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Osaka · Mysteries & legends

Deaf Gods, Giant Lions and a Curse: Osaka's Mysteries

Beneath the neon of Minami, southern Osaka keeps beliefs that are still very much alive. On this walk you knock on a god's back, peer into the mouth of a twelve-meter lion and stroll across the old cemetery that is now the city's liveliest district. We always separate what the records say from what tradition tells, without taking away an ounce of the fun.

  • 5 stops
  • 2.8 km
  • 1 h 50 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
The giant lion's head of Namba Yasaka Shrine, mouth wide open

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Imamiya Ebisu ShrineThe shrine of the merchants' god, who, so custom says, must be knocked on the back because he is hard of hearing.
  2. 2 Namba Yasaka ShrineA twelve-meter lion's head that, people believe, swallows bad luck.
  3. 3 Hozenji Temple and Mizukake FudoA moss-covered statue that everyone splashes with water, beside the old Sennichimae graveyard.
  4. 4 Ebisu Bridge and the Curse of the ColonelDotonbori's busiest bridge, where a KFC statue ended up in the canal and a curse was born.
  5. 5 Mitsutera TempleAn 1808 temple tucked under a hotel, a sacred camphor tree and the saddest tanuki in rakugo.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Deaf Gods, Giant Lions and a Curse: Osaka's Mysteries

Customs that will surprise you

A god you call on by knocking on his back, and a moss-covered statue that everyone splashes with water.

The Curse of the Colonel

The true story of the KFC statue that ended up in the canal in 1985, and the myth that haunted it for 38 years.

Records and tradition

Every legend comes with what is known for certain, so you can enjoy the mystery without mistaking it for history.

Keep exploring

More routes in Osaka

Back to Osaka
HistoryFrom Imperial Palace to Hideyoshi's Castle: Fourteen Centuries of Power in Osaka MixedFrom Shitennoji to Shinsekai: Ancient Temples and Old-School Osaka