions because the plan isn't fixed yet.

Solo traveller in Japan looking for company for karaoke

Hello everyone,

I will be spending 3 weeks in Japan from Dec 21 to Jan 9 with 2 friends, and we were looking forward to experience New Year's the way japanese people do. We've done some research about visiting temples, the 108 bell ringing, Hatsumode and many other customs, stuff that is mainly commonly found on the internet.

Thus, my question is: is there something we should be paying attention that isn't commonly known (to westners)? Something that we should be looking out for in order to not disrespect the people and the culture, something that we shouldn't be supposed to do or we're supposed to do (taking into account that we're not Japanese).

In general, we really just wanna experience a celebration of a culture completely different to ours with the due respect towards it and the people, so any single tip is very much welcomed.

Thank you in advance to whoever takes the time to answer

I’ll be honest Reddit, the recommendations you gave for Hiroshima were not good - or maybe the nightlife there isn’t great.

Looking for lively bars/pubs in Osaka. Not fussed if there are tourists or not - just want a good time in a lively place. Coming with friends!

planning to get gifts for my family, friends, and coworkers! i've hears tokyo has a giant Beams store but wondering if there are any alternative shops in Osaka?

I’m a sucker for nature and extended, lowkey walks/hikes, but I kind of want to sit down and doodle the immediate surroundings; not only to have the memories on my phone thru photos, but also to test my drawing skills and be a bit immersed in the nature :)

Is there a good spot in the rough vicinity to sit down for an hour or so with a nice, open view and just sketch the views? Ideally somewhere with more nature and greenery as opposed to somewhere urban. A mix of both is okay as well though!

As the title says, does anyone know where I can find vintage fruits magazines in Osaka?

I’ve tried the ichiran instant ramen and really enjoyed it. Now I’m hoping to ask for any recommendations of other instant ramen to try and take back home. It can ben ramen, yakisoba or any instant noodles you recommend to buy at a local supermarket/grocery. Thank you in advance!

Hello need some advice for a trip to Osaka. What are some good Toy stores in Osaka area? Primarily looking for Takara Tomy Transformers, shf and more import brands like mafex.

Hey guys! Me and my friend are traveling to Osaka this October to see a kpop concert for a group called XLOV. And we were interested in finding someone or place that could do gyaru or douyin makeup or alternative hairstyles? We don't want to do a photoshoot and we don't want to go a place that just does makeup or hairstyles for kimono rentals. Any suggestions on how to find or reccomendations?

I booked some cheap tickets to osaka for September 1-22, but I didn't realize that the heat is so intense this time of year. How do people manage it? I'm from a pretty cold area myself so I didn't even consider this issue :DDD I'm almost considering booking an onward flight to hokkaido after looking at the forecast.....

One thing I learned traveling Osaka with my girlfriend is that we have VERY different opinions on restaurant lines.

She sees a huge line and thinks, "must be worth it."

I see it and think, "there has to be somewhere else."

A few days into the trip, we were in Namba heading to a popular sukiyaki place she really wanted to try. The wait was around 85 minutes.

She was like, "It's fine, I really wanna try it."

Meanwhile I'm thinking, fuck, not another line.

I'd been using Rapym a lot during the trip to check wait times, so I opened it and found another sukiyaki place about 10 minutes away with basically no wait.

I showed her and said, "Can we please just try this one instead?"

She goes, "Fine, but if it sucks, that's on you."

We got there and were seated immediately.

Old-school place, mostly locals, really good sukiyaki. I was feeling VERY proud of myself for saving us over an hour.

Then we finished eating.

I pulled out my card.

Cash only.

Checked my wallet.

Not enough cash 💀

My girlfriend just looked at me and went,

"Wow. Great plan."

So I had to leave her there while I went looking for an ATM lol.

Still worth it though. I'd take 10 minutes looking for an ATM over 85 minutes standing in line any day.

TL;DR: Girlfriend wanted to wait 85 minutes for sukiyaki. Rapym helped me find another good place nearby with no wait. Felt like a genius until I realized it was cash only.

Do people actually enjoy waiting for famous restaurants, or am I just insanely impatient?

How much would you expect to pay for a Kobe Beef meal?
I saw some adds showing 6800 yen for 110 grams. Is that typical?
Planning on going to Kobe and thought it would be appropriate to try a Kobe Beef meal.
Also can someone recommend some dining options.

Hi, anyone can recommend a good budget option hotel in osaka? Budget within RM 250/50 USD, as long as its clean, within 5 mins walk to train stations would be good enough for us

Hello! I’m looking to get some advice on the best travel route to Osaka from the Narita airport. I’ve already booked my flights to Japan and we decided to book into and out of the Narita airport because flights were crazy low around $900.

We fly into Narita on a Monday in October at 3:30PM. I’ve read lots of mixed reviews of people recommending taking trains to Osaka and some recommending taking a flight straight from Narita to Osaka. I did find a flight from Narita to KIX airport that takes off at 7PM and lands at 8:50PM. I’m trying to decide if this is worth it or not? The ticket is crazy cheap ($65) but I’m a little unsure about timing, rechecking bags, and then it looks like once we would get into KIX, the train ride would be about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to our hotel. So we wouldn’t get there til 11. I guess the positives with this route, is we have a buffer of about 3.5 hours between flying into Narita and the flight to Osaka so we would be able to relax in the airport and get food and kind of settle down. Just a little nervous about flights getting delayed, navigating the airport, and getting into Osaka so late.

Whereas if we take the trains, I was looking at the routes and it seems like it could be a bit stressful with switching to different train lines, purchasing the tickets, and bringing all of our luggage with us. It’ll also be peak busy time, as I presume it’ll be around 5PM on a Monday that we get through customs. So I’m worried about navigating the train and figuring out where to go- although I have seen some videos breaking it down that seem to be a bit helpful. On top of that, I’m worried about being super tired because it will technically be around midnight back home. But it seems like with taking the train, depending on how long customs take, we wouldn’t arrive to Osaka until around 10ish or after.

What would you recommend?? The person I’m visiting with, has been to Japan once before and kind of has an idea of getting around but it’s been a while and I don’t plan to rely on their knowledge of the train systems.

Hi! This is my first time using Reddit, so I apologize if this post doesn’t follow the community rules. Please let me know if I should change or remove anything.

I’m a university student in Osaka, and I’m currently thinking about starting a small service for foreign travelers visiting Osaka and the Kansai area.
The idea is to create a personalized “Route Card” that makes train travel easier.

You would tell us things like:
・where you are
・where you want to go
・the date and time you plan to travel
Then we would create a simple visual guide showing which train to take, where to transfer, where to get off, and what part of the route map or station signs to look at.
We’re thinking about this because train systems in Osaka and other major Japanese cities can be confusing, especially for first-time visitors.
Before actually launching the service, I’d really like to hear opinions from people who are planning to visit Japan or have traveled here before.

Would you find something like this useful?

I’d also love to know:
・What is the most confusing part of using trains in Japan?
・Is Google Maps enough for you, or are there things it doesn’t explain well?
・What kind of information would you want on a Route Card?
・Would you ever pay a small amount for a personalized guide like this?

Any honest feedback would be really helpful. Thank you!

Trying to find one of the those tempura places where it’s like omakase where you sit at the counter and eat it when the chef makes it.

I inly have 1 full day in Osaka unfortunately which is 9/20, something I didn’t get to try last time I was there. I’ve checked the Michelin guide but all those don’t have reservations available for that day. I’m willing to spend up to 30,000 yen if needed but prefer not to.

Staying in Umeda but willing to travel.