Things to do in and around Osaka today

Beneath the fantastical surfaces of Studio Ghibli’s beloved anime films, one finds emotional nuance, moral ambiguity and contemplative pacing – features that resonate strikingly with the philosophical principles of Zen. In autumn 2026, the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art hosts ‘Zen and Ghibli’, an immersive show that explores this unexpected yet deeply rooted connection. Drawing inspiration from a dialogue between producer Toshio Suzuki and a Zen monk, the exhibition invites visitors to experience Ghibli’s universe through a ‘Zen gaze’. Centred on Hayao Miyazaki’s most recent film, 'The Boy and the Heron', the exhibition unfolds through carefully constructed spaces featuring iconic scenes, memorable lines and Suzuki’s calligraphic works. Rather than offering definitive readings, it encourages visitors to dwell in uncertainty, reflecting Zen’s emphasis on presence and perception. Set in Kyoto, where Zen culture remains woven into daily life, the exhibition is set to offer a contemplative encounter that bridges pop culture and philosophy. Tickets go on sale July 18 at 10am.

The National Museum of Art, Osaka is dedicated to collecting and exhibiting Japanese and international works produced in the modern age, largely from 1945 to the present day. However, there are also a number of pieces that date further back. As the museum gears up to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2027, this commemorative exhibition will re-examine its vast collection to piece together a narrative of the history and development of art. The main focus is to look at the social and historical contexts in the years leading up to the museum’s opening in 1977, and how they shaped the art of that time. This 50th anniversary exhibition is split into two parts. The first, running from July 19 to November 3, gathers around 140 works by more than 80 artists. The oldest piece in the museum’s collection, the Post-Impressionist ‘Preparation for a Banquet’ by Paul Cézanne from the 1890s, serves as the starting point. With the curation’s chronological flow through to the mid-1960s, visitors can simultaneously learn about the different artistic movements during that time period. Furthermore, this exhibition also sheds light on marginalised names in art history. Here, the final section of the showcase is dedicated to works produced right up to the mid-1960s by women artists who made a mark in postwar art. Some of the artists to watch out for include Wassily Kandinsky, Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp and Willem de Kooning, as well as Yoko Ono and Yayoi Kusama. The exhibition is closed on...

Summers are for grilling up meals around the barbecue and beating the heat with icy cold beers, and the ‘R’ Riverside Grill & Beer Garden at Nakanoshima Park is one of the best spots in Osaka to do just that. Open throughout summer and all the way to December 25, it offers 120-minute seatings that come with an all-you-can-drink deal featuring an extensive line-up of alcohol and soft drinks, plus a choice of three multicourse menus.  The Casual BBQ Course (¥4,500) highlights wagyu beef, pork chops in a lemon marinade and jerk chicken, while the Standard BBQ Course (¥5,500) gets you all of the above plus an additional plate of Indonesian-style lamb skewers and an assorted seafood platter. For the full monty, choose the Premium Course (¥6,500), which includes everything in the Casual and Standard offerings, an additional platter of Japanese Black wagyu steak, and a cut of tuna cheek. All three ‘courses’ also include assorted vegetables, shrimp crackers, Javanese chilli fries and spicy fried noodles. Lunchtime deals featuring the Casual BBQ Course are available on weekends and public holidays. While walk-ins are possible, we recommend making a reservation online in advance.