LGBTQ+ Osaka Eating and Drinking Tour
While Nichome in Tokyo may be Japan’s largest gayborhood, Osaka, known for a fun-loving and boisterous nightlife scene, has much to offer the LGBTQ+ traveler, including famous Osaka street food!
Highlights
Learn about the history of Japan’s LGBTQ+ community in Osaka, which has the 2nd largest gay scene in Japan
Check out the retro Shinsekai, where even the closeted can feel at home, and its famous street food
Explore Doyama, Osaka’s main gayborhood, which has the largest concentration of gay bars, clubs, and saunas
Get recommendations from the tour guide and see where the night leads you after the tour!
10 meals
+Experience Details
This LGBTQ+ Osaka Eating and Drinking Tour starts in Shinsekai, which is known for its classic Osaka street foods and flashy sights. Deep in this nostalgic district, which evokes both Paris and New York’s Coney Island, the LGBTQ+ community secretly thrives. In the past (and perhaps even today) closeted gay men who found themselves married to women (as society expected) could enjoy their private lives at the bars and saunas here. We’ll take a gander at some of these sights, camouflaged by the neon lights, and maybe even stop at one of the bars for a drink.
Trying the food in Shinsekai is, of course, mandatory, as the area is famous for street foods like kushikatsu (battered and deep-fried skewers of vegetables and meat). Many kushikatsu restaurants are open 24/7 here, the perfect places to refuel after a whirlwind at the bar or saunas. A light dinner and drink in Shinsekai is included, and you can choose from small plates like miso beef tendon, tempura, tofu, and grilled chicken.
After dipping a toe into the hidden gay scene at Shinsekai, you’ll be ready to tackle the beast that is Doyama. The equivalent of Shinjuku Nichome, Doyama is loud and proud and full of gay youth and the young-at-heart, home to over 100 bears -- oh -- we meant bars. Here you can find anything you’re looking for, from hole-in-the-wall bars to dance clubs where you can bust a move, as well as some genre-nonconforming establishments. Once you’ve seen it all, we’ll enter one of the bars for a drink. The language barrier dissolves, as the bilingual tour guide can assist you.
The tour will be over before you know it, but the night doesn’t have to end. Our guide is equipped with recommendations for all tastes and will make sure you get where you want to go.
Inclusions
Expenses for the English-speaking tour guide, who is a part of the LGBTQ+ community
Light meal and a drink at a restaurant (with iconic Osaka street foods)
Another drink at an LGBTQ+ bar
Transportation fee during the tour
Exclusions
Additional food and beverages
Meeting Point and Meeting Time
Meet at Dobutsuen-Mae Station (address:１丁目-１ 太子 西成区 大阪市 大阪府 日本)
Remarks
Please be on time for this tour
Please note that the legal drinking age in Japan is 20 years
Cancellation Policy
Cancel your booking at least 48 hours before the experience start time to receive a full refund minus a 3.2% transaction fee.
Experience Location
Literally translating to “New World,” the layout of this retro district of Osaka was developed in the early 1900s, taking inspiration from Paris (for the northern half of the district) and New York’s Coney Island (for the southern half). Many restaurants here are open 24 hours but truly come alive in the evening when the lights turn on. With the vibrant signage, and glowing shades of red, blue, and orange, Shinsekai truly has a nostalgic fairground atmosphere. But, in the background, you can see Tsutenkaku Tower, which was modeled after the Eiffel Tower.
Kevin is very personable and shows off his knowledge and love of Osaka during this eating and drinking tour. We dropped into a stall where he has known the owners well for many years, and tried ver...read more
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10 meals
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