With Expo 2025 approaching, there is a lot of focus on Osaka right now. Featured in The New York Times’ list of “52 Places to Go in 2025,” it’s one of the world’s top trending cities. With a variety of food stalls, bars and restaurants, plus plenty of sightseeing options, it’s a fun and vibrant place to visit. It’s also a fantastic destination for a day or night cruise along one of its many rivers.
As well as being referred to as the “kitchen of Japan,” Osaka is known as the “city of water.” In the past, an abundance of waterways helped the region grow to become an economic and cultural center in the west of Japan. Today, about 10% of the city is made up of canals and rivers and efforts are continually being made to revitalize Osaka as an aqua metropolis.
Osaka River Fantasy
Leading up to Expo 2025, the Suito Osaka Consortium, which was established in 2017 to help transform the city into a globally recognized destination, is focusing on projects that enhance the region’s picturesque waterfront landscapes. One of its key initiatives is Osaka River Fantasy, which connects the Nakanoshima region and the Expo site through a vibrant corridor of water and light.
Osaka River Fantasy includes an invigorating light show and projection mapping experience that can be enjoyed from the comfort of a boat. Prior to its launch, we were invited to a test run of the night cruise, beginning at Hachikenyahama Pier.
The highlight of the cruise is unquestionably the fountain show. It begins shortly after departure with a floating stage featuring multicolored fountains that are synchronized to various tracks, ranging from Western hits to Japanese ones, such as the Expo theme song, “Kono Hoshi no Tsuzuki wo.” According to our guide, the show will run every hour for five minutes daily between 12 p.m. and 10 p.m., starting on April 12.
There are around 50 fountains along the approximately 100-meter-long stage. The multidirectional water jets reach up to between 8 and 12 meters in height, except for the central fountain which soars 20 meters above the ground. The polychromatic show will take place every day until February 2026.
A Large-Scale Projection Mapping Show
Beyond the fountain show, there is still a lot to admire in Nakanoshima, which is particularly enchanting after dark when the bridges and high-rise buildings are lit up. There’s also a delightful projection mapping show along the Higashi Yokobori River. Utilizing the Hanshin Expressway bridge piers and bridges, it is a large-scale program spanning 600 meters that seamlessly blends art with local structures.
The cruise passes several Osaka landmarks, including Hommachi Bridge, the city’s oldest active bridge, which was built in the 16th century, and Minatomachi River Place, a modern complex built around the live house, Namba Hatch, before arriving at Dotonbori, our final destination. Famous for its neon signs — particularly the Glico Running Man and Kani Doraku signs — it’s a great place to disembark and try some of the local cuisine, including okonomiyaki and takoyaki. Enjoying some food and a few drinks at a nearby izakaya, it was the perfect end to what had been a very enjoyable evening.
Mitsui Garden Hotel Osaka
Our accommodation for the night was at the Mitsui Garden Hotel Osaka, which boasts comfortable rooms that have delightful views of the cityscape and the waterways below. On the 16th floor, there’s a large public bath with a picturesque miniature garden.
The breakfast is a buffet-style with several Kyushu dishes, including chicken Namban from Miyazaki Prefecture, simmered chicken and aromatic vegetables — known as gameni — from Fukuoka Prefecture and nakatsu, a specialist karaage from Oita Prefecture. The highlight, though, is probably the fluffy omelet served straight off the stove.
Okawa Sakura Cruise
The Suito Osaka Consortium also works closely with several boat companies to arrange a variety of cruises in the city. One that many people are looking forward to is the Okawa Sakura Cruise, which ferries passengers along some of the region’s best cherry blossom sites, including Osaka Castle and Osaka Mint Bureau.
For more information about cruises in Osaka, see the Suito Osaka Consortium homepage.
