Namba Yasaka Shrine, Osaka
Namba Yasaka Shrine
Namba Yasaka Shrine
4
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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How to get there
- Nannba • 7 min walk
- Yotsubashi • 7 min walk
Best nearby
Restaurants
10,000 within 3 miles
IPPUDO Nanba
264
0.2 mi$ • Japanese • Asian • Soups
Hokuto Gems Namba
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0.4 mi$$ - $$$ • Japanese • Asian • Gluten Free Options
maidreamin, Osaka Namba
607
0.4 mi$$ - $$$ • Dessert • Japanese • Cafe
maidreamin Osaka Nipponbashi OTA Road
340
0.5 mi$$ - $$$ • Dessert • Japanese • Cafe
Gyukatsu Motomura Namba
378
0.5 mi$$ - $$$ • Steakhouse
Oretachi no Curry Ya Ramen
137
0.4 mi$ • Quick Bites • Japanese • Asian
Ramen Honolu
48
499 ft$ • Japanese • Asian • Halal
Genjisoba
67
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Japanese • Asian • Japanese - Other
GYOZAOH! Dotonbori Store
428
0.5 mi$$ - $$$ • Japanese • Asian • Pub
Original Pancake House Namba Parks
52
0.3 mi$$ - $$$ • American • Cafe • Fast Food
Attractions
1,681 within 6 miles
Koumyo-ji Temple
1
411 ftReligious Sites
Nihon Kogeikan
7
0.1 miSpeciality Museums
EDION Arena Osaka
46
0.2 miSports Complexes
Naniwa Indoor Pool
1
0.1 mi
Naniwa Ice Skating
1
0.1 miSports Complexes
Dotombori District
12,473
0.6 miNeighborhoods
Namba Parks
373
0.3 miShopping Malls
Tetsugenji Temple
4
0.2 miHistoric Sites • Religious Sites
Itachi River Kuribune Excavation Site Monument
2
0.2 miPoints of Interest & Landmarks • Monuments & Statues
Namba City
131
0.3 miShopping Malls
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
4.0
270 reviews
Excellent
90
Very good
122
Average
52
Poor
5
Terrible
1
GoGo2SlowGo
Denton, TX1,527 contributions
Namba Yasaka is famous for the lion-shaped guardian, which stands out as a unique piece of architecture. The lion’s head stage was built in 1975 and looks like something you might find in a Disney park. It’s about 40 feet tall and 25 feet deep. The Japanese believed that the wide-opened mouth of the lion swallows up evil spirits of worshippers and calls for victory and success. Many people visit the shrine during exam time or the start and end of the financial year to hope for a better year.
We visited this on a self-guided walking tour of attractions in Osaka. This is quite easy to do with a little planning and Google Maps.
We walked to it after visiting Tetsugenji Temple.
We visited this on a self-guided walking tour of attractions in Osaka. This is quite easy to do with a little planning and Google Maps.
We walked to it after visiting Tetsugenji Temple.
Written February 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Nicholas428
Osaka7 contributions
I'll admit I went to look at it for one minute but for that one minute I was definitely impressed to see it. Snap some photos and say been there done that, it'll definitely impress your friends. They were selling some good luck charms but the man that was selling them was asleep. It was only about 7 minutes from the station so you should go!
Written August 23, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Lynda_Ru
Glasgow, UK59 contributions
Solo
I visited many shrines while I was in Japan and this was the best and my favourite. A short walk from Namba Station and the shopping malls in a residential area - which makes it a quiet and serene shrine. It looks amazing! Well worth a quick visit for the photo opportunity alone!
Written November 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Logan & Kallsy - Pages of Travel
Springdale, AR518 contributions
Couples
This shrine is memorable due to it's appearance which makes it worth a visit, however it is a little out of the way from other main attractions in Osaka which is the only downfall. But if you have the time, it's worth traveling to because of how remarkable it is in person!
Written June 17, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
J&S_Singapore
Singapore, Singapore3,588 contributions
Couples
We read about this interesting shrine and thought a visit will justify our trip to Namba.!
2 trips in fact, we reached first evening at 5.30pm and joined a few disappointed visitors outside the closed shrine. The next morning we squeezed out some time to make an earlier trip.
Namba Yasaka Shrine has long been worshipped as the tutelary deity of the Namba district. It is not along the main street and can be a little difficult to locate (we always bring along a small compass with map). There are no obvious landmark nearby, just about a 10 minute walk from the station in the south direction. We reached about 9:30am there were no visitors and the compound is one of serene & tranquility, only the keepers sweeping the premise.
Its distinctive feature is the face of a lion that seems to hold the shrine between its jaws. The structure of a lion’s head is called the Ojishi den or the Hall of the Great Lion. It is definitely more than 10 meters high and the face of the lion was meant to drive away demons. The Lion stage (獅子舞台 Shishibutai) is actually the stage platform where rituals are conducted. There are also some smaller shrines around (one of which worship fox divine while another for kami Sanbō-Kōjin (三宝荒神.).
Otherwise it is relatively similar to other shrines we have visited. It definitely differs from the Kokura Yaska 八阪神社 Shrine in Fukuoka.
Overall we find it quite an interesting visit, should drop by if you are nearby (eg Namba Park). At least we find it a fulfilling one.
2 trips in fact, we reached first evening at 5.30pm and joined a few disappointed visitors outside the closed shrine. The next morning we squeezed out some time to make an earlier trip.
Namba Yasaka Shrine has long been worshipped as the tutelary deity of the Namba district. It is not along the main street and can be a little difficult to locate (we always bring along a small compass with map). There are no obvious landmark nearby, just about a 10 minute walk from the station in the south direction. We reached about 9:30am there were no visitors and the compound is one of serene & tranquility, only the keepers sweeping the premise.
Its distinctive feature is the face of a lion that seems to hold the shrine between its jaws. The structure of a lion’s head is called the Ojishi den or the Hall of the Great Lion. It is definitely more than 10 meters high and the face of the lion was meant to drive away demons. The Lion stage (獅子舞台 Shishibutai) is actually the stage platform where rituals are conducted. There are also some smaller shrines around (one of which worship fox divine while another for kami Sanbō-Kōjin (三宝荒神.).
Otherwise it is relatively similar to other shrines we have visited. It definitely differs from the Kokura Yaska 八阪神社 Shrine in Fukuoka.
Overall we find it quite an interesting visit, should drop by if you are nearby (eg Namba Park). At least we find it a fulfilling one.
Written April 5, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
aska215
Malaysia196 contributions
Solo
15 mins walk from Namba station to go to this shrine which is located in the residential area. I would say that its nothing much, just a special huge dragon head for you to take picture with. Its quite a quiet area so I guess its better to give this a miss & go for other sightseeing in Osaka.
Written May 31, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
mauiguy808
Pukalani, Maui495 contributions
Solo
I came to view the lion head stage. It was pretty neat and the grounds of the shrine are small. It is located in the middle of a neighborhood and hard to find. I went on a wild goose chase looking for this place thanks to Google Maps that listed it in tbe wrong area. I was able to find it with the Tripadvisor map. I think we spending 15 minutes is generous enough for a quick look.
Written December 2, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
DanielKJ
Singapore, Singapore1,497 contributions
Friends
Very cool shrine, the design was really amazing, and it was way larger than i expected it to be.
If you're walking from the nearest train station, 45 minutes should be sufficient to get there and back. I would visit it in the morning, before the other attractions are opened.
To be honest it's pretty out of the way, this is one of the few locations during my whole japan trip that i had to use mobile data to GPS the exact location to get to.
If you're walking from the nearest train station, 45 minutes should be sufficient to get there and back. I would visit it in the morning, before the other attractions are opened.
To be honest it's pretty out of the way, this is one of the few locations during my whole japan trip that i had to use mobile data to GPS the exact location to get to.
Written January 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
grumpy84
Osaka Prefecture, Japan37 contributions
You can get to this shrine using Namba or Daikokucho stations.
I didn't find it difficult to locate, but I used the Trip Advisor map on my phone, and arrived from Daikokucho station. It might be a little more tricky if you're coming from the Namba direction.
You can buy fortunes here, although I'm not sure if they sell English ones. Possibly only Japanese. They also sell some good luck charms at the stall there.
A peaceful little place that doesn't need much time to explore, as it's quite small. I'd allow about 20 mins or so - enough time to check the whole place out, take some photos and buy a good luck charm.
I didn't find it difficult to locate, but I used the Trip Advisor map on my phone, and arrived from Daikokucho station. It might be a little more tricky if you're coming from the Namba direction.
You can buy fortunes here, although I'm not sure if they sell English ones. Possibly only Japanese. They also sell some good luck charms at the stall there.
A peaceful little place that doesn't need much time to explore, as it's quite small. I'd allow about 20 mins or so - enough time to check the whole place out, take some photos and buy a good luck charm.
Written May 6, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Ryan A
Taito, Japan24 contributions
Solo
This is a tiny shrine with a low amount of tourists or visitors. It’s tiny and unique with the massive dragon head. I am so glad i passed by this treasure. Must see if you are nearby.
Written August 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions about Namba Yasaka Shrine
- Namba Yasaka Shrine is open:
- Sun - Sat 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- We recommend booking Namba Yasaka Shrine tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 17 Namba Yasaka Shrine tours on Tripadvisor
- Hotels near Namba Yasaka Shrine:
- (0.03 mi) Namba Family House & free wifi
- (0.05 mi) Osaka Namba Hostel Miyabi
- (0.04 mi) Toyoko Inn Osaka Namba Nishi
- (0.06 mi) Hotel WBF Namba Motomachi
- (0.10 mi) Fairfield by Marriott Osaka Namba
- Restaurants near Namba Yasaka Shrine:
- (0.01 mi) Mampuku
- (0.02 mi) Yamayu
- (0.03 mi) Sobayoshi Main Shop
- (0.03 mi) M Tapioca Yasaka Jinja
- (0.04 mi) Hiroya Motomachi
- Attractions near Namba Yasaka Shrine:
- (0.13 mi) EXPERIEAT Osaka Flavors
- (0.16 mi) Studio Escape - Dark Zen
- (0.08 mi) Koumyo-ji Temple
- (0.11 mi) Nihon Kogeikan
- (0.06 mi) Mirai Studio Cafe