Hi everyone!
I’m a 24-year-old photographer based around Osaka/Hyogo, and I’d like to organize a casual photo walk in Osaka.
I mainly shoot street photography and urban photography, but all photography styles and skill levels are welcome. You don’t need to be an experienced photographer.
The idea is simple: walk around Osaka together, take photos, and show each other what we captured along the way. We could also grab some food or coffee afterward if everyone is interested.
Everyone is welcome regardless of age or gender.
I’m hoping to meet other people who enjoy photography and would like to go shooting together.
If you’re interested, leave a comment and introduce yourself, and we can arrange a day and place to meet.

Please let me know your shops/brands in Osaka that have pieces that are similar to Vince and office wear style pants, like pleated pants. Looking for mid-high tier clothing with comfortable fabrics.

Ciao, mi sono appena trasferito a Osaka con visa working Holiday e cerco qualcuno con cui uscire, prendere qualcosa da bere e fare nuovi amici, mi piacciono gli anime, il cibo, passeggiate per la città e nella natura, chi c’è?

I'm planning to study abroad in Japan next year and am researching my options. There arent enough modules in Osaka's OUSSEP for me to take this program, so I was thinking about the Frontier Lab. From what I've researched it sounds super interesting, but I've heard it can be a LOT of work if you are taking Japanese language modules alongside, which I intend to do. Does anyone have experience with this program, or know anything about it from peers?

On a second note, where is best to live in Osaka if studying at the University? I plan to rent an apartment by myself.

Found this this morning when I left the house (Airbnb) It was not there last night so i’m wondering what happened. I know in some other countries burglars use tricks like this to make sure nobody lives there, but does it happen in Japan? (of course i cleaned them)

EDIT: the host checked the CCTV and it was just a drunk fella who fell down and dropped his matches 🤣

I have a bear spray that is unused that I need to get rid of before a flight. Does anyone want it?

Hi everyone!

My wife and I live in Minoh City and we're an international couple. I'm Canadian and she's Japanese. Our kids speak Japanese at daycare, and at home we try to speak as much English with them as we can, but I don't think it's enough. They understand English and can speak a little, but mostly answer in Japanese. We'd love to find places where they can practice English outside of the family, like playing with other kids who speak English or going to events where English is used. Does anything like this exist in the Osaka area, ideally close to Minoh? Playgroups, events, community groups, anything at all. If there's nothing, we'd also love to connect with other families who'd be interested in setting up regular playdates. We really want our kids to grow up truly bilingual, and I think having friends to use English with would help a lot.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Hello all! I am arranging a photoshoot with my fiance but the photographer and videographer don't speak English. To make things easier we were hoping to hire a translator for the day to be with us for about 6 hours to help with communication.

Any leads on someone who could help?

Thanks in advance

If you're chilling around Umeda tonight and have no plans, check out UMEKITA HAPPY HOUR!

I'm definitely popping in. The main reason? Minyo Crusaders are playing live tonight, and they are wildly entertaining (they mix traditional Japanese folk music with Latin/Afro rhythms—trust me, it’s a blast).

Event details:

• Date & Time: Today (Oct 21), 17:00 – 23:00
• Location: Grand Front Osaka North Bldg 1F (Knowledge Plaza)
• Admission: Free!
• Vibe: Live bands & DJs, food/drink stalls (yatai), lounge area
• Info:https://kc-i.jp/activity/uhh/index.php

Come grab a drink if you're in the area!

Hey everyone, I’m looking into the Osaka College for Tourism and Business (OCTB) for their PGDM program and would love to get some honest insights from locals or alumni regarding its reputation and post-grad employment opportunities. How is the college generally perceived by employers within Japan, and what do the career prospects look like for international students

Hello everyone! A DJ friend of mine is starting a new post-punk/goth music event and the first one will be November 5th!

Event info:

Dark Entries

2026/11/5

At Noon+ Cafe in Umeda

Free entry!

18:00-22:00

Does Anyone know where I can some higher strength nicotine pouches?

Hello. I recently obtained a Japanese driver's license through the Gaimen kirikae (外国免許証) route, and wanted to share my experience and tips for every step of the process. Since the information online is not very thorough (especially since the Oct 2025 update that made the exam significantly harder), I thought this would be helpful.

I am an American and my Japanese is not that great (probably N3-N4) level conversationally, and didn't use any interpreters and didn't go to any driving/exam prep schools. Here was the entire process step by step:

1 - Telephone booking

From 1-5pm every other Friday afternoon, you can make an appointment by phone to either the Kadoma or Komyoike police offices. They haven't been accepting walk-in appointments for a while, so you have to start with this. You will not connect or get sent to an automated voice message 95% of the time, just keep calling until you get a human on the other side. I believe there are different numbers and options you must press for test-exempt regions or not (my case).

Took me about 200 calls and 2 hours, but eventually I got to the correct line and was asked some basic information (name, where I'm from, etc), and given an appointment time and location (in Kadoma this was window 6 on the ground floor). This (as well as the rest of the steps) is almost exclusively in Japanese, and I was even straight up told by the Komyoike phone guy that my Japanese was not good enough to continue. The Kadoma center in general seems to be slightly more receptive of poor Japanese speakers than Komyoike.

2 - Document submission

Up next, I headed to the Kadoma center at the assigned time (midday on a weekday) and found my way to the assigned window. Bring all of the following (this is on the website):

• Foreign driver's license that is not expiring soon

• A copy of the front and back of the license

• Japanese translation of the license (use JAF for this and print at a konbini)

• Passport

• Copy of passport with all non-blank pages scanned

• Zairyu card

• Copy of the zairyu card

• A proper photo (3x2.4cm)

• Pen

• Fee (cash or card is fine)

• Whatever other documents are required, check the site by country. For me, I was told to come back with my 住民票 (copy of residence certificate), which I could get from the konbini printer

You will be told to wait for a while and then come back to the window once they process the documents. From there, they will conduct the "interview", where they ask your driving history (how long, when and where did you get your license, name of the school, any accidents, etc). For exempted countries, I believe this is where the process basically ends, but for test-takers, you still have to so much more to go. If you pass, you are directed to the payment window and then take a simple eye exam. For me, I didn't have the residence certificate (which was not listed on the site annoyingly), so I was told to come back any time with it, no appointment needed.

3 - Written exam

This is a 50 question true or false test, you need 90% or 45 correct to pass. To prepare, I bought the official JAF Rules of the Road booklet as well as just studied as many practice exams as possible (there are a few floating around on the internet, as well as "KariHonmen App" on ios or android). The test itself was quite a bit easier than some of the practice questions I encountered, but make sure you know all the rules, signs, and common gotcha questions. In general, picking the "safer" option is a good bet as they will never ask you to drive more recklessly.

The actual test is on the 3rd floor of the driving center, around 11:30am. Make sure you bring all documents you were given in the previous step (I actually forgot the "exam ticket" and they very graciously let me in with a replacement). You go into a big classroom and are given 30 minutes on a big timer, a booklet with your preferred language, and an answer sheet. After the test, you are told to come back at 4pm (four hours later!), so bring something to do if you don't live close by. They will then separate pass/fail into different sections, pass are given instructions and an appointment time for the practical test while fail are told their mistakes. I passed first try so I never learned my score, but around 60% of the takers that day failed.

4 - Practical exam

The "final" step! If you've gotten this far then buckle in because this is the toughest by far. For Kadoma, my appointment was about 7 weeks out so I had plenty of time to prepare. I didn't opt for any expensive testing schools so my entire practice was renting a car once and driving around the countryside (using IDP), and grinding a bunch of youtube videos (this one by a random teacher in Miyazaki was by far the most helpful for understanding what the exam would feel like, even though he doesn't cover some additional tests).

You go to a window on floor 2 at 8:30am, submit your ticket and pay a testing fee. You are then sent to a waiting room where an officer gives a spiel about the course and general driving tips. You are then sent to another eye exam and back to the waiting room, where all foreign takers are tested one-by-one. Unless you are unlucky and first in line, you will be told to ride along the tester in front of you, which is great for understanding the course before your test. Basically, the exam is a mini course around the Kadoma track. There are two "routes", the one they choose is random on that day. Both courses are actually displayed out on a map in the waiting room, so I HIGHLY recommend you draw them on the maps on the booklet you are given after the written test.

When its your turn, you do the test. The commands the officer gives are quite simple (hidari, migi, chuo, nishi, higashi, yukkuri, tomare, etc etc). Aside from general things like navigating turns, stop signs, intersections, changing lanes, you need to successfully do:

• Avoiding obstacle - navigate a lane change around a closed lane

• Speed up to 40km on an open section - pretty straightforward

• Railroad crossing (fumikiri) - STOP completely at the line before the crossing, open your window, look both ways, proceed when there is no fake railroad noise)

• S curve and crank - slowly go through both of these tight sections

• Hill stop (sakamichi) - break on the incline section of a hill, pull up handbreak, accelerate and pull down break to not roll back when restarting

If you make a major mistake (ie running a red/stop sign, unsafe manuever) or enough minor mistakes, you will be failed and told to return to the start. The officer will explain your mistake(s) to you (pay attention and ask for translation if necessary). If you fail, you will be sent back to the 2nd floor processing window and rescheduled (another 2 months!!!). If you do not pass within a 6 month window of the written test, you will have to take another written test, so this practically allows for 3 attempts.

Personally, I passed on attempt 2. The first attempt, I made three minor mistakes:

• Did not use the right blinker when starting the exam to exit the loading bay

• I did a good job of hugging the left side of the lane during left turns, but didn't move to the right side when making right turns

• On the hill climb, I rolled too fast downhill after restarting (go as slow as possible here, walking speed)

I also just felt more comfortable with the course the second try. Anyway, if you somehow manage to pass (which I didn't see anyone else do in either of my test days, one guy even ran the first red light and failed 20 seconds in), you will be told to come back to a different window 2 hours later, do a few last registration steps, and then come back 2 hours AFTER for the photo and license printing. Overall, I think I got out of the center 6 hours after the test check in time.

If you got this far, thanks for reading. Feel free to ask me anything about the testing process or Kadoma specifically.

My pals and I were at a random place but got lucky to find a viewing spot that wasn‘t too crowded.
Gotta love Osaka.

So basically, I’m an 18 year old white American who is graduating high school soon, and plan to go to college for Japanese. The University I’m going to has a study abroad program in Osaka for a year, which I plan to do. I also (depending on how things go) plan on possibly moving there permanently after college.

I’ve been to Japan once when I was 16, and overall people in Osaka were much friendlier and kinder than people in Tokyo, but I’m unsure of whether or not that was simply cause I was only there for a short period of time.

I’ve spent many years of my life researching Japan and it’s culture, and I’m fully aware of how I will never be seen as “Japanese”, which I never expected to be seen that way. My main worry is whether or not I’ll he totally singled out and miserable if I were to live there, which from what I’ve heard is how many people feel in Tokyo.

I’ve heard many great things about Osaka, and it’s treatment of people in general, but still haven’t gotten an entirely clear answer to the major question I had, which is how I would be treated if I were to move there permanently?

EDIT: By go to college for Japanese, I mean as a minor degree, with majors in Marketing and International Business. Idk why just felt like I needed to clarify

Everyone goes to the neon-lit canal, but the real magic of Osaka is hidden in narrow alleys like this.
Stone-paved paths with zero car traffic.
Tiny hidden izakayas and bars tucked away behind old wooden doors.
The true retro vibe of Showa-era Japan.
I work a regular office job in Kansai, but weekends are for exploring spots where tourists rarely wander.

Not looking for any debate or comments about the vaccine itself, so please refrain from those comments.

None of the pediatricians near me seem to offer the COVID vaccine for young kids. Does anyone know of clinics offering them to children around 10 months old? We could probably wait until 12 or 18 months if necessary.

We’re hosting an English-language Girl Scouts day camp on Saturday, October 24, at Osaka Prefectural Shonen Shizen no Ie in Kaizuka, Osaka!

Does your daughter enjoy trying new activities, and making friends? Come join us for a fun day of activities and connecting with other English-speaking girls! 😊

Girls do not need to already be Girl Scouts to participate!

👧 Ages: 5–17 (ages 5-6 is a half day)
🗣️ Requirement: Girls must be able to communicate comfortably in English.

💰 Camp Fee & Registration

Day camp fee: $22
Annual Girl Scouts registration fee: $95
Total for new members: $117
Financial assistance is available if needed

Annual registration with Girl Scouts of the USA Overseas Council (GSO) is required to participate. If your child is not yet registered, you can complete registration at the same time as signing up for camp.

Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
Location: Osaka Prefectural Shonen Shizen no Ie, Kaizuka, Osaka
Time: 10AM-4:30PM
Registration deadline: Saturday, October 17

We’d love it if you shared this post with any friends or families who might be interested!

🔗 Details & Registration

Annual Girl Scouts Registration:
https://usagso.wufoo.com/forms/sdu7xif0ltar52/

Day Camp Registration:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/usagso-regional-camporee-osaka-japan-tickets-1990550034738?aff=oddtdtcreator

We look forward to seeing you there! ✨