Tip: Osaka earns its nickname as Japan's kitchen through sheer density of delicious options per city block. The day moves from Osaka Castle at opening time — arrive before 9am to avoid the queues that form within the hour — through soufflé pancakes that require a ticketed wait, a bamboo massage at a 530-year-old temple spa, a secret sake tasting basement where a family has been pouring for three generations, and a guided food tour through Kuromon Market and the Dotonbori night district.