Osaka is calling

Four reasons why Japan’s third-largest city should be on your must-visit list this year. By Alex Greig.

So longstanding is Osaka’s affinity with food that the city is known as “Japan’s kitchen” and the phrase

kuidaore – which literally means “to eat oneself bankrupt” – is common. Don’t leave without trying the okonomiyaki, a thick pancake topped with cabbage, meat, vegies and cheese, or some sweet mochi (glutinous-rice cakes). Takoyaki – little balls of battered, deep-fried octopus – is another regional favourite.

Baseball mania to rival the US

Osakans are mad for baseball. Of course, this is Japan so when you attend a Hanshin Tigers game, you won’t find the equivalent of the Barmy Army. Instead, polite fans perform dances, chants and rituals (beating mini baseball bats together in unison, waving small towels), while rival teams are warmly welcomed and beer is served to your seat by women carrying kegs on their backs.

Japan’s longest shopping strip

At 2.6 kilometres, Tenjinbashi-suji – established in the early Meiji era (1868-1912) – is the longest shopping street in Japan. Its 600odd stores, mostly independently owned and run, sell clothing, books and more.

The coolest kitsch

At The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum (instantramenmuseum.jp), you can create your own personalised Cup Noodles to take away. Go to a real-life Pokémon Expo Gym (pokemonexpo-gym.jp). Visit the sevenstorey SpaWorld (spaworld.co.jp), which re-creates spa experiences – including ancient Roman, Persian and traditional Japanese onsen. And explore the neighbourhood of Shinsekai, or New World, built in 1912 as a “city of the future”. From 14 December to 24 March 2018, Qantas will operate three flights a week between Sydney and Osaka.