This article is based on a visit made on Sunday, 20 November 2016.
Dotonbori (道頓堀,
Dōtonbori, lit. 'Dōton canal'), also spelled Dotombori, is an entertainment district in Osaka's southern Namba region, built along a canal of the same name. The MO of Dotonbori is gastronomic overload -- if you can think of any Japanese food item, odds are there's a joint here that serves it. With delicacies like takoyaki, okonomi-yaki, ramen, sushi, and more to be found on the many menus, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
(Not me, though; I just ate.)
Named after Yasui Doton (安井道頓,
Yasui Dōton, 1533-1615), the man who started expanding this river, Dotonbori saw its first developments under the Tokugawa Shogunate in the 17th century, when multiple kabuki and bunraku theatres were set up in the area. Restaurants sprang up alongside them to serve the influx of patrons. Most of these theatres have been lost to time, and more specifically the bombings of World War II, but the relatively newer Shochiku-za, built in the 1920s, survived and is active to this day.
The most iconic advert in all of Dotonbori could very well be Glico's "running man", seen here on the left. The original Running Man was erected in 1935 and used neon lights. The sixth-generation sign, seen here, switched to LEDs and may occasionally change its background. The Running Man and its neighbours are best seen from the Ebisubashi (戎橋, lit. 'Ebisu bridge') pedestrian bridge, although it is very, very crowded. Ebisubashi is named after the god
Ebisu, since there is a shrine named after and dedicated to him 1.5km (4,900 ft.) to the south.
There's not as much to see on the eastern side of Dotonbori, but there are a few interesting sights here and there. For example, the Don Quijote store on the north (left) side of the canal has an oblong Ferris wheel, called the Ebisu Tower (えびすタワー,
Ebisu Tawā), running up and down the front of the building! (11:00 AM - 11:00 PM, ¥600, Website:
(Japanese)) Another good way to take it in would be one of many river cruises that flow up and down the canals.
Even more restaurants, signboards, and not to mention foot traffic, can be found on the street running parallel to Dotonbori canal. Just off of Ebisu-bashi, turn around and you will see one of the area's other iconic adverts. The mechanical crab on the left is the mascot for Kani Doraku (かに道楽,
Kani Dōraku, lit. 'crab indulgence'), a crab restaurant, naturally. There are multiple Kani Doraku locations around Osaka, with three along Dotonbori alone!
This is a billboard for Meiji, a snack food and pharmaceutical company, and a rival company of Glico, mentioned above. Some of their most popular products are Hello Panda, small creme-filled cookies decorated with pictures of panda bears, and Yan Yan, cookie sticks with separate fudge for dipping (sort of like a do-it-yourself Pocky). The farmer guy on this sign is holding a bag of Karl, a milk-cheese snack. Also they put Osaka Castle in the background, for local recognition, I guess.
Here, an Indian/Thai restaurant finds itself next-door to a
gyoza (ギョーザ,
gyōza) restaurant. Gyoza are pan-fried dumplings filled with ground meat (usually pork) and vegetables (cabbage, green onions, ginger, garlic, et al.). They originated from China, where they are known as
jiaozi (饺子, Mandarin Chinese:
jiǎozi). After being adopted by the Japanese, they took on a few changes, such as a thinner dough and a stronger garlic flavour.
Zubora-ya, the fugu restaurant in the middle of Shinsekai, also has a branch here on Dotonbori, it seems.
Speaking of Shinsekai, there's also a kushikatsu place here. Although this chef doesn't seem too happy to see me...
This little drummer boy is known as Kuidaore Taro (くいだおれ太郎,
Kuidaore Tarō), or Kuidaore Ningyo (くいだおれ人形,
Kuidaore Ningyō). The "Kuidaore" in his name is an expression known around Osaka, which means to eat oneself to ruin... yeah, that's pretty much a distinct possibility here. He was first installed in 1950, but the restaurant that had originally placed him, also called "Cui-daore", closed not too long ago, so he was moved a few doors east.
Less ominous (and less creepy, IMO), is this motorised toy of Doraemon that someone had set up to bike around and around this pole. Doraemon (どらえもん), created by Fujiko F. Fujio, is a robot cat sent from the future to a boy named Nobita. It's kind of like a childrens' anime version of
Doctor Who. In America it's mildly popular at best, but is insanely so in Asia. The original Doraemon anime ran for a staggering 1,787 episodes between 1979 and 2005, with another series picking up from there right after!
This fish may not have its own anime series like Doraemon, but I thought it looked cool nonetheless. It stands in front of a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant called Daikisuisan (大起水産), so the fish motif makes sense.
Some of the side-streets offer a decidedly more quaint atmosphere. Some of them, like Hozenji-yokocho (not pictured, but close), even remind me of places like
Kyoto's Gion district. I missed out on Hozenji itself, but nestled in between even more pubs, it has a small Buddhist temple of the same name.
When I re-emerged onto the main boulevard of Mido-suji, I found myself next to yet another restaurant with a distinctive mascot. This is a branch of Kinryu Ramen (金龍ラーメン,
Kinryū Rāmen). The name "Kinryu" means "gold dragon", hence the dragon decorating the side of the building. Kinryu Ramen sets itself apart by staying open 24 hours a day, and by offering seating on tatami mats. Their other branch, on Dotonbori, even has some of its tables set up outside, at street level!
And finally, I wrapped up the night with a look at a few Christmas lights along Midosuji (御堂筋
Midōsuji). Midosuji runs north-to-south between Umeda and Namba, and lends its name to the subway line underneath it. You know, I've noticed that road names in Osaka tend to end in "-suji" (筋), rather than the more common "-dori" (通り). The word "suji" alone means muscle sinew, but is also a synonym for line, string, stripe, or plot. That may seem strange, but then the Kansai region, and especially Osaka, is famous for its distinct dialect of the Japanese language. Maybe it's just a case of that, who knows...?
For my sign-off selfie, I'm taking it back to Ebisu-bashi and the Glico Running Man! Although, it was hard taking a selfie in this place due to the difference in lighting. Either I came out too dark, or the signs behind me were too bright. In the end, I went for the latter. Even harder is posing like the running man when you're holding your camera with one end, but I guess I gave it a fair shot.
Well, that's it for the Kansai region, for now. For my next day in Japan, I would venture westward to the Chugoku region, or more specifically, Hiroshima. That, and a new Know Your Trains article, next time on Sekai Ichi!
Access: As with the Osaka/Umeda station area, Namba has four distinct stations in close proximity to each other. The closest stations to Dotonbori are Osaka Metro's Namba subway station (Midosuji
(M), Sennichimae
(S), and Yotsubashi
(Y) lines) and Osaka-Namba Station (Kintetsu Nara
(A) and Hanshin Namba
(HS) lines). Nankai's Namba station (Nankai
(NK) Main and Koya
(NK) lines) lies to the south, and JR-Namba station (Yamatoji
(Q) line) lies to the west.
From Osaka/Umeda Station, take the Osaka Metro Midosuji line to Namba (M20, 7 minutes, ¥230).
Directions: From Namba Station (subway), take exit 14; you will emerge near Kinryu Ramen on Mido-suji. Turn around and turn right at the next traffic light to get on to Dotonbori street. Take the next left for Ebisu-bashi. Alternately, take the second right (next right after Ebisu-bashi), and the second left afterward to get to Hozenji Yokocho.
