Dotonbori, Osaka Live Cam

A paved crossing in Dotonbori, the shopping and eating quarter at the centre of Osaka, lies under this webcam in Japan. Shoppers cut across the open space in front of the arcade entrances, and lit signboards for restaurants cover the buildings on either side.

Dotonbori runs along a canal a few minutes south of Shinsaibashi, and the streets that meet here — among them the covered Ebisubashi-suji arcade — carry most of the foot traffic in the district. Ground floors are taken up by kitchens, standing bars and shops, with the older theatres and eating houses that gave the area its name behind them.

The crossing is busiest from late afternoon until after midnight, when the signs are lit and queues form outside the better-known places. Early in the morning the same square is nearly empty and the cleaning crews have it to themselves.