Osaka/Kita

The Kita (キタ) is the newest centre of Osaka city. The area around Umeda station, where major terminals for the Osaka subway, Japan Rail (JR), Hankyu and Hanshin railways can be found, boasts department stores, buildings full of fashionable shops and various attractions. The southern edge of the ward is Nakanoshima, a sandbank in the middle of the river which is home to cultural institutions and government offices.

By train
There are two main train stations in this area, namely Umeda Station, and Osaka Station. Both are very close.

Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen (新幹線 trains arrive at Shin-Osaka station, to the north of the city center. From Shin-Osaka, you can connect to Umeda Station by using the Midosuji subway line, or connect to the local JR network for other destinations.

The best train between Kansai International Airport and Osaka Station used to be Kansaikuko which is operated by JR-West. The journey takes approximately 65 minutes at a cost of ¥1160. However, starting on March 13, 2023 (with the completion of the new underground platform) the JR Limited express "Haruka" began calling at Osaka station. The trip takes about 45 minutes and costs ¥2450 (and is included in JR Pass).

Umeda Station
 * Hankyu Railways
 * Kobe Line - Offers services to the following cities: Nishinomiya and Sannomiya (Kobe).
 * Kyoto Line - Offers services to the following cities: Takatsuki, Settsu, Ibaraki, and Kyoto.
 * Takarazuka Line - Offers services to the following cities: Toyonaka, Ikeda and Takarazuka.
 * Hanshin Electeric Railways
 * Main Line - Offers services to the following cities: Amagasaki, Nishinomiya and Sannomiya (Kobe).

Osaka Station
 * JR-West
 * Osaka Loop Line - Offers services to the following cities: Universal City, Tennoji, Kansai International Airport, Wakayama,  and Nara.
 * JR Kyoto Line - Offers services to the following cities: Shin-Osaka, Suita, Takatsuki, Settsu, Ibaraki, and Kyoto.
 * JR Kobe Line - Offers services to the following cities: Amagasaki, Nishinomiya and Kobe.


 * The JR Kyoto Line is the common name of a portion of the Tōkaidō Main Line, between Kyoto Station and Osaka Station.

By bus
There are several bus terminals around Osaka railway station. Airport Limousine bus runs from Kansai International Airport to Hotel New Hankyu bus station, ¥1500 one way.


 * Hotel New Hankyu Bus Station (Next to Hankyu Umeda Station)
 * Bus tickets is available at hotel counter.
 * Kansai Airport Transportation, Osaka Airport Transport, Hanshin Bus
 * Airport - Osaka Airport, Kansai Airport


 * Hankyu Sanban-Gai Bus Terminal (Hankyu Umeda Station Terminal Building North 1st Floor)
 * Ticket office windows: 08:00-18:30
 * Hankyu Bus(Japanese Website)
 * Kansai - Amanohashidate, Arima Onsen, Sumoto (Awaji-Island)
 * Kanto - Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba, Tokyo Disney Land
 * Chubu - Shizuoka, Matsumoto, Nagano, Suwa, Kanazawa, Fukui, Toyama, Niigata
 * Shikoku - Takamatsu, Kochi, Tokushima, Awaikeda
 * Kyushu - Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Nagasaki, Kagoshima


 * Herbis Osaka Bus Terminal (5 minutes walk from JR Osaka station Central Gate, Herbis Plaza ent B1 Floor)'
 * Ticket office window: 08:008-20:00. Bus tickets to the airport can be purchased through any automatic ticket vending machine
 * Osaka Airport Tansport, Hanshin Bus
 * Airport - Osaka Airport, Kansai Airport
 * Hanshin Bus (Japanese website) -
 * Kanto - Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba, Tokyo Disney Land
 * Shikoku - Uwajima, Naruto, Tokushima, Awaikeda, Imabari
 * Chugoku - Tsuwano, Hamada, Masuda


 * Osaka station - JR Express Bus Terminal (JR Osaka station North Gate Building 1st Floor)
 * Ticket office windows: 05:45-23:50
 * West JR Bus(Japanese website) +81 (0)6-6371-0111 - 09:00-19:00
 * Kansai - Shirahama, Sumoto (Awaji-Island)
 * Kanto - Tokyo, Yokohama, Omiya, Tachikawa, Tokorozawa
 * Chubu - Kanazawa, Toyama, Fukui
 * Chugoku - Hiroshima, Okayama, Kurashiki, Tsuyama, Kure, Hamada, Masuda
 * Shikoku - Tokushima, Naruto, Takamatsu, Sakaide, Marugame, Zentsuji, Kochi, Matsuyama, Saijo, Suzaki
 * Kyushu - Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Nagasaki, Kagoshima


 * Willer Bus Terminal Osaka-Umeda (12 minutes walk from JR Osaka station North Central Gate, Umeda Sky Building Tower East 1st Floor)
 * Willer Bus +81 (0)50-5805-0383 - English/Korean M-F 10:00-14:00
 * Tohoku - Sendai, Fukushima
 * Kanto - Tokyo, Yokohama, Tokyo Disney Land, Makuhari
 * Chubu - Nagoya, Nagano, Niigata, Toyama, Kanazawa, Kofu, Shizuoka
 * Chugoku - Hiroshima, Fukuyama
 * Shikoku - Matsuyama, Kochi
 * Kyushu - Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Saga, Kurume, Kumamoto, Kagoshima

See




Do

 * The festival hall in Nakanoshima, near Umeda, and the symphony hall in Umeda host modern and classical recitals, while Umeda Koma in Umeda, and Shin-Kabukiza in Uehommachi host Enka performances. For more independent or underground music, try Banana Hall in Umeda or Big Cat in Amerika-mura.
 * The festival hall in Nakanoshima, near Umeda, and the symphony hall in Umeda host modern and classical recitals, while Umeda Koma in Umeda, and Shin-Kabukiza in Uehommachi host Enka performances. For more independent or underground music, try Banana Hall in Umeda or Big Cat in Amerika-mura.
 * The festival hall in Nakanoshima, near Umeda, and the symphony hall in Umeda host modern and classical recitals, while Umeda Koma in Umeda, and Shin-Kabukiza in Uehommachi host Enka performances. For more independent or underground music, try Banana Hall in Umeda or Big Cat in Amerika-mura.

Buy

 * For Japanese and foreign books, try Kinokuniya in Hankyu Umeda Station, or Junkudo south of Osaka Station.
 * The Official Hanshin Tigers (baseball team) Shop is on 8th floor of Hanshin Department Store at Umeda.
 * Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street (天神橋筋商店街 Tenjinbashi-suji Shōtengai) is said to be the longest straight and covered shopping arcade in Japan at approx. 2.6 km length. The arcade runs north-south along Tenjinbashi-suji street, and is accessible from multiple subway and/or JR stations, eg. Tenma, Minami-Morimachi, Tenjinbashi-suji 6-chome, etc. Nothing meant for sightseeing, the arcade is a live exhibition of Osaka's daily life, open since the Edo period.
 * For Japanese and foreign books, try Kinokuniya in Hankyu Umeda Station, or Junkudo south of Osaka Station.
 * The Official Hanshin Tigers (baseball team) Shop is on 8th floor of Hanshin Department Store at Umeda.
 * Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street (天神橋筋商店街 Tenjinbashi-suji Shōtengai) is said to be the longest straight and covered shopping arcade in Japan at approx. 2.6 km length. The arcade runs north-south along Tenjinbashi-suji street, and is accessible from multiple subway and/or JR stations, eg. Tenma, Minami-Morimachi, Tenjinbashi-suji 6-chome, etc. Nothing meant for sightseeing, the arcade is a live exhibition of Osaka's daily life, open since the Edo period.

Capsule hotels