Exploring Osaka with the Fujifilm X100VI...

If you chose an Airbnb in Nishinari Ward as your Osaka home base, you were in for something genuinely local, far from cookie-cutter tourism. This part of the city throws open a tapestry of everyday Japanese life: from gritty backstreets and bustling marketplaces to vibrant communities that pulse with character, history, and grit.

Located just south of Osaka’s major downtown districts, Nishinari is one of the city’s most unique wards — a place of contrasts where traditional shotengai (shopping streets), old-school eateries, budget supermarkets, and lively street scenes coexist with quieter residential blocks and everyday rhythm.

One of the standout benefits of staying in Nishinari is how well connected it is something that surprises many first-time visitors.

Here’s the transport scoop that makes Nishinari a smart base:

• Shin-Imamiya Station — Your transport anchor. It’s served by the JR Osaka Loop Line (connecting you to Umeda, Osaka-jo, Tennoji and more) and the Nankai Main Line with direct links to Kansai International Airport (KIX).

• Dobutsuen-mae Station — On the Midosuji Line (red subway line) and Sakaisuji Line, perfect for reaching Shinsaibashi, Namba, and Tennoji.

• Tengachaya Station — A short ride from Shin-Imamiya, linking you west and south — and super quick into Namba (under 10 mins).

• Hanazonocho and Kishinosato Stations on the Yotsubashi Line serve western parts of the ward too — ideal for exploring quieter neighbourhoods.

In short: whether you want to visit Umeda’s skyscrapers, Shinsaibashi shopping streets, or Kyoto and Kobe by train, Nishinari gets you there with minimal fuss.

Wandering the streets around Tsutenkaku Tower with the Fujifilm X100VI felt like the camera was made for this part of Osaka. Compact, quiet, and unassuming, it let me blend into the rhythm of the neighbourhood rather than interrupt it which is exactly what these streets ask of you.

Around Shinsekai and the connecting lanes, life unfolds in small, honest moments. Locals heading to work, shop owners sweeping their storefronts, cyclists weaving through narrow streets nothing staged, nothing rushed. The X100VI’s fixed lens forced me to slow down and commit to compositions, waiting for gestures and expressions rather than chasing them. That limitation became the freedom.

The area is endlessly textured, faded signage, layered posters, neon reflections, and weathered facades that glow beautifully in soft morning light or late-afternoon shadows.

Between shooting, I dropped into coffee shops tucked away from the main roads, places where regulars linger and conversations hum softly in the background. These pauses became part of the process camera resting on the table, observing, waiting for the next scene outside.

A few thrift stores along the way added another layer to the walk. Racks of baseball shirts, retro jackets, and unexpected finds mirrored the neighbourhood itself imperfect, expressive, and full of character. These stops weren’t just breaks; they were visual fuel, influencing what I noticed once I stepped back onto the street.

Shooting around Tsutenkaku with the X100VI wasn’t about chasing landmarks it was about capturing the spaces in between. The everyday moments, the quiet corners, the lives unfolding just off the tourist path. And that’s where this camera, and this neighbourhood, really shine.

Check out the gallery below for images from wandering the streets of this area....