Japan - Good places for Salsa and Latin dance in Osaka

    A few years ago, I wrote an article about Dancing Salsa in Toronto, now that I'm (still) in Japan, I'll write about my experience of dancing salsa in Osaka ! Here are the few places that I've been to and that people have recommended to me. There are many more !

   - Calling (ex "Salsa house"), in Umeda : I think it's one of the most famous. Typically a big night-club with latin music, so it's good if you're after that kind of place. Personally, I'm getting too old for that (dark ambiance, loud music, lots of drinks and drunkards, lots of performances until the morning...).Probably around 2000¥~ on weekends. I couldn't find their website.....

   - Cell, in Nagahoribashi (near Shinsaibashi) : I went there for quite a while (more than a year). Good music, good people, good ambiance. I used to go to the Monday Salsa party, as of today the entrance fee is 1000¥ (with 1 drink). There is also a lesson before the party (8-9pm, 1000¥). On Monday, most people there dance salsa on2. It's good if you wanna meet regular dancers ! For more details, visit the website, it's readable even for non-japanese speakers ! (not sure how often it's updated though...)

   - Easy Dance Cafe, in Nagahoribashi (near Shinsaibashi) : this is my favorite place and where I go the most often now. Almost the same as Cell : good people (lots of regular dancers, most dance Salsa on2), good music, good ambiance ! The place is non-smoking, not too dark and pretty big so we don't bump into each other while dancing. It's more cozy than a club, it's like a cafe actually (see the video below). They always have reasonable prices : usually 1000¥ with 1 drink during the week and 1500¥~2000¥ on Friday/Saturday but we can get some discounts through their Facebook page. They also have lessons before the party (1000¥/lesson) and even free lessons during the daytime ! Now it's mainly Salsa and Bachata but it seems like there will be some Tango too in the future. Check out the website, it's often updated and has a complete english version !

   Good news if you don't speak Japanese : the teacher at Cell on Monday and at Easy Dance Cafe can speak English (and Korean) !

Friday Salsa party at Easy Dance Cafe

   - Cafetin de Buenos Aires, in Umeda : It's much smaller than the other places above but it feels intimate. I went there a few times, especially for their Bachata Night (on Wednesday). They also have Bachata parties sometimes on Sunday, but those are actually a mix of Salsa and Bachata. Also famous for Argentine Tango but I've never done it so I couldn't say. Around 1000¥~2000¥ for the entrance fee. I couldn't find an english version on their website and it seems like it hasn't been updated for a looong time...

Last but not least, a piece of advice if you're a foreign girl (non-asian looking !) : don't hesitate to ask the guys to dance ! A lot of them can be intimidated by a non-asian looking girl and they may never dare to invite you... but they will be very happy if you ask them to dance ! (trust me on that one !) If you don't speak any Japanese, a simple "odotte kudasai !" with a big smile will be more than enough ;)

The only picture of me dancing that you'll ever see !