Osaka Dating Itineraries: Nakazakicho

by | Sep 30, 2023 | Date Ideas | 0 comments

Dating Ideas For Nakazakicho Osaka
Osaka dating itineraries aim to give an overview of a neighbourhood, with suggestions for meals and activities to enjoy within an easy walking distance.

Nearest station:

Nakazakicho on the Tanimachi line or a 15 minute walk from Umeda station

Good for:
  • Breakfast, brunch, lunch or afternoon tea
  • Animal lovers
  • Photographers
Quick points:
  • Mostly indoors
  • Adjustable timing and length
Nakazakicho is comfy chic. A neighbourhood filled with bicycles and coffee shops. Easily accessible, only located a short walk away from Osaka Umeda station, Nakazakicho is quite different from its neighbour. Less bustle, with buildings shrunk to a more human scale, the district is full of Showa era charm and narrow alleys to explore. Couples can expect a chill dating experience that, like a favourite snack or familiar TV show, can be enjoyed time over again.
Dating Fun Venturing Down Winding Alleys In Nakazakicho

Venturing down winding alleys in Nakazakicho often feels like an adventure, but the Hobbity kind that leads to the discovery of niche boutiques and tasty places for lunch.

Breakfast/Brunch

Taiyou no To

Open 9am to 10pm daily.

Opening earlier than most cafes in the area, Taiyou no To is the perfect spot to start this dating itinerary. Its breakfast menu lasts until 11am, so it could be the spot for early birds to meet, or for those who prefer a more leisurely, mid-morning brunch.
Wood and leather predominates in the design scheme of Taiyou no To. Airy, bright and surprisingly spacious, the cafe leans into retro and rustic, with neoclassical lamp shades warming the colour spectrum and the wall-paper giving a sense of a 70s’ timeslip. The quiet jazz soundtrack completes the mood.
Taiyou No To Rustic Retro Cafe For Dating In Osaka
Taiyo No To Open From Early To Late In Osaka

Breakfast, lunch, bar, sweets. Taiyo no To is open from early to late, with a variety of food and drinks to share.

Nakazakicho Relaxed Weekend Breakfast Date With Your Partner
The “morning” menu features kissaten staples, like the door-stopper egg sandwich and the classic toast and salad combo.

At the time of writing, it also includes a traditional Japanese set with mixed grain onigiri, salad, pickles and miso soup, which pairs nicely with a fresh, cold yuzu squash.

Alternatively, couples could enjoy a more Western style offering of warm scones with generous amounts of cream and syrup, washed down with a cafe latte.

Simple Traditional Food To Enjoy With Your Date
Raising Enjoyment With Good Food Increases Dating Success
Relaxed Chatting Over Coffee Build Rapport With Your Partner
Planet Studyo Plus 1 Cinema Osaka Evening Spot For A Date
Find Drinks You And Your Partner Can Enjoy Together On Your Date

Savoury and satisfying, starting the day with a Japanese style breakfast, or go the sweeter, scones and cream option. Drinks cost extra.

Above Taiyo no To is an independent cinema, Planet Studyo +1 Cinema Osaka, which shows many classic Western and Japanese films. For the movie buff couple, this could be a potential evening spot for a date.

Activity: Cat Cafe With Lunch Option Available

Taiyou No To Cat Cafe Ultimate Chill Spot For Nakazakicho Dating

This cafe is the ultimate chill spot. It’s hard to feel stressed with so much fuzzy laziness surrounding you.

Relax With Melon Soda Or Coffee With Your Date And The Cats

Only a three minute walk from Taiyou no To, is a well stocked cat hangout, Cafe Uriel. Felines fill every nook and cranny of the two storey building, as only they can.

On the first floor, the more energetic inhabitants scurry across wall mounted platforms, and will attack all feathery wands waved in their direction. For couples just getting to know each other, taking turns teasing the kitties can be a fantastic ice-breaker, and an opportunity to take the focus away from conversation.
Cafe Uriel’s entrance fee comes with a reusable thermos cup, for humans to take their melon soda or coffee in. Not only is this an admirable adoption of the SDG Goal 12: reduce waste, but the thermos is an original product also available for purchase.
Peaceful Cats Help Enhance Rapport While Dating
The second floor is where the best warm spots and baskets are for naps (for cats, not humans). Large windows let in more light, allowing for better photos. The room is set up like a child’s bedroom, with bunk beds and cubby houses for cats to clamber across, or, curl up on. While there aren’t any chairs for adult sized people, there’s something very relaxing, and somewhat nostalgic, about finding a spot on the floor to sit, leaning against the wooden bunk bed, surrounded by snoozing furry fluffballs.
Feeding Cats At The Cat Cafe Brings Natural Love To Your Date
Treats will tempt the sleepers into wakefulness, though beware! With the high volume of felines in the room, it can feel overwhelming for those unused to being smothered in cats.
Dates Take Good Rapport With Cats As A Good Sign

Couples can take turns to feed the cats and capture cute photos of them while they’re awake. Team-work!

The staff consider the wellbeing of their felines carefully, so visitors must wear socks and avoid perfume. Cute cat sockets can be bought for a few hundred yen, if necessary.

As an additional point of sweetness, the inhabitants of Cafe Uriel are rescued from a life on the streets. The cafe not only gives them a place to live, but promotes them for adoption. For some lucky couples, this date could lead to a long lasting relationship with both a special someone and a special cat!

Being Around Relaxed Cats Helps Your Date Relax And Open Up

Lunch: Tea Room Uriel

Nakazakicho has a huge variety of options for lunch. From curries, to hamburgers, to Japanese style sets with rice and pickles, to spots for vegetarians and vegans, or for those who want gluten free cheesecake.
Tea Room Uriel Great Lunch Spot In Nakazakicho Osaka

Most lunch places don’t open until 11:30 in Nakazakicho, but there are a lot of choices once they do.

After an hour playing with the cats, weekday visitors to Cafe Uriel can receive a lunch set at a special discount at Tea Room Uriel. This restaurant is separate from the cat cafe, but is a quick two minute walk away. The voluminous tray includes a lot of fresh veggies, umami flavour and cute cat themed tableware.
Umami Flavors And Fresh Food To Enjoy On Your Nakazakicho Date
The restaurant leans hard into warm and comfortable, with floral couches, snowglobes and… Christmas trees. Large angel wings, cat cushions and a ceiling full of Turkish lamps, a feature shared with the cat cafe, give some interest to the inevitable Instagram posts.
Tea Room Uriel’s Decor Checks All The Warm, Fuzzy Memory Boxes

Tea Room Uriel’s decor checks all the warm, fuzzy memory boxes.

Let Your Date Feel Like An Angel As You Relax Together

Activity: Explore Nakazakicho

Nakazakicho is the urban equivalent of mashed potatoes. It’s a comfort food that always seems to hit the spot. For those exploring for the first time, ensure to include time on the date just to wander. Spared from firebombing in the war, this area maintains a charm of an Osaka of eras past. Taisho era buildings, small hatake vegetable patches, Che Guevara graffiti, drinking wells still in use, and a sweet shop selling 10 yen candy.
Nakazakicho Maintains A Charm Of An Osaka Of Eras Past
While Nakazakicho is an itinerary enjoyable for those at any stage of a relationship, for those newly together, it is the perfect canvas for golden hued memories, and a place, like a favourite film, that will reward a rerun.
Exploring Nakazakicho Together A Great Way To Build Your Relationship

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