Osaka Winter Itinerary: Things to Do in Osaka During Winter

Like Tokyo, there’s never a “bad” time to visit Osaka. Unlike Okinawa's sweltering summer heat or Hokkaido’s stark-white winter, it’s one of those cities in Japan where the weather is relatively temperate year-round, with sparse encounters of snow.

This also means Osaka isn’t particularly known for its winter — and that’s to your advantage. Visit during the later months, and you’ll enjoy less competition for reservations at the city's best dining spots, fewer chances of brushing elbows with strangers in Dotonbori and no rush to beat the line for takoyaki (octopus ball) stalls. 

And thankfully, the Kitchen of Japan — the nickname of Osaka — keeps the party going through winter. From illuminations and Christmas markets to day-trip skiing, here are some of the best things to do in Osaka during the winter. 

It’s not winter in Japan without illuminations, a type of light festival during the Christmas period where fairy lights — more recently, interactive and state-of-the-art lights — adorn the streets and parks in dazzling bursts of color. 

Osaka is no different. The biggest and best is the Festival of Lights, divided into two main events: Midosuji Illumination and Osaka Hikari Renaissance. 

The Midosuji Illumination lights up Midosuji Avenue — the city's main strip — with vibrant pink, purple and blue hues, stretching four kilometers from the Ooebashi-Kitazune intersection to the Hanshin Mae intersection. 

Meanwhile, the Osaka Hikari Renaissance illuminates the waterfront of Nakanoshima, the area that cements Osaka as an “aqua” city. 

There are also several smaller illuminations throughout Osaka, including Florentijn Hofman’s floating Rubber Duck, which glides through the city's canals as part of the Hikari Kyoen Illumination Festival.

Osaka is not conventionally known for its hot springs — for that, head south to Kurokawa Onsen in Kumamoto Prefecture or Beppu Onsen in Oita Prefecture — but it still offers excellent options for a warming soak in winter. 

If you're in the city and need to double down on relaxation, here are some of the best onsen facilities:

Mino Onsen Spa Garden: Located just 30 minutes from Umeda, this facility features an open-air bath perched 180 meters above ground, offering sweeping views of the Osaka Plain. The large public bath even features a mural of Mt. Fuji.

Solaniwa Onsen: Situated in the Osaka Bay Area, this sprawling 16,500-square-meter hot spring facility is themed around the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Guests can explore the expansive complex in yukata, enjoying features like amusement areas, a terrace garden, foot baths and bedrock saunas.

Kamigata Onsen Ikyu: The onsen is right by Universal Studios Japan and uses 100% natural spring water. There is a jaw-dropping red-hued cauldron bath, which claims to have skin-beautifying effects, plus a salt steam bath and mist sauna for those nursing sore muscles after a 30,000-step day at the theme park.

Nothing says winter comfort like nabe hot pot, and while Osaka’s scenery might take a backseat, its cuisine shines. One must-try is tecchiri, a local specialty hot pot featuring tender fugu — yes, the poisonous puffer fish with enough toxin to kill six men — simmered in a kelp-based broth with vegetables like carrots, green onions and greens. 

Served with ponzu sauce for dipping, rice is typically added to the leftover broth, transforming it into a comforting zousui (rice soup).

You can enjoy fugu dishes for winter in Kitashinchi Hanayagi, a traditional Japanese restaurant helmed by a seasoned chef who is drawn by the bond between the earth, its history and its ancestors.

For something less perilous and more familiar, turn to oden, the sincerely comforting dish of seafood, meat and vegetables simmered in a delicate dashi broth. While Osaka boasts the highest number of Michelin-recommended oden restaurants in Japan, there’s no shortage of other specialty venues that serve this heartwarming classic.

We love Oden Sumiyoshi Shinsaibashi, run by an oden specialist in the Shinsaibashi district who writes love letters to the nostalgic dish. It serves innovative oden swimming in a broth that takes six hours to prepare, all presented in a kaiseki style. 

The broth-making process is inherited from the recently closed 46-year-old Takoyoshi, a highly regarded oden restaurant in Sakai. The dashi is made by simmering bonito flakes, kelp, dried sardines, aromatic vegetables and chicken bones for six hours to ensure the highest quality flavor.

There’s something still fitting about a German-inspired Christmas market thriving in places far from Germany, given the tradition’s European roots. 

While not as widespread as in Tokyo, Osaka adds its own flair with the Christmas market. The biggest one in the city is the Osaka Christmas Market at Tonnoji Park. Visitors can explore 24 stalls, with vendors offering mulled wine in original mugs, German beer, sausages, pretzels, and festive treasures like snow globes and wreaths.

Find out more: What to Eat at a Japanese Christmas Market

A lush valley on the outskirts of Osaka, Minoh Park stands out as one of Kansai’s top destinations for momiji — autumn colors — in a natural setting, away from temples and gardens. 

With a paved path and gentle inclines, the walk from the station is an easy and rewarding hike for visitors. The trail leads to Minoh Waterfall, a picturesque 33-meter cascade named for its resemblance to a winnow basket, or “mino” in Japanese

Winter transforms Minoh Park into another art. With the crowds dispersing after autumn’s final leaves fall, the park takes on a serene, tranquil atmosphere. Cooler temperatures at its elevated location often lead to snow and ice gracing the upper stretches of the trail. The slender trees and branches blanketed in white create a landscape that feels like a living painting.

Osaka’s lively, go-with-the-flow spirit makes it one of the best cities to ring in the New Year. If you’re not too worn out from partying all night, consider partaking in Hatsumode, the tradition of visiting a shrine in the first three days of the New Year to pray for good fortune. Hatsumode also involves drawing omikuji fortune slips to predict your luck for the year ahead. 

Popular shrines like Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine, which attracts around 2 million visitors annually, can be packed, especially during the first week of January. Even if it’s sub-zero in the early morning and you’re barely functioning from a hangover, the bustling crowds will certainly help wake you up.

You can also head to different shrines for different “wishes.” Tsuyunoten Shrine is where the love-seekers go — whether you’re mending a broken heart or hoping to finally find someone who doesn’t ghost you. 

Osaka Temmangu Shrine, conveniently located next to Japan’s longest shotengai shopping street, is perfect for students praying for good grades, university entrance exam victories and scholarships. And if you’re after career success, Hokoku Shrine is the place to go. 

The overlooked older sister to sakura is the plum blossom, quietly ushering in the spring season before its more famous sibling takes center stage.

If you’re in Osaka around February and spot vibrant pink flowers, chances are you're encountering plum blossoms. Some of Japan's earliest bloomers, these hardy ume can even be seen flowering while snow still covers the ground. In Kansai, they typically bloom between mid-February and early March.

Popular places to hunt these flowers include the southeast area of Osaka Castle, home to 1,250 trees representing 93 varieties of plum blossom, or Domyoji Tenmangu Shrine, where 800 plum trees bloom. The shrine even hosts a festival dedicated to these blossoms from mid-February to mid-March.

If you're looking for winter sports without heading to Niseko or Rusutsu — during this time, the ski resorts are packed with adrenaline junkies already showing off their X-game moves — Rokko Snow Park is a great option.

Located on Mt. Rokko in Kobe, near Osaka, this artificial ski park opens annually from November to March. It's an easy day trip with beginner-friendly skiing and snowboarding opportunities. 

Plus, it provides rental services for both ski wear and equipment, so you can enjoy the slopes without lugging around heavy gear.

If your New Year’s resolution is to start running, we hope you planned ahead — applications for the Osaka Marathon usually close in October of the year prior.

Thankfully, you can still join the thousands of cheerful spectators lining the sidelines as professional and amateur runners tackle the 49-kilometer course, starting at Osaka Castle Park, looping through Kyocera Dome Osaka, and making their way back.

It might even give you a solid benchmark to decide if running outdoors is something you want to commit to next year — or not.