Osaka didn’t earn its reputation as the ‘kitchen of Japan’ by accident. But let’s be honest – with countless restaurants, local specialities and hidden gems, deciding where to eat in the city can feel overwhelming. Enter the Osaka Foodies Marathon, a new stamp rally-style event that turns the entire prefecture into a curated culinary playground.
Despite the name, you won’t need running shoes – just three hours of your time. The Marathon is made up of more than fifty different food and cultural experiences across the prefecture and divided into eight slots throughout the day, so you can choose whichever best suits your schedule.
The rally aims to prove that sometimes the best way to experience a city is by eating your way through it, and if there ever was a city up to that challenge, it would be Osaka. Some of the experiences showcase the city’s culinary classics, while others take you further to discover lesser-known corners of the prefecture’s rich culinary scene.
Want to explore a port town at dawn, when the seafood is at its absolute freshest and the marble-stone beach glows with sunrise? Sorted. Fancy ending an all-nighter in Dotonbori with a traditional Japanese breakfast after strolling the usually packed Midosuji in blissful emptiness? There’s a card for that. Prefer hitting up a café in nature-rich Nose, or snagging exquisite ohagi (sweet rice cakes) in Toyonaka before a walk through Osaka’s largest park? The Marathon has you covered.
You also get rewarded for taking part. After choosing a card (either physical or digitally via Line), visiting the three designated spots within the time slot and scanning the QR codes at each location, you can ‘clear’ that experience, entitling you to rewards.
The distances between each restaurant or attraction are also measured, so as you tick off experiences you can work your way towards the full distance of a marathon. Tally up enough, and you’ll unlock some seriously sizeable rewards to use at Time Out Market Osaka.
Completing four different experiences gets you a free drink; eight, and you’re in with a chance for a ¥5,000 coupon; or go the distance and tally up 42km to be entered into a lottery for a ¥10,000 coupon.
Having started October 27 2025 and running through January 12 2026, the Marathon lets you participate via Line or by picking up physical cards at locations around the city. You’ll have to pay for your food, but beyond that the rally is completely free to participate in.
Time Out Tip: You don’t need a Japanese phone number to sign up for Line and if you’re out and about exploring, choosing a card digitally is much easier than sorting through and carrying around the physical copies.
Find out more and sign up for your cards at the event website.
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