Hey guys, I was walking through Dotonbori with my friends on 9/21 and this weird guy jumped out from a corner and took a picture of us. He had his flash on and didn’t say anything and proceeded to run away when we tried to ask him what he was doing.

He was white, had kind of greasy hair, a grey shirt and basketball shorts on. He has a legit camera with flash. Really just wanna know what’s going on with that picture.

Thanks I feel weirded out.

Where can I dispose of powerbank here in osaka near shinsaibashi?? Flight is tomorrow evening and my powerbank started to heat up a bit, so i dont wanna bring it in the plane. Where can i dispose of this properly? Thank you

(大阪の心斎橋周辺で、モバイルバッテリーを適切に処分できる場所はどこでしょうか？明日の夕方に飛行機に乗る予定なのですが、モバイルバッテリーが少し熱を持ち始めたため、機内には持ち込みたくありません。どこで処分すればよいか教えていただけますか？よろしくお願いします。)

I hear the Suma Alps are beautiful, and there's a ridge walk that shouldn't be missed! If anybody wants to join Sunday 20th, followed by some optional food in Kobe, let me know! Kobe is only 20 mintues by train from Osaka, and then another 30 minutes on a train from there. The More the merrier 😉. If you're english is not too good, I can teach you english and you can teach me Japanese ;)

(One photo of the Suma Alps, and of me from recent Kumano Kodo with fellow hikers, I'm the guy taking the picture)

UPDATE: As people are interested, this is the plan :)

Suma Alps & Mt Takatori Adventure Hike 🥾⛰️

Sunday 20 September — meet 09:00 at Sumaura-koen Station

I’m putting together a hike through one of the most dramatic sections of the mountains above Kobe.

We’ll start at Sumaura-koen, climb through the Suma Alps and cross the famous Uma-no-Se (“Horse’s Back”) — a narrow rocky ridge with fantastic views over Kobe and the Seto Inland Sea. Rather than finishing immediately after the Suma Alps, we’ll continue across Mt Yokoo and Mt Takatori, making this a proper mountain day before descending toward Itayado.

Route: Sumaura-koen → Hachibuse → Hatafuri → Tekkai → Takakura → Mt Yokoo → Uma-no-Se → Higashiyama → Mt Takatori → Itayado

Approximate stats:
12 km • ~950 m ascent • ~950 m descent • roughly 5½–7 hours including breaks

This is not an extreme hike, but it is definitely more than a casual walk. There are plenty of steep climbs and stairs, some rough mountain trail, and the Horse’s Back section is narrow and exposed-looking. You should be reasonably fit and comfortable spending several hours hiking.

We’ll keep a sociable pace, stop for views/photos and have a lunch/snack break somewhere along the route.

Meet: 08:50–09:00 at Sumaura-koen Station
Start walking: ~09:05 sharp
Expected finish: roughly 15:00–16:00 at Itayado Station

Bring 1.5–2 L of water, lunch/snacks, decent walking shoes, sunscreen and something for rain just in case. Walking poles too if you have them.

The big attraction is this combination: sea views + Kobe skyline + proper mountain hiking + the spectacular rocky Suma Alps ridge, all while being easily accessible by train from central Kobe.

If the weather makes the exposed ridge unsafe, we’ll modify or shorten the route.

If you want to be added to a whatsapp group, send me your phone number in a private message. If you don't want to be added to the whatsapp group, please at least tell me you're coming :) thanks!

Hey all!

I hate having to trim my mustache (and to a lesser extent my beard) as it’s a lot of work trying to get it nice and even and what not and it’s just annoying. So, I’m trying to find a place that will do it. I already have a shop who cuts my hair but sadly they don’t do beard and mustache trimmings. So if anyone knows of a place that will do it that would be great!

I have an extra ticket, my friend got sick. Would be great to meet some fellow fans, so let me know if you'd like to join!

Edit.: I'm sorry guys, the ticket was gone very fast :(

19,000+ lost their lives to suicide in Japan in 2025. This Saturday we're walking 19,000 steps to honor and remember them while raising awareness about depression and suicide in Japan. Meet us in Tenshiba Park at the Osaka Monument at 10AM this Saturday morning, September 19. We'll walk from Tenshiba to Umekita Park.

I need to shop for clothes but I’m unsure if I should buy winter clothes or not

Ive tried Matsuyamatchi and many online stores. Can anyone think of any specific Osaka districts where you can buy character goods wholesale? Im thinking plushies, diy kits, nanoblocks, etc.

We are looking at art schools in Japan. in our search we came across Osaka School of Art, short name OSA. Not to be confused with the Osaka University. It sounds good on the website but I can not find any social media accounts or even discussion online about it.

has anyone heard of it? Is it a real school? legitimate business? It’s looking more and more like a scam the deeper I look for anything.

Anyone in Osaka been there or seen it?

https://www.osaculturalvisa.com

Walked past someone on the riverbank yesterday with a Canon pointed at the skyline reflecting off the water. I asked what she was shooting. Fifteen minutes later we'd covered jobs, hobbies, and somehow ended up deep in a conversation about the political situation back in her home country. It was the kind of talk you rarely get with a stranger.

She's here on a short internship in game development, works on the creative side, and lit up talking about horror and mystery games. Favourite colour green. Already planning her Halloween costume. What struck me most was how deliberately she'd adapted to living here — no handshakes, careful about personal space, that little downward glance when she disagreed instead of pushing back. She said she likes being the kind of Gen Z who doesn't need alcohol or anything else to have a good night, and she said it with pride, not apology.

The photos were for a calendar she's making to send to her family. She said Osaka has been kind to her. From the way she said it, I believe her.

We were both running late and went our separate ways. I didn't ask for a number. I'm not posting this expecting anything — just that it was a good reminder that this city keeps handing out small, unexpected moments if you stop for them.

Whoever ends up with her is a lucky person.

Thank you, Osaka.

TL;DR: Stopped to chat with a stranger taking photos on the Ō-River. Fifteen minutes of real conversation about games, culture, and life abroad. No numbers exchanged, probably never see her again, but grateful to this city for moments like that.

Hi! I just signed up for the evening short course at the YWCA Language School that runs from October to March. I'm just wondering if anyone has anything good (or bad) to say about the school, or maybe you are taking the course with me?

I figured taking structured lessons like this, followed up by weekly cafe/meetup-style lessons offered for free in my town are the best way for me to finally get some conversation and daily life skills under my belt. It's way overdue.

Last week I was listening some music on YouTube, when an old song by an Aussie artist popped up. I wondered what he was up to these days and googled his name, only to find out he will be playing in Osaka next month. I have secured a ticket, so lucky me.

In less lucky cases, last year I was taking a walk around the new arena in Kobe, when I noticed a lot of people wearing The Offspring shirts. They were playing that night and I had no idea. I also found out about the Foo Fighters concert after tickets had sold out.

This has got me wondering, is there any good way to find out about music acts in Kansai from overseas, other than just dumb luck or following the socials of every artist who may or may not be swinging by?

I'm in Japan on a tourist visa and went to the dentist for a check up and clean, explaining I would be paying for the treatment off my own back rather than using Japanese insurance. I explained that I would need a receipt because I will make a claim against my own dental policy which I get through my work (it has global coverage).

The treatment was a bit more comprehensive than I expected given I simply asked for teeth cleaning/scaling. They did a full x ray and a dentist came in to check for cavities etc. Anyway the problem is that the receipt they gave me uses the Japanese 'points' system next to each line item instead of simply stating the cost of each line item in yen (it only has the overall cost in yen). The problem is that my insurance company are adamant that they need some kind of official document from the dentist showing the actual costs, not just the points that mean nothing to anyone outside of Japan.

The points actually correspond to yen, so I don't know why the dentist is so set on not providing a receipt showing the conversion, but I'm unable to claim unless they do. Is this a problem anyone else has come across and what would be the solution? I think the only option might be to ask the clinic to write a letter explaining the points-based system and the corresponding costs in a written letter which is stamped, but given their lack of co-operation so far, I think they might say they're ;unable' to do that, too.

Hope to see many of y'all there! More info and karaoke sign up: https://www.instagram.com/osakaaltnites