Although Osaka doesn’t quite get the attention Tokyo and Kyoto do, it’s still a major city and a place with much to do. One advantage it has is that its hotspots aren’t nearly as crowded and some of them are empty enough for a quieter and romantic date night.
There’s also the fact that a lot of its “known” date night locations aren’t nearly as packed as you’d expect. So if you’re in Osaka for the food adventures with your partner, it’s a pretty good idea to do the cute date stuff there too.
One great example of such a known date location is Illuminage Group’s annual illumination event in Osaka. It’s a nice illumination exhibition that not only happens every year, but happens in many cities across Japan. Of course, every city has their own twist on the exhibits.
Entry
Every year, Illuminage group opens the illumination exhibition on the Osaka castle grounds for you from mid-November to mid-February.
If you choose to come the exhibit is open from 5PM to 10PM but if you’re going on a date, make sure you go later at night (after 8PM is good) so there’s no families bringing their kids. Nothing wrong with them but the mood is better when it’s quieter.
You can plan it out and buy the tickets online ahead of time but you could also just swing by if you’re in the area as a spontaneous activity. Depending on your budget, this exhibition might be a bit steep but hey, how often are you gonna go? It’s probably a one-time thing.
| Ticket type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults regular | 2,500 JPY |
| Kids regular (up to 12) | 1,500 JPY |
| Adults Christmas Dec 21-25 | 3,500 JPY |
| Kids Christmas Dec 21-25 (up to 12) | 2,000 JPY |
As soon as you walk in, your eyes and ears will be graced with a beautiful show. No, it’s not gonna be a dead-quiet exhibit, there’s romantic music playing. The organizers know exactly what they’re doing.
Visual history
The Illuminage’s organizers have done a great job catering to both genders in this exhibit as they’ve added elements to please both of you here. Yes, it’s a cute spot to walk around at night, but almost every single illumination has a specific reference to an important figure in Japan’s history and more specifically in this case, Osaka’s history.
There’s illuminations of legendary figures such as:
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi
- Sanada Yukimura
- Ogata Kōan
- Tokugawa Yoshinobu
- Takenaka Hanbei
Along with many others for you to enjoy should you be interested in learning more. But even if you’re not, they’re cool figures that make for fun pictures.
Photo spots
As far as cute photo spots, you have a couple of options depending on you and your date’s style.
- The Illuminage sign
- The light string area
- The Osaka Castle illumination
- The crossed swords
- The Osaka takoyaki sign
- The see-saws
Make sure you bring a selfie stick with you, half of those illuminations only make for a good pic if you’re far enough away to get the whole thing in frame and there won’t always be someone nearby to help you snap a pic.
Late-night snack
If you’re craving a bite, you can choose to eat at the food carts within the exhibition spot which has a crêpe cart along with a karaage and kebab cart or you’ll have to look for food after you leave. But be forewarned that there aren’t many places open by the time the illuminage closes at 10 PM.
For a ramen spot, Hazunats recommends the chicken paitan shoyu ramen from Chommage-Shokudo which is open until 11:30 PM. It’s a 20-ish minute walk (25+ if you’re being lovey-dovey) from there though, so make sure you have things to talk about.
You’ll wanna sit closer to the exit though as Hazu mentioned that they go a bit too heavy on the cleaning agents for the toilet so it might be a bit of a turnoff for your date. Good news is that means the all the facilities are clean and maintained regularly.
Conclusion
You probably won’t wow an Osaka girl with an Illuminage date but it’s a classic spot for a reason. And if you’re visiting with your partner, this will be a fun and unique location to experience together. You might even learn a bit about Osaka’s long history if you’re both curious enough to look up the name plates.
So give it a shot next time you go to Osaka if you’re with someone special. It’ll be a date to remember. Or even go by yourself and take some nice pictures. Your IG feed will thank you.
What’s another generically common spot that’s so obvious, nobody else thinks about going to?
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