Dotonbori Webcam – Ebisubashi, Heart of Osaka’s Minami

The Dotonbori Webcam looks down on the square at the south end of Ebisubashi, the bridge at the center of Osaka’s Dotonbori canal district. It is mounted at Tombori Station, a large outdoor video screen at the foot of the bridge. The stone end post of the bridge and its lantern stand in the middle of the frame, crowds cross the paved square in every direction, and beyond them a row of crab restaurants hangs out hot-pot banners under a red awning, with the legs of a giant red crab sign reaching into the top right corner. A second tab turns to the entrance of the Ebisubashi-suji shopping arcade. The square rarely empties. Early afternoon frames show it packed edge to edge, and at a quarter to midnight people were still crossing in groups.

About Dotonbori

Dotonbori began as a canal. Nariyasu Doton started digging it along the southern edge of Osaka in 1612, then died in the summer of 1615 during the Siege of Osaka, having fought on the losing side. His partners Yasui Kuhe and Hirano Tojiro had the canal finished by that September, and it still carries his name. Theaters followed the water. By 1662 the street had six kabuki theaters and five bunraku puppet theaters, and restaurants grew up around their audiences. Food is what the street is known for now.

The giant signs came later. Ezaki Glico put up its running man in 1935 to sell caramel candy, and the Kuidaore Taro puppet was unveiled in 1950 outside the Cui-daore restaurant, which has since closed. The Kani Doraku restaurant has carried a 6.5 meter (21 foot) mechanized crab on its front since 1960, moving its arms and eyestalks over the street. It has history with the local baseball fans: in 2003, supporters of the Hanshin Tigers climbed it and took its eyes.

The canal edge has its own promenade now. The land beside the water was redeveloped from 2001, and the 170 meter (558 foot) stretch between Tazaemonbashi and Ebisubashi opened to the public in 2004. Tombori Station, which runs both cameras, sells time on its video screen to advertisers and to fans posting birthday messages for their favorite stars, and its operator puts the holiday crowd around it at about 290,000 people.

Weather and Climate in Dotonbori

Osaka summers are hot and humid. On 1991 to 2020 averages, August is the hottest month, with highs of 33.7 C (93 F), nights that stay around 25.8 C (78 F) and a daily mean of 29 C (84 F). Winters are mild by comparison. January averages 6.2 C (43 F), with afternoons near 9.7 C (49 F) and lows around 3 C (37 F), and snow is rare: the yearly average is 1 centimeter (0.4 inches).

Spring and autumn are the comfortable seasons. April averages 15.2 C (59 F) and October 19.5 C (67 F), with October afternoons around 23.7 C (75 F). The rainy season, tsuyu, runs on average from about June 7 to July 21, and June is the wettest month with 185 millimeters (7.3 inches) of an annual 1,338 millimeters (52.7 inches). September brings a second wet spell, when typhoons can arrive from the south, and that risk lasts into early October.

Things to Do Near Dotonbori

The canal is worth seeing at water level. The Tombori River Walk follows the canal at the water’s edge, and the stretch from Ebisubashi east to Tazaemonbashi is the section that opened in 2004. Hozenji Yokocho, a pair of alleys about 80 meters (262 feet) long lined with traditional restaurants and izakaya, is a short walk away. For food shopping, Kuromon Market, a covered arcade several hundred meters long, goes by the nickname Osaka’s Kitchen.

Across Ebisubashi to the north, the Shinsaibashi shopping arcade runs for about 600 meters (2,000 feet), mixing chain stores with designer fashion. Amerikamura, known locally as Amemura, is the younger shopping district often compared with Tokyo’s Harajuku, and Den Den Town is Osaka’s electronics and anime quarter, the city’s counterpart to Akihabara. The National Bunraku Theater still stages the puppet drama that once filled five theaters on Dotonbori itself.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More crowds, crossings and late-night streets in Japan:

• Osaka Webcam
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• Kabukicho Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Dotonbori Webcam located?

The cameras belong to Tombori Station, a large video screen at the foot of Ebisubashi in Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka, Japan. The screen faces the canal from the south bank, where Dotonbori Street runs parallel to the water.

What can you see on the Dotonbori Webcam?

The main view looks down on the square where Ebisubashi lands on the south bank, with the bridge’s stone end post and lantern in the middle and crab restaurants with hot-pot banners and a red awning beyond. The Ebisubashi-suji Arcade tab faces the entrance of the Namba Ebisubashi-suji shopping street, with Tsutaya and Starbucks on the corner beside it and a big video screen above. That tab carries a date and time stamp, and its operator labels it a test broadcast.

Can you see the Glico Running Man on the Dotonbori Webcam?

No. Neither camera has the Glico sign in frame, and the canal water is out of shot too. The running man is a short walk from the camera, and the river cruise passes right below it.

Is Dotonbori in Namba?

Yes, in the everyday sense. Dotonbori is part of Minami, the downtown district that centers on Namba Station, though its official address is Chuo Ward. The Ebisubashi-suji arcade on this camera’s second tab carries Namba in its Japanese name and leads from the bridge toward the station.

What is the weather like in Dotonbori?

Hot and humid in summer, with August highs averaging 33.7 C (93 F), and mild in winter, when January averages 6.2 C (43 F). June is the wettest month, during the tsuyu rainy season, and September can bring typhoons. The live view shows at a glance whether umbrellas are up on the square.

Does Dotonbori have a closing time?

No. Dotonbori is a public street and canal side with no gate or closing hour, and the main camera still showed groups crossing the square at a quarter to midnight local time. Restaurants, shops and the river cruise each keep their own hours.

Can you take a river cruise in Dotonbori?

Yes. The Tombori River Cruise takes about 20 minutes and passes under nine bridges, Ebisubashi among them. Tickets are sold on the ground floor of Don Quijote Dotonbori on the north bank, and the boats board at Tazaemonbashi.

Source: Tombori Station (RVJJP)