Just two and a half hours south of Tokyo by bullet train, the once-seedy port city of Osaka is a hive of activity. During daylight hours, I explore its softer side: the cultural museum housed within ancient and imposing Osaka Castle (rebuilt after the decimation of the city during World War II); soba restaurants with creaky wooden floors; and the tranquil courtyards of the Sumiyoshi Taisha Shinto shrine. But, if I’d wanted to experience old Edo Japan and hop between shrines and castles, I would have stayed in Kyoto. Osaka comes into its own after dark.

As sunset arrives, the city’s neon lights flicker into life. A lively hub of street food, pavement izakayas and noisy pachinko parlours can be found in the Blade Runner-esque district of Dotonbori. Ambling along the main drag, I pick up the city’s staple street food, takoyaki (octopus dumplings), from the original of a now ubiquitous chain, Takoya Dotonbori Kukuru, which bears a huge, angry-looking red octopus above the entrance. This is just a starter to a full street-food extravaganza in central Osaka. Next, I join the snaking queue for steak sushi, rice topped with wagyu beef, before sitting at a high table in the street to watch a fashion parade of teenagers walking past. Hair spiked into gravity-defying updos and long black trench coats seem to be in vogue. Forget Tokyo’s stylish Harajuku district; Osaka is where the fashion-conscious come to show off their drip.

For my final course, I head to the adjacent side of the Dotonbori River where izakayas spill out onto the street as lantern-adorned dinner cruises make their way slowly along the water. I squat on a seat made from old beer crates and order a plethora of skewers featuring everything from quail eggs to grilled chicken in a sticky, sweet sauce.

Apart from Dotonbori, Osaka’s vibrant nightlife can be found in the streets of Shinsekai (meaning New World). Pedestrian streets meander through low-rise buildings where nearly every doorway leads to an izakaya (restaurant or bar). Tourists stop in the street, snapping photos of the elaborate glowing light sculptures designed to lure them inside. Here you’ll find sushi restaurants where you catch your own fish, hole-in-the-wall pockets featuring suited businessmen cramming around a single bar to wash down yakitori skewers with cold Asahi, or red-hot teppanyaki grills with a chef deftly serving up the city’s most famous dish, okonomiyaki.

I end my night at one of Osaka’s many karaoke bars, blasting out some Bon Jovi to a kitsch video of cherry blossom and Japanese teenagers falling in love. The streets are still bright as daylight and busy with revellers as the metro slows to a halt for the night. Lively and a little rough around the edges, Osaka is a city of neon-bright lights and hedonistic nights.

Find out more at Osaka Info.