Dotonbori (Canal and Glico Sign)

Dotonbori is Osaka's canal-side entertainment strip in Chuo Ward, running between Dotonboribashi and Nipponbashi bridges in the Namba/Minami area. Its best-known feature is the Glico sign, a running-man billboard advertising the confectionery brand since 1935, lit up on the canal's south bank beside Ebisu Bridge; the current LED version dates to 2014. Giant mechanical crab, dragon, and puffer-fish signboards line the surrounding streets alongside takoyaki and kushikatsu stalls, and the area is busiest after dark when the neon reflects on the water.

The Dotonbori canal was dug starting in 1612 and completed by 1615, financed by the merchant Yasui Doton, for whom it is named. In 1621 the Tokugawa shogunate designated the area Osaka's official theatre district, and by 1662 it held eleven kabuki and bunraku houses. Today the stretch of canal between Dotonboribashi and Nipponbashi bridges anchors Namba's nightlife, ringed by illuminated signboards for local food and drink brands. The Glico sign, an animated runner crossing a finish line, has stood on the south bank since 1935; the current sixth-generation LED display went up in October 2014. Riverside walkways, canal boat cruises, and street-food stalls make this Osaka's busiest evening walk.