FARPLANE PARCO BAR in Shinsaibashi, Osaka

Osaka does maximalism like nowhere else in Japan, and FARPLANE is that instinct distilled into a bar. Found in the PARCO building at Shinsaibashi, it is a riot of neon, costume and performance where the staff are the show, the decor belongs in a music video, and the line between bar and theatre dissolves somewhere around your first drink. Admission with a drink included makes it an easy, pre packaged plunge into the city’s alternative nightlife.

What a night looks like

Expect a cast rather than mere bartenders: performers in extravagant looks who chat, pose and periodically take over the room. The crowd mixes Osaka’s creative scene with curious visitors, and the bar has made a point of welcoming international guests, so arriving without Japanese is no barrier to a good night. It is loud, camp and photogenic in the extreme; come with an open mind and charged phone, and ask before photographing the performers, which is simple good manners everywhere.

Getting there

Shinsaibashi Station on the Midosuji subway line delivers you practically to the door, with the PARCO building rising beside the Daimaru department store on Midosuji boulevard. You are two minutes from the Shinsaibashisuji arcade and a short stroll from Dotonbori, so the bar slots perfectly into a night working through the neighbourhood.

Good to know

This is an adult venue in the evening entertainment sense of adult: legal drinking age in Japan is 20 and ID may be checked. Sessions and seating can fill on weekends, which is exactly when the atmosphere peaks, so booking ahead is the smart play.

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