Review of Tonbori Base Cafe & INFO in Osaka

Hi,I’m Keiko from Osaka!

I went to check out TONBORI BASE CAFE & INFO, which opened newly on June 1.

TONBORI BASE CAFE & INFO is a tourist information center that also serves as a cafe located in the middle of Dotonbori.

The space also has a theater where you can enjoy comedy shows and musical daily.

Despite the ever-increasing foreign tourists to Osaka, it has been one of the challenges for OSAKA to be able to provide the useful tourist information to them.

TONBORI BASE CAFE & INFO has been established as a way to address this issue.

As such, the staff stationed there are not only knowledgeable about the information useful for tourists, but also able to communicate these information in both English and Chinese.

I echo their desire to provide useful information to foreign tourists especially from the view point of someone who lives there.

So in this edition, let me introduce you a bit about TONBORI BASE CAFE & INFO this time.

Review of Tonbori Base Cafe & INFO in Osaka

TONBORI BASE CAFE & INFO is located in the middle of Dotonbori, on the underground (B1) floor of the Nakaza building where the famous “Kuidaore Taro” crown stands.

Dotonbori, of course, is the center of night life and entertainment in Osaka, known for delicious food strolls/restaurants, eccentric atmosphere, bright neon signboards.

Use the escalator located behind the Kuidaore Taro crown to go down one floor, then there you are….at TONBORI BASE CAFE & INFO.


You will be greeted by staff with welcoming smiles.

Staff here can recommend restaurants that will please your taste buds or maybe even to the secret eateries that only the locals know.

Also, if the cafe is not too busy, they can even make a restaurant reservation on your behalf, which may come handy for those who do not speak Japanese.


At the Cafe, you are required to buy one drink, but you can bring in outside food.

This is great, since the building is surrounded with many eateries and food stalls such as takoyaki and kushikatsu shops.


In order to purchase a drink, it is as easy as 1) you buy a drink ticket, 2) hand over your ticket to the staff, 3) you receive your drink.

They also serve alcohol drinks, so perfect to get together with friends with their finds from the dotonbori street.

At TONBORI BASE CAFE & INFO, there is a big digital panel, where by touching different areas of the map, you can learn about the information of restaurants.

You can also learn about the interesting history of Dotonbori area, the town of Kuidaore (literally meaning eat till you go bankrupt).

Next up is “The Tickets Today System.”
TONBORI BASE CAFE & INFO is equipped with “The Tickets Today System.”

The TicketsToday system is for booking shows and activities all around Japan. It is credit card only.

It can be used to buy tickets same-day or in advance.

Right in TONBORI BASE CAFE & INFO, there is a theater where you can watch the comedy show by ZAZA and the musical called Gotta.

The comedy show is in Japanese, but you can still experience the laughter culture of Osaka through their comical acts.

Gotta is a largely non-verbal food themed musical show.

Though some parts are expressed in Japanese, they have an English subtitle also, so you can fully enjoy the musical even if you don’t understand Japanese.

GOTTA tickets are also available here same-day or in advance. However, they are cash-only.

As a comedy loving Osaka native, I will need to check these shows out soon!

TONBORI BASE CAFE & INFO is planning to host night walking tours in the near future.

You should watch out for what they will plan in the future.


TONBORI BASE Cafe & INFO is open daily from 10:30 to 22:30, except for December 30 to January 3.

Since it is located in the middle of Dotonbori, this might be a great place you can stop by when you see Kuidaore Taro Crown!


Click here for related information:
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Local tells Top 5 Must-Eat Foods in Dotonbori!Walk around Food Paradise in Osaka
Local tells 5 Things to Do in Osaka at Night!Exciting ideas to enjoy the city!