Rachel Teo

Osaka’s markets are as varied and vibrant as the city itself. From its temple courtyards and leafy shrines to its park promenades, the city hosts regular flea markets and antique and vintage clothes fairs throughout the year. Some unfold every Sunday for a slow, easy day of perusing; others appear monthly for treasure hunters who prefer quiet prospecting; yet others are festival-style events that come complete with music. Whether you’re chasing rare collectables, classy antiques, one-of-a-kind outfits or just a bargain, Osaka’s markets guarantee good finds and a good day out. Plus, almost all the markets we’ve put together boast a wide array of stalls offering seriously tempting food and drink, so even if you don’t find the niche memorabilia or eccentric ensemble you were hunting for, you’ll at least leave well fed. RECOMMENDED: The 15 best museums in Osaka

Osaka is a lively city year-round, and it gets even more exciting in the summer when there are festivals abound. Many of our favourite seasonal celebrations are fireworks festivals; when vibrant explosions start lighting up the cloudless skies after sundown and the yukata-wearing crowds turn their heads towards the spectacle, that’s when you can get into a truly magical Japanese summer mood. This year’s celebrations kick off with the Ise Shrine Dedication Fireworks Festival out in Mie on July 19 and include everything from classics (Tenjin Festival Fireworks, Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks) to a beachside favourite (Senshu Dream Fireworks) and a massive happening out in rural Kyoto (Kameoka Hozugawa). So dust off your yukata, arrive early to secure the best viewing spot, and enjoy the colourful fireworks while snacking on some tasty festival grub. RECOMMENDED: 7 reasons to visit Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai at night

Whether you’re a fan of bitter hops or malty sweetness, there’s sure to be a German beer for you at the Tenshiba Oktoberfest. Held at Tenshiba Park over 13 spring days – not October, but arguably as great a season for sud-sipping as any – the festival invites you to enjoy draft beers courtesy of six German breweries, plus classic German festival foods like bratwursts, currywursts and pretzels to match the beers. Not a big sausage person? Worry not: steaks, pizza, platters of seafood and a variety of fried foods will also be served at the event, so you won’t go hungry. And with the World Wine Festival held concurrently at the same venue, even non-beer-drinkers have a reason to visit. Meal tickets and drinks can be purchased with credit cards, transit IC cards and cash. Those looking to lean hard into the lawn vibe will want to know that picnic mats and mini tables will be available for rent (and purchase) on site.

The Nakanoshima Festival is one of Osaka’s largest annual community festivals. Returning for its 53rd edition this year, the free-to-enter extravaganza takes over Nakanoshima Park with a bustling flea market plus lots of food stalls selling classic Japanese street eats like yakisoba and yakitori, as well as springtime festival staples like shaved ice and draft beer. A variety of live performances will be held throughout the day, with the programme including music, dance numbers, street performances and daring sword fights. Also on the grounds is a handmade, hand-powered amusement park for kids, which features a variety of carnival games, a maze, a playground and even makeshift (but perfectly safe) rides cobbled together from plywood and metal. The Nakanoshima Film Festival will be taking place concurrently as well, with indie movies screened twice daily for free at Osaka City Central Public Hall.

Nothing beats enjoying a pint on a warm and sunny spring day. Craft Beer Live invites you to celebrate the sipping season with locally brewed Kansai craft beers over the May 23 and 24 weekend, featuring a respectable 300 beers by 66 breweries from across the region. You can pair your choice with Japanese pub grub like skewered meats, gyoza and various deep-fried delights, or opt for curry, pizza or pasta. Come for the beers and eats, stay for the live music and dance performances, which run throughout both days. Admission is free, but the beers can only be purchased with special drink tickets. These are available at the venue, but we highly recommend picking up yours online in advance. General tickets cost ¥3,500 for a bundle of 6 and a plastic mug, while the limited-edition set of 6 tickets and an exclusive beer glass will set you back ¥5,500. Can’t wait to get buzzed? Even more reason to buy online; advance ticket holders can enter the venue an hour before everyone else.

Kita-Nagaya in quaint Nakatsu is a little miracle: traditional Japanese wooden houses in small, narrow alleys, refurbished and preserved, and now filled with independent shops, offices and even a cute little inn for vacation lodging. There’s no better time to explore the area than the weekend just before Golden Week in April, when Kita-Nagaya hosts its Spring Garden Market from 11am to 4pm daily. Held twice a year in spring and autumn, the seasonal bazaar showcases the works and wares of 47 chefs and bakers, sommeliers, artisans and artists. In addition to stalls selling handcrafted wares and bustling food and drink dealers, there will be booths for clothes dyeing, acupuncture and even fortune telling. Completely free to enter, the market will be held rain or shine. Don’t forget to bring some cash and an umbrella with you, just in case.

The cool and pleasant spring weather creates the perfect opportunity for an outdoor barbecue, and Osaka Castle’s Forest BBQ offers the full grilling experience without all the bothersome prep. The spreads available range in price from ¥2,000 to ¥3,600 per person and include a variety of meats like pork, chicken and beef; all-you-can-drink plans and a delightful range of add-ons such as tomahawk and T-bone steaks, seafood sets and an assortment of vegetables and meats for grilling are also available. All packages include comfy outdoor furniture, serving utensils and cutlery, tongs for grilling, fire tongs and charcoal, and garbage bags. Bringing your own food and drinks is fine, too. Admission for adults costs from ¥1,800 to ¥2,100 depending on the day, while kids of elementary-school age enter for ¥900 to ¥1,000. Preschool-aged children and younger can dine for free. Walk-ins are accepted, but we recommend making reservations online in advance.

Love cats, or know someone who does? Then this one’s for you: the Nyanko Expo in Osaka is one of the biggest feline-themed festivals in Kansai. Held on the weekend of May 2–3 at the Knowledge Capital Congrés Convention Centre in Grand Front Osaka (North Building, B2F), it features some 300 artisans from all over Japan selling cat-inspired art, handmade goods and snacks. You can shop for original prints and illustrated items, accessories, bags, ceramic figurines and pottery, and even pet care products like collars and toys. Also encompassing three workshops that let you create your own cat-themed item, such as a cardstock figurine, glittery sticker or brooch, the event is perfect for cat lovers and cat owners alike. Tickets can be purchased online for ¥1,000 (¥1,200 on the door). Children under 7 enter for free.

Osaka’s Lohas Festa is a massive eco-friendly outdoor market held at Expo ’70 Park from late April and over Golden Week through early May. The event features a whopping 700 vendors peddling all sorts of handmade and upcycled items, such as pottery, children’s clothes, jewellery and accessories, including some fair-trade items. You can also look forward to gourmet food and fancy flower arrangements. With an Eco-Recycling Corner set up on the premises, the event aims to be entirely zero-waste. Donate your used milk cartons to be made into toilet paper, and cooking oil, which will be turned into biodiesel fuel to power the generators used during future Lohas events. Used books, paper bags and winter clothes are also accepted at the donations stand. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own cutlery to the festival, and food vendors will offer only reusable tableware. Admission to the festival costs ¥500, with elementary school children and younger getting in for free. Note that additional tickets to Expo Park are required; those cost ¥260 for adults and ¥80 for elementary to high school students.

There’s something about the aesthetics and functional utility of beautifully crafted ceramic dishes that just brings you joy. If you can relate to this, you’ll definitely be interested in the Expo Tableware Market, held on the weekend of April 11 and 12 at Expo ’70 Commemorative Park. Offering a curated selection of kitchenware, ceramics and other home and lifestyle goods, the market features more than 100 artisans and stalls. Expect high-quality pottery, porcelain, glass and wooden items for everyday use. Tickets purchased online cost ¥700 for adults, but you can also score some at the door for ¥1,000. Admission is free for elementary school children and younger. Note that entry requires paying a separate admission fee to the Expo Park, which is ¥260 for adults and ¥80 for elementary to high school students.

Spring is strawberry season in Japan, and that means it’s time for all manner of events celebrating these sweet and juicy red berries. Returning to the city for the third year running, the Osaka Strawberry Festival is among the most delicious of the bunch: a 10-day strawberry bonanza taking place in the open-air atrium of Kan-Tele Ogimachi Square. Always featuring a wide variety of strawberry-themed desserts by numerous specialist vendors, the festival entices with a packed line-up of drinks, parfaits, cakes, crepes and even dessert pizzas.  We highly recommend getting tickets in advance online, where they cost ¥450 per person. A limited number of tickets will also be available at the door for ¥600. Re-entry is permitted, so you can get your fix of strawberries multiple times in a day.

Get ready for a weekend of fish frenzy. The Sakana Japan Festival is one of the nation’s largest annual seafood events, celebrating the abundance of Japan’s ocean bounty and supporting the fishing communities along the country’s coastlines. The Osaka leg of the festival will take place from March 19 to 22 at Expo ’70 Commemorative Park, where the main highlight will be a live tuna-slicing show. As for the eats, you can look forward to tuna, salmon and salmon roe, nodoguro (black-throated seaperch), sea urchin, scallops, oysters, crab and more in the form of traditional fisherman’s meals in various regional styles, plus seafood delicacies from Western, Chinese and other international cuisines.  Vendors at the event accept most credit cards, electronic money and cash. Admission costs ¥500 per person, but note that a separate admission fee (¥260 for adults, ¥80 for children in junior high school and younger) for the park is also required.

Osaka’s annual Hawaii Festival is a vibrant three-day event celebrating the significant cultural ties between Hawaii and Japan. Held from May 2 to 4 in Namba, the free-to-enter festival draws large crowds every year. The programme includes live music and numerous hula dance performances by troupes from all over Japan taking place from 10am to 6pm daily.  With beer and tasty festival food sold from food trucks and booths on site, you can enjoy some authentic Aloha spirit in what’s usually gorgeous Golden Week weather. Traditional Hawaiian clothing, beachwear, and accessories like iron-on patches, floral pins and flower crowns can be purchased at the festival’s small market. Be sure to bring cash just in case.

Did you ever enjoy a packet of animal crackers as an after-school snack in your childhood? Relive the experience in slightly fancier form at the Tabekko Dobutsu Land Café, a pop-up eatery serving food and drinks inspired by the popular Japanese biscuit brand. Held at the Box space in the Tennoji Mio shopping complex until March 29, the café features delicacies like character-themed burgers, a 35cm-tall Kirin’s Long Parfait and hot lattes with cute latte art. Exclusive merch like plush key charms, magnets and a range of stationery can also be purchased during your visit. The café is open from 11.15am to 9.30pm daily, with the last seating at 8.15pm. While walk-ins are possible, reservations are highly recommended. A 75-minute session can be booked online for ¥660. Note that the store accepts most credit cards and electronic money, but not cash.

Street art can breathe new life into public spaces, transforming blank walls into vibrant canvases. But it’s more than just decoration. When created with intention, it can reflect a community’s cultural values and identity, and help strengthen the connection between people and place. While murals remain relatively uncommon in Japan, interest is growing – especially in Osaka’s Konohana ward, where a new street art festival is making its debut this month. Photo: Jun Chihara The Enoen Festival will take over Konohana’s Shikanjima Sumiyoshi Shrine on Saturday, September 27, for a day of art, live music, street food and wholesome family fun. Alongside celebrating the town’s 25 existing murals – created by local and international artists from more than 20 countries over the past two years – the festival will also unveil five new murals painted during an artist residency running from September 21–28 in Konohana’s Baika district.  Photo: Wall Share At the heart of Konohana’s emerging street art scene is Wall Share, an organisation established in 2020 with a mission to transform Osaka’s urban landscape with bold, colourful murals. Since launching the Mural Town Konohana initiative in September 2023, Wall Share has invited local and international street artists to participate in an art residency programme, where they create captivating murals across the Yodogawa and Konohana wards during their stay in Japan. Photo: Wall Share In the week leading up to the Enoen Festival, five new

Summertime is festival time in Osaka. Kicking off the celebratory season is Tanabata, a traditional Japanese festival with origins in Chinese folklore. According to legend, deity couple Orihime and Hikoboshi are separated by the Milky Way, and they are only able to meet once a year: on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Tanabata, or the Star Festival, celebrates the day of their reunion. As Japan has largely dropped the lunar dating system in favour of the Gregorian calendar, Tanabata is commonly celebrated on July 7, which falls on a Monday this year. The Star Festival is associated with grand, colourful streamers decorating streets, shopping malls and temples. Another popular custom is to write your wishes on strips of paper and hang them on bamboo trees. Tanabata is one of the most joyous and colourful traditional celebrations in Osaka – and it offers great photo opportunities. So if you’re in the city between July 5 and 7, put any of these three Star Festival events on your to-do list.   Photo via Hirakata ParkTanabata Lantern Festival at Hirakata Park Tanabata Lantern Festival at Hirakata Park July 5–6 Hirakata Park’s Tanabata festival features a special indoor lantern area, where lanterns filled with wishes are launched. Summer festival stalls offer carnival games like superball scooping, yo-yo fishing and shooting. There are also workshops that allow you to paint masks and make flower crowns or have your face painted. Consider picking up a ¥200 fortune-telli