Cruising the Dotonbori Canal

A boat cruise along the Dotonbori Canal puts Osaka's streetscape at water level, where the city looks very different from the crowded bridges overhead. Canal tours typically pass under Ebisu-bashi Bridge and alongside the illuminated signs of Dotonbori, with a guide narrating in Osaka dialect. The canal dates to 1615, and most of its bridges were originally built by private merchants to move goods or attract customers. Ebisu-bashi was rebuilt in 2007 with a circular plaza and railings shaped like okonomiyaki spatulas. Osaka's waterfront revival began in 2001 as part of a campaign to reclaim the city's identity as Japan's water capital.