If you were to split Osaka up by its major streets, the area around Osaka Station and Umeda Station would be considered part of the Kita area. Meanwhile, the Shinsaibashi Station and Namba Station area is known as the Minami area. Besides Shinsaibashi, the Minami area contains many other sightseeing attractions such as Dotonbori and Kuromon market, as well as Hozenji Yokocho, making it especially busy with tourists.

As for shopping spots, in the Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street, there’s the large department store, Daimaru Shinsaibashi, amongst other top-class European brands, as well as Amerikamura, an area popular amongst young people, making for a fulfilling shopping experience for all.

There’s a 580-meter-long street of shops and restaurants stretching from the south of Nagahori-dōri to the Sōemonchō district. The place welcomes around 60,000 visitors on weekdays, though the number can swell up to 120,000 on weekends, and you can see happy shoppers going down the streets all the time.

From reasonably priced shops such as Uniqlo and WEGO, to the unmissable drug stores that are a staple of any holiday to Japan, and even to the top-class brands and other products in Daimaru Shinsaibashi store, we recommend going to this street first when you make a visit to Shinsaibashi.

Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street houses around 20 drugstores and cosmetics shops. You should be able to find most Japanese products in these stores. Amongst these, we’ve picked out three of the ones you should definitely drop by.

The famous drugstore Matsumoto Kiyoshi has multiple outlets in Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street. Medicines are a given, and various products from health foods and cosmetics, to daily necessities, are all lined up on display.

Among these, their house brand “Matsukiyo” has recently become quite popular amongst shoppers for their high quality and reasonably priced products. The Matsukiyo brand covers everything from prescription and over-the-counter drugs to cosmetics, daily necessities, and food items, amongst a wide range of other products, so do check it out.

Daikoku Drug is a drugstore chain with its headquarters in Osaka, and has many outlets in Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street too. On the 10th of every month, the shop offers a 5% discount on all products (exceptions apply for some 100-, 150-, and 200-yen products), allowing you to get products at a great bargain. If you are holidaying in Japan on the 10th, be sure to take a look!

Tsuruha Drug, found throughout Japan, has several stores in Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street too. With a wide variety of everyday goods available, its main draw is in how convenient it is to pop by, just like a supermarket or convenience store. As the store’s regular operating hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., you can see various scenes of shoppers throughout the day.

There are many trendy stores in Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street. From amongst these popular fashion shops, we picked out our top four choices.

From tiny stores inside train stations to large standalone stores, the clothing brand Uniqlo has a large variety of outlets.

Amongst these is Uniqlo Shinsaibashi, hailed as the label’s “Global Flagship Store,” a large-scale store providing only the highest quality products and impeccable service.

Featuring products only available at the largest stores and online-exclusives, to premium and limited-edition pieces, you can find anything here. With colossal floor spaces running from the basement to the fourth floor, you can shop to your heart’s content here!

WEGO is a street fashion brand that sprang out of Harajuku, Tokyo. Especially popular amongst the younger generation, there’s lots of casual wear that you can wear daily.

The Shinsaibashi shopping outlet is also the WEGO branch in Japan with the widest variety of goods on sale, from men’s, ladies’, and pre-loved pieces, to the only place in Kansai where you can get accessories from the WEGO1.3.5 brand. With outlet goods at unbeatably low prices as well, you can surely find a few great deals here.

The sneaker shop ABC-Mart can be found in many places, including shopping malls. ABC-Mart Grand Stage Osaka doesn’t just sell shoes; you can get fashion items and other goods as well. There are limited-time garage sales here too, and you may find some amazing deals.

Onitsuka Tiger’s direct sales stores are popular amongst foreign visitors. Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street’s flagship store boasts the largest floor space in the Kansai region, and its lineup includes everything from shoes and clothes to other accessories. You can shop till you drop with the large variety of products available.

Besides the above, there are department stores, discount stores, and various other stores in Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street. We’ll be introducing some shops you definitely have to head down to!

Right next to Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street is Daimaru Shinsaibashi Store, the main department store in the Minami area. The store is split into a main, north, and south buildings, with the main building offering cosmetics and accessories on the first floor, and luxury goods and jewelry on the second floor, while the first floor and fifth to eighth floors of the south building house the duty-free shop Laox. (As of May 2020, the north building is closed for renovations.)

From top-class luxury and brand goods to bargain duty-free goods, this is one place where you can satisfy yourself with shopping.

Above Tsuruha Drug is the shop Daiso. Considered a large branch even for the chain, the shop has a lineup of the staple 100-yen goods, as well as 300- and 500-yen items. There are ideas and other unique products hidden amongst the shelves, so have fun going on a treasure hunt while shopping.

Besides Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street, there are many other complexes and shopping areas around Shinsaibashi Station too. We’ll be introducing a few must-visit shopping spots around the station!

Connected to exit 7 of Shinsaibashi Station, this is a fashion mall from the second basement floor to the tenth floor. With shops popular amongst youth, such as gelato pique and FRAY I.D, this is one shopping complex where you can feel the current trends. We especially recommend this shop for those with an eye for youth and pop culture in Japan!

Centered around Sankaku Park, the Amerikamura area is lined with many small fashion and accessory shops. Those who gather here are the trendiest around, and it’s close to the heart of those with an eye for unique and eye-catching fashion trends too. Many gourmet shops here offer takeout for you to snack as you walk down the street, such as Takoyaki and soft drinks, and it’s fun to people-watch here too.

Don Quijote offers various goods at reasonable prices. This particular branch doesn’t just sell products, there are an information counter and tax-free counter on the first floor too, providing you with ample support for your holiday in Osaka. Besides this, there are staff from various countries providing services in multiple languages, and the shop accepts seven different currencies as well, providing foreign visitors with a smooth and enjoyable shopping experience.

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From low-cost and convenient idea goods to limited-edition items you can’t get elsewhere, to luxury brand items, there’s a vast lineup to choose from amongst the large variety of cool places for shopping in Shinsaibashi.

Starting from Shinsaibashi-Suji Shopping Street, you can explore the surrounding areas, and make the most out of your shopping experience! Dotonbori and Hozenji Yokocho are just a short walk away too, so do be sure to make the most of your holiday in Osaka!

*The above article is based on information from May 2020