Southern Osaka– category –

Every autumn, the internet floods with shaky phone videos from Osaka. They all show the same thing: immense, intricately carved wooden floats, weighing up to four tons, being hauled through impossibly narrow streets at a full sprint. Men...

When you say “Kishiwada” to anyone in Osaka, one image explodes into their mind: the Danjiri Festival. It’s a chaotic symphony of raw power and adrenaline, a thunderous spectacle of massive wooden floats careening through narrow streets ...

When most people in Osaka, Japanese and foreigners alike, hear the word “Kishiwada,” one image explodes into their minds: the Danjiri Festival. It’s a vision of beautiful, colossal wooden floats, weighing up to four tons, being hauled th...

Living in Osaka, you quickly get the memo. This is Japan’s kitchen, the city of kuidaore—eating till you drop. You master the takoyaki flip, you learn your favorite ramen joint by heart, and you can debate the merits of okonomiyaki style...

Talk to anyone in Osaka about Kishiwada, and one word immediately explodes into the conversation: Danjiri. It’s a vision of chaos and courage, of massive wooden floats tearing through narrow streets at impossible speeds, men leaping and ...

As an event planner from Tokyo, I operate on a diet of deadlines, hyper-efficiency, and the unspoken social codes that keep Japan’s sprawling capital humming. Tokyo is a city of polished surfaces and precision. Every train, every meeting...

Step off the train in the southern stretches of Osaka Prefecture, in the towns that orbit the city proper, and the air changes. The slick gloss of Umeda’s high-rises and the electric hustle of Namba’s nightlife fade into a different kind...

Walk through the streets of Kishiwada on a humid August evening, long after the tourists have gone home. You'll hear it. A distant, thunderous rhythm. It's the sound of wood on wood, the rumbling of giant wheels on asphalt, the coordinat...

Osaka in August feels like living inside a hot, damp towel. The air gets thick, the cicadas scream with a desperate, electric buzz, and the energy of the city, usually so vibrant, can start to feel oppressive. The concrete radiates heat ...

Ask anyone in Japan about Kishiwada, and you’ll get a one-word answer: Danjiri. It’s a name that conjures images of pure, unadulterated chaos. Massive, intricately carved wooden floats, weighing up to four tons, careening around tight co...

Drop the name Kishiwada in any conversation about Osaka, and you get one reaction. A sharp intake of breath. A knowing grin. A story about that one time they saw a Danjiri float, a four-ton wooden behemoth, scream around a corner at full...

As a Tokyo event planner, I live and breathe a city that runs on precision. Every minute is scheduled, every interaction follows a script, and public space is a silent stage where everyone knows their role. We build our lives in the vert...