What other travelers are saying about Tsuruhashi Shopping Street, Osaka
Amazing place to walk through as a tourist. Tons of shops and food places directly connected to the station in super narrow, semi-roofed streets. However, a lot of shops close fairly early so it has to be visited before sundown if you come for shopping. Feels like the backrooms of Osaka.
Tsuruhashi is the largest Korean neighbourhood in Japan and serves as a market consisting of six markets and shopping streets with approximately 800 stores. The area is famous for its concentration of Korean restaurants, grocery stores, and specialty shops selling Korean ingredients, cosmetics, and K-Pop merchandise. The area has over 150 shops including stores selling K-POP related goods, Korean miscellaneous items, apparel, and cosmetics, making it a hub for authentic Korean culture in Osaka.
The shopping street is directly accessible from Tsuruhashi Station, which is served by both the JR Osaka Loop Line and Kintetsu Railway (Nara Line and Osaka Line). The market area begins immediately outside the station, making it extremely convenient for visitors. The location in Higashinari Ward places it within easy reach of central Osaka.
Visitors can purchase authentic Korean ingredients including kimchi, seasonings, and traditional Korean food products. The area offers goods ranging from K-Pop merchandise to authentic Korean food to cosmetics. Specialty items include Korean beauty products, fashion items, K-Pop merchandise, traditional Korean tableware, and ingredients for preparing Korean dishes at home. The market is also known for its fresh fish shops and dried goods stores.
It's advisable to avoid peak hours between 7:00-9:00 AM and 5:00-7:00 PM for a more relaxed visit. Weekday visits tend to be less crowded than weekends, which attract more tourists. Individual shops maintain their own operating hours, with many opening mid-morning and closing in the evening. The covered market areas provide shelter from weather, though summers can be hot and humid.
While most shops accept IC cards and credit cards, it's recommended to carry some cash for smaller market vendors. Traditional market stalls and some smaller family-run shops may prefer or only accept cash payments. Having both payment options ensures you can shop at any store throughout the market complex without limitations.
Tsuruhashi Market,around Tsuruhashi Station,is a Korean community market in Osaka City of Japan. Right outside Tsuruhashi Station on the JR Osaka Line, Kintetsu Railway, and Osaka Metro Line are hundreds of shops and stalls and restaurants.
It's a place I've always wanted to visit, and it was even more amazing than I imagined. It's on a different scale than Korean towns in other cities in Japan. That means it's not a modern feel, but the real deal. I think people who like things a little older and exotic will really enjoy it. It's such a vast area that it's hard to tell where Tsuruhashi Shopping Street begins and ends. The shopping street spreads out from the moment you get off Tsuruhashi Station. There are also Korean stores and facilities scattered outside the shopping street.
I happened to be passing by so I stopped in for the first time in a while.
This is a particularly diverse area in Osaka, with a wide variety of shops lined up close together.
It's filled with unique charms, such as the famous yakiniku and kimchi.
A good old shopping street in front of the station that has nothing but the scent of the Showa era.
It's also a Koreatown.
How long will this atmosphere remain? Hopefully there will never be any talk of redevelopment, but its age is undeniable and from a disaster prevention perspective it will likely be lost forever in the not-too-distant future.
Places like this are being lost every year in Osaka.
If you're a fan, be sure to visit now and make it a memory to cherish.
