Osaka Insider: Local Travel Guide to Osaka, Japan

Osaka is a wonderland of gritty, authentic Japan: sizzling pancakes, bustling theaters, racing motorcycles, thrift shops, urban hot springs, and lots and lots of funky cafes. Too bad that the standard Osaka tourist trail rarely touches the best stuff.

Don't get stuck at the Glico Man and Osaka Castle. Don't stand in lines for tourist traps.

This is deep, local Osaka. We'll experience awesome street art, a secret weekday special at a high-end sushi place, okonomiyaki places where they'll know your name, and a castle a million times better than the one the tourists visit.

We'll even go see Japanese pro wrestling. No, not sumo. Sumo is for tourists.

Osaka Insider is 50,000 words - and quite a few photos - of the deep, local Osaka that you won't find on TikTok or even Lonely Planet.

Everything includes a QR code and map link, so you can rip around town like a salty Osakan taxi driver.

Come with me. You can be an Osaka insider too.