Make the Most of Osaka in January｜First Shrine Visits, New Year Festivals, and the Ultimate Start with Street Kart

Osaka in the new year transforms into a curious city where the usual hustle and bustle mixes with a “special kind of stillness.” Steam rising from food stalls along the path to Sumiyoshi Taisha, spirited cheers echoing from Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, and cold winds rushing down Midosuji Avenue. For international visitors experiencing Osaka in January for the first time, this season offers the deepest, most authentic taste of “Japanese New Year” you can find all year.

And if you’ve ever felt unsatisfied with “trips that involve nothing more than gazing out a tour bus window,” I want you to add a Street Kart Osaka experience to your itinerary. Feeling the new year air on your cheeks while cruising through Namba, Dotonbori, and Shinsaibashi is something photos and videos can never truly capture. This is the kind of excitement you simply have to experience with your own body.

Why Osaka in January Is “The Most Interesting Time of the Year”

Honestly, when my Osaka friends ask me “When’s the best time to visit Japan?”, I recommend January without hesitation. The reason is simple: it’s the only month where you can savor both the buzz of a tourist destination and Japan’s ancient traditional events at the same time.

On New Year’s Day morning, the streets of Osaka become surprisingly quiet. Even Shinsaibashi-suji shopping street, usually packed with crowds, has its shutters half-closed and the air feels crisp. But take just one step toward a shrine, and a completely different world unfolds. Hundreds of people line up, clap their hands, and ring the bells. It’s a scene I’d never witnessed back in America. I was nervous at first, but a local smiled and told me “Just line up, it’s easy” — and before I knew it, I was participating in Japan’s new year ritual myself.

By mid-January, the city kicks into full gear, and festivals welcoming good fortune begin throughout the area. The cold is certainly intense (average temperatures hover around 5–10°C), but because the air is dry and clear, this is also the season when photos look their absolute best all year. Every camera-loving foreign tourist knows this — the blue skies during this period are genuinely crisp, making your social media shots stand out on a different level.

The Three Best Spots in Osaka for Your First Shrine Visit

First on the list, and impossible to skip, is Sumiyoshi Taisha. As the head shrine of approximately 2,300 Sumiyoshi shrines across Japan, locals affectionately call it “Sumiyossan.” The unique steep angle of the Sorihashi (drum bridge) when you cross it is guaranteed to surprise first-timers. In fact, simply crossing the bridge is said to “purify” you. During the first three days of the new year, this iconic Osaka shrine attracts over 2 million worshippers annually.

Next, I’d recommend Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, known as the deity of business prosperity. The “Toka Ebisu” festival held from January 9th to 11th is a winter tradition of Osaka. The vibrant chants of “Shobai hanjo de sasa motte koi!” (Bring bamboo branches for prosperous business!) ring through the shrine grounds, and the streets fill with people carrying lucky bamboo branches received from “fukumusume” (lucky maidens). The atmosphere combining “prayer and festivity” — different from American Thanksgiving — is uniquely Japanese and absolutely worth experiencing.

And one more: Shitennoji. Said to have been founded by Prince Shotoku, this ancient temple is considered the very root of Japanese Buddhism. The “Shushoe” ceremony, held from midnight on New Year’s Day, fills the late-night temple grounds with solemn sutra chanting, letting you experience that special moment of welcoming the new year. When I attended for the first time, I genuinely felt my back straighten with reverence.

Touring New Year Osaka Streets with Street Kart

Now for the main event. After completing your first shrine visit, or between new year festivities, I really want you to try a Street Kart Osaka tour. It’s an experience where you cruise through Japan’s streetscapes on actual public roads in a guide-led tour format.

Following the route led by your guide, you’ll race through Namba, Dotonbori, and the Shinsaibashi area, and suddenly the tourist spots you’ve been seeing transform into something out of a movie set. The moment you look up at the Glico sign while driving, with engine sounds blending with the city’s clamor, you feel the urban breeze on your fingertips gripping the steering wheel. This is a sensation you absolutely cannot experience from a tour bus.

While Osaka in January has low temperatures, the air is crystal clear with excellent visibility. The slanted winter sunlight illuminates the city’s neon signs and billboards in three dimensions. Mount an action camera while you ride, and you’ll capture footage that’ll make your friends go wild on social media. When I guided friends from my home country, every single one of them shouted “This is the most exciting thing I’ve ever done in Japan!”

Participation requires a driver’s license valid in Japan (either an International Driving Permit or a Japanese license). Be sure to check the detailed requirements in advance on the official site. Also, participants must be 18 or older, so families with children cannot join. This is strictly an urban adventure for adults.

By the way, despite common misconceptions, Street Kart has no affiliation whatsoever with Nintendo or the Mario Kart series. We do not provide costumes related to Mario Kart. This is purely a uniquely Japanese “public road kart” experience to be enjoyed as a real vehicle adventure.

How to Plan Your New Year Route

Complete your first shrine visit at Sumiyoshi Taisha in the morning, enjoy takoyaki and kushikatsu for lunch in the Namba area, then head to your Street Kart tour in the afternoon. This is personally my best combination. Cruising through Dotonbori bathed in the soft western winter sunlight is genuinely picture-perfect.

If you book an evening tour, you can experience the “magic hour” when the neon lights start to glow. The moment the Glico sign appears against the orange sky is — just between us — more dramatic than any nightscape in Tokyo. Note that the route is led by a guide on a predetermined course, and you cannot freely change the path. That’s precisely why it’s designed to give you a safe, efficient, condensed experience of Osaka’s highlights.

Why Street Kart Is Chosen

Why has Street Kart earned such overwhelming support among international visitors during Osaka’s new year? Let me share the reasons honestly, from the perspective of someone who’s lived in Japan for five years.

What stands out first is the overwhelming track record: over 1.34 million cumulative customers and more than 150,000 tours conducted (as of November 2023). The average rating is an astounding 4.9 out of 5 stars, with over 20,000 reviews. There aren’t many urban adventures around the world that have been loved at this scale.

Next is Street Kart’s distinction as the industry’s first kart operator with guides specifically trained for foreign drivers. The website supports 22 languages, and the company is well-versed in providing actual service in English. Even if you don’t speak any Japanese, the support system in place is genuinely reassuring for international visitors.

Then there’s the scale: 8 locations across Tokyo (6 stores), Osaka, and Okinawa. With over 250 well-maintained vehicles in total, tours run smoothly with reliable equipment. Being able to enjoy the same quality experience in multiple cities including Osaka builds tremendous brand trust.

Finally, this is a one-of-a-kind experience available only in Japan. With a guide-led tour format, you race through real city streets. This isn’t a theme park attraction — it’s a real adventure diving into the everyday landscapes of Tokyo and Osaka. That’s why travelers from around the world recommend it as a “must-do when you visit Japan.” For detailed store info and course introductions, also check out the reference site kart.st.

Making Your January Osaka Trip an Unforgettable Memory

New year Osaka is a special moment where tradition and modernity, silence and excitement, all coexist. Touch ancient Japanese prayer at Sumiyoshi Taisha, immerse yourself in the energy of business prosperity at Toka Ebisu, then race through the city itself with Street Kart. Combine these three experiences and you’ll create “your own Osaka” that no guidebook can offer.

Precisely because January is cold, the air is clear and the city’s outlines stand out crisply. Engine sounds, shrine bells, steam from food stalls, the chants of fukumusume — feel Japan’s new year with all five senses.

Booking is easy in English through the official kart.st site. Reservations get crowded around long weekends and holidays in January, so I recommend booking 2–3 weeks in advance if you’re going. Check availability early and start planning your trip to turn new year Osaka into the ultimate fresh start.

The first adventure of a new year — make it Osaka. The kind of experience you’ll definitely want to tell someone about, even after returning home, is waiting for you.

A Note About Costumes

Our shop does not rent out costumes related to Nintendo or “Mario Kart.” We only offer costumes that respect intellectual property rights.