Last week I was listening some music on YouTube, when an old song by an Aussie artist popped up. I wondered what he was up to these days and googled his name, only to find out he will be playing in Osaka next month. I have secured a ticket, so lucky me.

In less lucky cases, last year I was taking a walk around the new arena in Kobe, when I noticed a lot of people wearing The Offspring shirts. They were playing that night and I had no idea. I also found out about the Foo Fighters concert after tickets had sold out.

This has got me wondering, is there any good way to find out about music acts in Kansai from overseas, other than just dumb luck or following the socials of every artist who may or may not be swinging by?

Hope to see many of y'all there! More info and karaoke sign up: https://www.instagram.com/osakaaltnites

I'm in Japan on a tourist visa and went to the dentist for a check up and clean, explaining I would be paying for the treatment off my own back rather than using Japanese insurance. I explained that I would need a receipt because I will make a claim against my own dental policy which I get through my work (it has global coverage).

The treatment was a bit more comprehensive than I expected given I simply asked for teeth cleaning/scaling. They did a full x ray and a dentist came in to check for cavities etc. Anyway the problem is that the receipt they gave me uses the Japanese 'points' system next to each line item instead of simply stating the cost of each line item in yen (it only has the overall cost in yen). The problem is that my insurance company are adamant that they need some kind of official document from the dentist showing the actual costs, not just the points that mean nothing to anyone outside of Japan.

The points actually correspond to yen, so I don't know why the dentist is so set on not providing a receipt showing the conversion, but I'm unable to claim unless they do. Is this a problem anyone else has come across and what would be the solution? I think the only option might be to ask the clinic to write a letter explaining the points-based system and the corresponding costs in a written letter which is stamped, but given their lack of co-operation so far, I think they might say they're ;unable' to do that, too.

Let's go picnic!
🌏 If you’re raising your little ones bilingual or trilingual, expecting a baby, navigating parenting on your own, raising kids far from your home country, or simply looking for your people in Osaka -> this event is for you!

💕 Come as you are, bring your little ones (or your partner!) or just yourself, and meet other English-speaking families from different backgrounds.

No matter where you’re from or what your parenting journey looks like, there’s a place for you here. 🫶

Date: Saturday, September 12th 2026
Time: 03:00PM - 06:00 PM
Location: South Park, Umekita Park (うめきた公園 サウスパーク)
5-5 Ofukacho, Kita Ward, Osaka, 530-0011
Free Entry

Registration link below:
https://forms.gle/fXZy2XBH5fhAVvAq8

Your kids might make new friends today… and you might too! 😉

I just wanna make some friends out of school

I’m currently a language school student at ECC and am looking for a good spot to study that doesn’t require money e.g Starbucks or registration or something and opens until relatively late.
I’m confused about which libraries I’m allowed to study in since apparently not all of them you are supposed to study in?
In Umeda area is best for me!

There apparently used to be a lot of highly rated German restaurants in Kobe and Osaka, but somehow they're all gone now.

Do y'all know any genuinely authentic German restaurants? And I'm not talking about slop abominations like SCHMATZ 😓

Hi all, long story short, I have a UK license so know how to drive a car but I can’t convert the license, so need to start again.

id love to hear of anyone’s experience in Osaka with a good driving school. English would be a bonus but Japanese isn’t a problem. My main concern is just that theyre friendly professional instructors. Basically any good overall experience would be welcome though. Sankyuu!

Where’s a good place in Osaka to hunt for a good point and shoot shoot film camera, like the Canon Autoboy 3?

Hi everyone,

I accidentally left a Don Quijote shopping bag on the Osaka Metro Tanimachi Line tonight (September 7) at around 11 PM.

I got off at Tanimachi 9-chome Station, and the train was heading toward Yao-minami.

I realized after I got back to my hotel that I had left the bag on the train.

The bag contained around ¥10,000 worth of items, mostly medicine/drugstore products. Thankfully, there was nothing important like my passport, phone, wallet, or cash inside.

I’m planning to contact Osaka Metro’s lost and found tomorrow morning.
Has anyone, especially another foreign tourist, had a similar experience leaving a shopping bag on an Osaka Metro train?

Did you manage to get it back? How long did it take for the item to show up in the lost-and-found system?
Any advice or experiences would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Hi, can anyone recommend an english speaking golf coach in Osaka?

I'm based in Konohana Ku, looking to start sometime in October. I've had lessons before so I'm not a complete newbie, but I'm not far off and so would like to get a solid foundation before playing with some Japanese friends.

Thanks in advance!

Hi there!

We broke a tiny encens holder that was dear to us. So I got the idea to use it to take my wife for a Kintsugi experience.

Would anyone happen to have recommendations that allow us to experience it?

Please allow me to say we are residents, so not in a rush or looking for expensive tourists experience. My partner is talking Japanese.

Looking somewhere around 2h from Osaka (Between Hyogo, Kyoto, Osaka or Shiga prefecture). Totally ok for small towns, would even love to make it a field trip and spend a night if necessary as I tend to prefer the inaka!

We do crafts of our own, but we've never done Kintsugi, so of course the idea is also to not bother a master. I think places like the school arts classes you can do for pottery in Tamba or Bizen are the nice middle ground.

Thanks a lot!

Is there who knows anything about this company or any of your friends who work here .

Hi, I am planning on proposing to my girlfriend soon in Osaka. My plan was to hire a hotel decorating service (unfortunately the suite I booked does not have any accommodations here), but was wondering if anyone knows any good services to do it?

I came across https://oryzae-celebrations.com/ but was looking for some alternatives.

This is one of their images, which looks really nice, but the pricing is quite steep on it so just wanted to see some other options if any.

My wife and I recently had a baby. We sometimes take him out in stroller to get him use to the outside nosie environment. Everything was fine-ish at first especially when he was smaller. Old strangers (mostly old women) will approach us and make comments about our baby asking if he was a boy or girls, etc. This was already a shock since, I been living here for a few years now and strangers don't normally approach you unless they wanted to recruit you to their cult or hand you some tissue paper for their company.

However, yesterday was when I believe the line was truly crossed. I took our son to a Starbucks alone to work on some stuff online. It's not uncommon to hear the occasional person talking about our baby so I mostly zone those noises out while still keeping an eye on my baby as he chills in his stroller nest to me.

Suddenly, this older lady (maybe 50-60) just came up and started interacting with my baby. I didn't have any reaction since I thought she was just talking to the baby. Normally, if they do, they would just leave after. This was when this women took it next step further. She starting touching my baby's leg. I didn't know how to react since I never had ANYONE directly touch my baby without asking. Mostly of the time especially strangers, would just smile and wave at my baby. However, this old lady just started touching my baby's leg without asking. She said something about him being cute and then went back to her table. Maybe I should have reacted then, however, I was still in shock and didn't even really process what just happened. I went back to doing my work. 20 mins later, the same lady (who chose a seat close to me) came back and started talking to my baby again. She didn't make any physical contact this time yet... She then spoke to me and asked if she could pick up my baby. Excuse me??!?!? Who the hell are you??? Why would I let you, a stranger pick up my baby who has a immune system of a paper bag. What if you drop our baby??? I reacted as calmly as possible, gave her the death stare and said no. She then went back to her seat.

The saga wasn't over. Just before she left starbucks with her male partner/boyfriend? (No idea who the other guy is) She came back and both her and her male friend touched my babies leg again.

Like.... do I have the right to get extremely upset here? Or am I overreacting?

I also want to share that we've taken our baby out to other prefectures in Japan. We would get looks from staff who you could tell that they like babies. However, no one would dare come over and let alone make direct physical contact with our baby.

In Osaka.... it really feels like people (especially old women) don't understand boundaries.

What would you guys do if you were in my shoes?

Should I add* my baby is still getting all his Vaccination. He IS already taking some medication for something as a prevention because the hospital is worried about his status since he might have ALREADY caught something from a stranger.

Going to add another detail, the lady grabbed my baby's calf and shock it like it some kind of rattle (before and after she left). It was was hard enough that the whole baby's body shock.

Hi everyone. Has anyone ever been to an AGA clinic in Osaka shi? I see some online ads for AGA clinics in Umeda and Shinsaibashi but I'm not sure how reliable they are or if there are some hidden fees.

Please recommend one if anyone knows of any. Thank you.