I've often written that Paris has my heart. But I bet you didn't know that Japan has my soul. My husband often jokes that I was Asian in another life, and my love of Japanese culture and food certainly serves as a testament to that. Throughout my professional career, I've had the privilege to travel to Tokyo on multiple occasions, and I've always extended my trip to explore more.

I loved visiting the capital city, but when it came time to visit Japan for pleasure, my husband and I chose Osaka as one of our destinations. Japan's third largest city is proudly known as the city of the merchant class. Today, that translates to a place that works hard and plays hard, but you could probably throw in eats hard as well. Osaka is known for “kuidaore,” which means “eat till you drop.” My kind of place!

But beyond eating, which I can write about 24/7, Osaka has lots to offer particularly when it comes to the camera. Whether you're an amateur or a pro, you'll have an endless supply of content for your lens. Based on our trip, I want to share five awesome things to photograph in Osaka.

Namba Parks

The InterContinental Osaka made it convenient for us to get to Namba Parks via a short walk and subway ride. When my husband first suggested going to a shopping mall, I thought he was crazy. But Namba Parks isn't just a luxury goods center. It also has great restaurants, movie theaters, and one of my favorite things in the world, a baseball museum!

That's because Namba Parks used to be a baseball stadium. After years of neglect, the city hired an amazing architect and rebuilt the center to what it is today, an architectural wonder and a great place to take pictures. Whether you capture the buildings from below or some of the wondrous parks from above, you will get a great shot at Namba Parks.

Umeda Sky Building

If you don't mind heights, then there's no better place to see Osaka at your feet than the Umeda Sky Building. It's quite an adventure getting to the top of the two 40-foot towers. Take elevators and escalators, go through a floating garden observatory, cross a bridge, and take another elevator, and you're there!

But oh, is that view worth it. The city surrounds you, waiting to be captured, particularly at sunset. The mirrored glass on top of the atrium is perfect for reflection shots. Plus, when you're finished, you'll be right next door to the ramen district, with hundreds of stands.

Kuromon-Ichiba Market

Wait, no, it's not what you think! I'm not just talking about eating food at the market, although, I did do lots of that. With close to 200 years of history, the beautifully covered Kuromon-Ichiba Market, also known as Osaka's kitchen, is a great place to take photos.

There are a myriad of magnificent munchies on display like the photo above, but there are also the people and the traditions of knifework and craftsmanship that make awesome portrait shots. If you get hungry after taking all those pictures, just throw a dart and you'll find something great to eat!

Street Scenes

Osaka is a frenetic place, a city of extremely densely populated areas and very few places to breathe. I think that's why the city's luxury hotels do such a great job of creating an oasis of zen and why the people of Osaka deeply love those limited green spaces for parks. They're rare and should be enjoyed to their fullest.

However, the craziness of the street life and the street signs are awesome subjects for the camera, especially in Dotonbori, the entertainment district. While harder for amateur photographers who may not know how to manipulate their settings for the dark, nighttime is the best time to capture all those neon signs!

The People

I've always worshiped the Japanese sense of style. In a country where conformity in your work environment is essential, the only way to truly express your personality is through your clothes outside of work. I had such a great time people-watching and snapping photos of all the sassy styles.

When walking down the street, have your camera settings prepared for action shots. Otherwise, you'll get a lot of blurry shots of really great outfits!

Japan is such a fun culture! Thought you might also appreciate 40 fun facts about Japan to get to know the people and the culture a bit more!

Bonus: The Food

Oh, where to start? Osaka has the second-largest fish market, so the sushi is great and makes for great photos. So does the delicious ramen, which locals take seriously. Who doesn't love pretty-bowls-of-noodles-dressed-with-amazing-things photos? Takoyaki, the must-try Osaka street food, is perfect for gritty street scenes.

And the list goes on. Not only is the food delicious, but it also looks great on camera.

The One We Missed

There was one spot in Osaka that we missed getting to, and that's Osaka Castle. We would really love to visit during the cherry blossom season. I've seen stunning photos and think it's the perfect reason to return to Osaka. Well, and maybe the food…

How about you? Have you been to Osaka and taken great photographs? Where did you take them? If you haven't been to Osaka, do any of my photo subjects tempt you to go? Do tell!

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Instead, we walked around Namba, Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi, and Tenjimbashisuji Shopping Street (the longest covered shopping arcade in Japan – 1.6 miles long!)

We walked through a little bit of Shinsekai, a strange area developed in 1912 with streets were modeled after New York and Paris. Same for America Mura or American village, an entertainment district popular with young people and foreign residents.

You can see the Statue of Liberty on top of one of the buildings from afar, notice the groovy light post as well:

Up close the statue with the Coca-cola billboard, ah Americana…

A lot of these areas are like Times Square, I love the contrast of the river running through and the soft clouds in this photo.

Everywhere we went Mr. Misadventures took great photos of the architecture. He also did some really fun post-processing. Take a look.

And this.

This one is one of my favorites and well represents Osaka to me.

I'm glad we spent a few days in Osaka, I think a few days is probably my limit, or at least I can't have just spent a week in a zen-like place (Kyoto) ahead of time. It is large, loud, crowded, frenetic. Like Vegas, good for a few days but then I need a break!

How about you? Have you visited any cities that make you feel the same?

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Let's take a look.

I know what you are thinking, but these are not prostitutes! They just look like that to you and I. Besides being deeply hygienic (the girl on the left likely has a cold and the Japanese are very courteous when it comes to spreading germs) this is just a style.

One that I saw a lot of.

These girls are a little more rocker chick.

And it seems to be okay for friends to have mixed styles. Not like high school where your entire crew dressed alike, nope these chicks got individual styles going on!

I loved the schoolgirl style (at least looking at it). Japanese students do wear uniforms, but the schoolgirl style of short skirts and sexy thigh-high socks is more of a fetish.

Still, it is bold and I love seeing it on the street. Hosiery in general is a source of self-expression and I would kill to be able to walk around San Francisco in them without big stares! We need to bring these to the U.S. mainstream!

It seems to be “to each his own”  I did not see a lot of people staring at anyone, no matter what they were wearing. This photo I took in the subway station is actually a gentlemen.

Because it is not just the women who express themselves when it comes to fashion. Plenty of the guys do as well. I saw many great-looking couples. This guy's purse was a little too girly to be a man-purse though!

But love this guy…plus the pop of red! Sorry for the blurriness, you got to be fast with the camera with people walking by!

This guy is dressed pretty snazzy too! European?

My all-time favorite while visiting Osaka is more in the fantasy bucket. This lovely lady was shopping in the Kuromon-Ichiba Market one of the times we were grazing through.

I watched her for several minutes. She interacted with several store merchants and not one person looked at her funny.

I tried to get a photo of her face as her make-up was incredible, plus she had a really cute hair ribbon, but I did not want to be disrespectful of her so the best I got has just a hint. She was about 50 and working it!

If I could easily pop back in forth between shooting food or other stationary objects and action walking shots I would have taken a lot more photos, I am just not that skilled! But I am always inspired by the Japanese fashion sense, it is so creative and so I was happy to get the few shots I did.

What about you? Do you like to people-watch? Do you like the Japanese style of dressing?

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The building consists of two 40-story towers that are connected with each other by the “Floating Garden Observatory” on the 39th floor at the top with bridges and an escalator crossing the atrium in the center. It is scary looking, to say the least, although the website claims superior safety!

Although the building can be reached via an underground passage that starts just north of both Osaka and Umeda stations. We took the subway to Herbis Plaza, a giant luxury shopping center so that we could see the Umeda Sky Building as we approached it.

Once we got to the base of the two buildings (there was a really fun marché de Noël/Christmas market going on) looking up made you think about whether you really want to go to the top!

But up we went once we found the right entrance! Here is a shot of the escalators that go up and down that start at the 39th Floor. The distance between the 39th and 40th floors where the observatory is located is significant. (Not meant for people with vertigo!)

But once you make it up and get through the crowds on the inside who are there to drink a cocktail as the sun sets, the view is spectacular, both inside where the mirrored windows reflect the sunlight.

And the view of the city is spectacular.

Totally worth the climb. Once you are back down on the ground, if you go below the towers, you'll find Takimi-koji Alley, a market street full of restaurants (especially udon) and izakaya joints.

For additional daytime photos of the Umeda Sky Building as well as Takimi-koji Alley, check out this great album by JPellgen on Flickr.

Umeda Sky Building
Address: 1-1-88, Oyodonaka, Kita-ku (Umeda District), Osaka
Public transportation: Eight-minute walk from JR Osaka Station, Subway Umeda station, and Hankyu Umeda Station.

After our visit, we crossed back over to the Herbis Plaza and had fun taking photos of this street nearby awash in a yellow glow.

What about you? What's the tallest building you have been on?

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Something wasn't right.

Had my hubby whacked his head? I am not much of a shopper and this is how all the shopping centers had looked like thus far:

So I wasn't exactly jumping for joy when I heard shopping mall! I really should have known better. Mr. Misadventures wasn't really interested in torturing me. He wanted to see the fantastic architecture of Namba Parks Shopping Centre in all its glory (and before the shoppers arrived).

You see, Namba Parks is an extraordinary shopping and office complex consisting of 120 stores and 8 rooftop gardens. It is located where the former Osaka Stadium (baseball park) used to stand.

The former stadium itself has a little bit of weird history. After the Nankai Hawks baseball team left and before it became Namba Parks it was a model home showroom for a property developer…inside the stadium! Take a look at this photo from 1998/1999:

There is actually a baseball museum in Namba Parks which I later checked out while the hubby was photographing the exceptional architecture. I love baseball and would absolutely love to attend a Japanese baseball game!

They call it Namba Parks because of all the trees inside the parks around the upper levels. Every photo of the buildings looking up from the ground floor has trees.

The park gardens don't open until 10 (stores at 11) so we had plenty of time to take photos of the buildings without people popping in unexpectedly!

Some of the sides of the buildings reminded us of The Wave in Arizona.

The building was designed by an American architect named Jon Jerde who specializes in shopping centers. He and his firm have created beautiful buildings all over the world (more here) as well as several spots in San Francisco Bay Area including the shopping center I go to several times a month to see movies – small world!

After wandering around for an hour or so we headed to back Kuromon-Ichiba Market for a little snack. It's only a short walk from Namba Parks. We later returned to Namba Parks to access the upper terraces.

Big cities like this in Japan city are densely populated and nature is pretty nonexistent, so the rooftop gardens that flow through eight levels covering several city blocks and which eventually connect to the street are extraordinary. They've made it easy for pedestrians to slip in and out of little havens of green grass, trees, rocks, cliffs, streams, waterfalls, and terraces. I have never seen anything like it.

Watching Mr. Misadventures work makes me hungry and thirsty. In the morning before the shops opened, I had my eye on Saryo Cafe, an organic cafe that served donuts fried in olive oil. Which to choose?

The kitchen inside was minuscule and it was incredible to observe the cook as she prepared orders all while keeping her tiny space spotless. She was literally working on one burner!

I dragged the hubby inside and had one of the donuts along with a warming cup of matcha green tea. My sweet reward for all that photo assistant work!

There is something for everyone at Namba Parks. Shops galore! Architecture. Nature. Organic donuts (and many more restaurants). There are concerts and light shows, it is definitely a destination. It is also super easy to get to.

Namba Parks
Address: 2-10-70 Nambanaka, Naniwa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 566-0011
Public Transportation: Subway Midō-suji, Sennichimae, Yotsubashi line to Namba

How about you? Have you ever been to any place like Namba Parks?

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Osaka was mainly a transition point for us as that is where we flew in and out of. Except for the food market, you know, I have my priorities.

After two and a half days in Osaka, I came to the conclusion that it is a mini-Tokyo. I apologize to all my friends in Tokyo and anyone in Osaka who might be offended by that statement, that was just my impression.

Compared to the relative calm and peacefulness of Kyoto, Osaka was frenetic. Loud, bright, crowded, again like Tokyo. Don't get me wrong, I love Tokyo. It was a matter of sequence. If I were to ever repeat my trip I would visit Osaka first and then head to Kyoto.

In the end, the one thing I did love about Osaka was Kuromon-Ichiba Market. Like Nishiki, it was just what a foodie needs. Food experiences for miles. New things to try, look at, touch, taste and of course, people watch. And like in Kyoto, we ate nearly all our meals in and around this market.

For instance, we didn't eat much sushi in Kyoto, it is just not something they have a lot of, they are more focused on seasonal foods and vegetables. With the river, their focus is on other preparations of fish and seafood.

Sushi is available, but not in the huge quantities that Osaka of Tokyo has. So when we saw this little “shop” servings huge bowls of tuna from different parts of the fish (maguro, toro, etc) for $20, we couldn't get our butts in one of the 5 seats fast enough!

The shop is a fish stall that happens to serve food – the sashimi is basically scraps from what they are butchering – damn good scraps and damn cheap.

$20 may not sound cheap, but we shared the bowl and with the amount they gave us, it would be double in San Francisco!

Most of the time we just grazed. Stopping here and there to pick up “snacks” as we went.

Seriously, there wasn't anything we didn't love!

Well, maybe this guy. This is Shioyaki, which is grilled seabream (I think) and is saltier than all get out.

But otherwise, who doesn't love freshly cooked scallops or baby octopus or in the far right corner, Takoyaki which is a snack with a piece of octopus in the middle?

If you are thinking, “What's with all the fish, I need something substantial!” then the market has you covered as well. Pick out your Kobe steak and have it on your plate in 5 minutes! No middleman restauranteur here, you get it straight from the butcher!

Of course, there are plenty of vegetables as well. They have them preserved in miso paste like we saw in Kyoto.

Or fresh like these shishito peppers which I love!

The two days we were in Osaka we ate at least one meal at Kuromon-Ichiba. Eating in and around food markets is one of my favorite ways to explore a city's food scene. Plus it is fresh and far more inexpensive than a lot of traditional restaurants. For us, it is a win-win.

Address: 2-4-1, Nippombashi, Chuo-ku Osaka-shi, Osaka, 542-0073
Hours: Open every day 9 am to 6 pm
The Kuromon-Ichiba Market website and Kuromon-Ichiba Market blog are only available in Japanese, but you can translate it very easily into English (or other languages using their online tool).
Public Transportation: Near the Nippombashi Station on the Osaka Municipal Subway Sakaisuji Line (K17) or Sennichimae Line (S17) OR from the Kintetsu Nippombashi Station on the Kintetsu Namba Line or Kintetsu Nara Line.

How about you? Do visit food markets at home or during your travels?

Of course, we did more than eat in Osaka! We also visited Namba Parks, and the Umeda Sky Building, people watched and took lots of photos!

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