Namba/Dotonbori

This is the tourist food and entertainment district with neon signs and street food vendors. Safe on main streets, gets rowdy on side streets late at night. Good for eating alone at counters. Crowds and noise are constant.

Namba and Dotonbori are the tourist center - giant neon signs (the running Glico man, the moving crab), crowds of people eating street food and shopping. Busy day and night. The neon lights reflecting on the canal look good in photos. The area stays packed late with people trying takoyaki and okonomiyaki from vendors. Walking around at night on the main streets is generally fine - well-lit, crowded, other women around. Side streets get rowdy after midnight with drunk people, so stick to Dotonbori Street and Shinsaibashi-suji arcade. The crowds, noise, and restaurant touts trying to pull you into places can get annoying. Counter seating is everywhere, eating alone is normal. English menus are common, and most places have plastic food displays so you can just point.