Epicentre of the shambolic eyesore that is Minami, the pedestrian thoroughfare of Dotonbori and adjacent canal is the archetypal Osakan scene. The district is best visited at night, by the light of its neon signs: giant crabs with mechanical pincers, inflatable fugu (puffer fish), kitsch red dragons, and the Glico man - the iconic athlete of this confectionery brand, who has been posted above the Ebisu-bashi bridge since 1919, and become one of the city's most famous landmarks. Here and there, food carts, yatai, sell tako-yaki (octopus balls).