The Ebisu Bridge in Osaka

The Ebisu Bridge is a popular spot in Osaka in the Dotonbori area and during my time in the city it was one of the first places I went to see. Here's what I experienced and why I went there a few times.

Interestingly, I knew about the bridge even before I was actually there, because I already heard about this bridge in the anime Detective Conan (名探偵コナン) in episode 763 and 764. In that story it was mentioned that the Ebisu bridge in Osaka is an infamous spot for people to meet. In that particular case it was about a meeting for a possible drug deal.

So.. on my first 'complete' day in Osaka I went there from the hostel following the Dotonbori River. I came from the western side along the river seeing through the letters on the bridge confirming me that it's the right one: えびす橋 (Ebisubashi).

After eating my first Takoyaki nearby the bridge I went on the bridge and it was easy to notice that it's a special spot. People meet there and take selfies, even TV teams sometimes run around. 

The view is just great: Big screens with commercials on both sites (quite often a never ending One Piece smartphone game one...), a giant wheel in nearby distance, long shopping areas in both directions of the bridge, a boat with people (you can buy a ticket if you like) driving on the Dotonbori River.

Also worth to mention: The big picture of the Guriko (ぐりこ) man! I was told that this character should motivate people to do sports. On the other hand the character is a creation from the Japanese sweets and candy company Glico. So the thought can be: If you increase your weight due to too much sweets, get motivated to do sports by the Guriko man!

Questions and a picture

During my first time there I also had an interesting experience. A few pupil from a school class with (obviously) their teacher came to me and asked me if I would answer them a few questions. I agreed.

They wanted to know my age, my country and my favorite food from Osaka, where I mentioned Takoyaki because I just tried it a few minutes before.

In the following they wanted to take a picture with me in middle of the pupils. First they made a photo with a phone from them and then they asked me for my phone and they also took a picture with my phone. They said goodbye and after checking the photo I found out that something went wrong, because it was black...

In the darkness

I'd also recommend to go there after the sunset which was in my case this September after 6 PM. The screens, the giant wheel and the lights in general seem to give that whole place an even better atmosphere.

Also during the evening time there are way more people around there. It's really filled. During the weekend there was also a girl band singing next the bridge so that people were cheering from the bridge and the other side of the river.

So there's a lot going on! Anyway, if you'll ever make it to Osaka, go to that place!