Japan Guide
Kansai
Nightlife
1 Bears B1 Shin-Nihon Namba Building, 3-14-5 Namba-naka 
06/6649-5564 
home.att.ne.jp/orange/bears The heart of the city's underground music scene, with a diverse range of experimental and avant-garde acts playing every night. Gigs start and end early (6.30–10pm) so as not to irritate the yakuza upstairs. Entrance from ¥1500. There's no bar, so take your own booze. Namba Station.
2 
Billboard LiveŌsaka B2 Herbis Plaza Ent Building, 2-2-2 Umeda 06/6342-7722 www.billboard-live.com/club/o_index.html Formerly Ōsaka Blue Note, top-flight jazz, soul, R&B and folk performers regularly play at this small-scale supper club. It's pricey though, with tickets often in excess of ¥7000. Still, the sound system is excellent and the food's reasonable. Ōsaka Station.
3 Canopy Takagawa Building 1F, 1-11-20 Sonezaki-Shinchi 06/6341-0339 A healthy mix of gaijin and Japanese rub shoulders in the least-likely-looking – and slightly sleazy – "American delicatessen" in Ōsaka (it appears to be modelled after a beach hut in Thailand). Cool down on the outdoor terrace and enjoy the 5–8.30pm happy hour, when beers are ¥400. Higashi-Umeda or Kita-Shinchi stations.
4 The Cellar B1 Dai-3 Hirata Building, 2-17-13 Nishi-Shinsaibashi 06/6212-6437 Comfortable neighbourhood bar with reasonably priced drinks and a daily happy hour (6–9pm), plus live music on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and a popular jam session on Sunday afternoons. Shinsaibashi Station.
5 Club Karma Kasai Building, 1-5-18 Sonezaki-Shinchi 06/6344-6181 Stark yet roomy bar and club which hosts a range of hip dance events, with the added bonus of a good food menu and a happy hour until 9pm. The all-night techno and house events are usually held on Friday and Saturday, when there's a cover charge of ¥2500 (more if big-name foreign DJs are in town). Karma is the most gay-friendly of the mainstream clubs and stages occasional gay or lesbian events. Nishi-Umeda or Kita-Shinchi stations.
6 Don Shop B1 Shimazu Building, 2-4-11 Umeda 06/6341-2605 If Billboard LiveŌsaka over the road is too expensive, catch live jazz (nearly always free; very occasionally a ¥1500 cover charge) any night of the week at this legendary all-night jazz club with its bohemian, 1960s atmosphere. Big-name performers sometimes hop over the road from Billboard Live for impromptu late-night jam sessions. Good food and reasonable drinks. Ōsaka Station.
7 Explosion Sanyo Kaikan B1F 8-23 Doyama-cho www.ex-osaka.com In the same building as Physique Pride Ōsaka, this club hosts men only, women only and mixed nights, with drag shows and film showings. Price: ¥2000 cover charge, with two drinks for Japanese and three drinks for non-Japanese
8 Frenz 2F 8-14 Kamiyacho frenz-frenzy.jp/frenz/ The first gay bar in Japan to be run by a non-Japanese, it has firmly established itself at the centre of the Kansai gay community. Relaxed and friendly. Sister bar Frenzy is in the same building but only open at weekends. East of Hankū Umeda station.
9 Joule 2-3F Brutus Building, 2-11-30 Nishi-Shinsaibashi www.club-joule.co.jp This very popular club has a fairly mainstream music policy but a more laid-back atmosphere and a third-floor lounge for relaxing in when the dance floor gets too full. Shinsaibashi Station.
10 Murphy's 6F Lead Plaza Building, Higashi-Shinsaibashi 06/6282-0677 It's seen better days, but the city's original Irish bar still has a traditionally boozy atmosphere to go with the draught Guinness and Kilkenny. Also serves food and has the odd live music show. There are several other bars in the same building in case this one is too rowdy. Nagahoribashi Station.
11 Physique Pride Ōsaka Sanyo Kaikan, 8-23 Doyama-chō 06/6361-2430 www.physiqueprideosaka.com Well-established Ōsaka gay bar that's foreigner-friendly and has English-speaking staff. No cover charge.
12 Pig & Whistle 2F Across Building, 2-19-4 Shinsaibashi Sonezaki 06/6213-6911 This British-style pub has Guinness on tap, fish-and-chip suppers, and darts – the place to head if you're feeling nostalgic about the old boozer back home. Shinsaibashi subway station.
13 Rockets 6025 Namba-pia, 2-8-13 Nambanaka 06/6649-3919 www.musicstuff-pro.com/rockets/top.html Bare concrete and plastic sheeting typify this alternative club, nestling under the railway tracks running south from Namba Station. DJs spin everything from drum ‘n' bass to reggae and punk, depending on the night of the week. It's best to ring up since it's not open every night. Price: Entrance ¥2500 including one drink Namba Station.
14 Sam and Dave IV (Umeda) 4-15-19 Nishi-Tenma 06/6365-1688 www.samanddave.jp Ridiculously popular bar that is always heaving with foreigners and Japanese alike all night every night, and there's a good sound system in case you feel like a bop on the dance floor. Cover charge (around ¥1000) some nights. Nagahori and Shinsaibashi branches in Minami are just as packed.
15 National Bunraku Theatre 06/6212-2531 www.ntj.jac.go.jp/english/index.html Performances of bunraku puppetry. Tickets (price depends on performance) sell out quickly, but you can try at the theatre box office, a three-minute walk from exit seven of Nipponbashi Station. Performances in Jan, April, Jun– Aug and Nov at 11am and 4pm.
16 Ōsaka Shōchiku-za 06/6214-2211 The place to catch Kabuki plays is the handsomely restored Ōsaka Shōchiku-za , five minutes' walk north of Namba Station, beside the Dōtombori canal. Tickets start at ¥4200.
17 Ōsaka Nō Hall 06/6373-1726 If you're interested in sampling the more difficult Nō plays, the Ōsaka Nō Hall, near Nakazakichō Station on the Tanimachi line, or a short walk east of Hankyū Umeda Station, often shows free performances on weekends and national holidays, usually beginning around 9.30am.