Located in the bright and modern shopping complex of Osaka Station City, Osaka Station is the largest and busiest station in the western part of Honshu in Japan. It is a hub for trains that go all across the Kansai area and beyond. The area around the station, Umeda, became a center for business and entertainment because of the station. Do you have some time to spend in the station itself? Find out what there is to see and do in Osaka Station!
Layout of Osaka Station
There are two main buildings that will lead you to the station, the North Gate Building and the South Gate Building. In these buildings, you can find many shops, restaurants, and other entertainment facilities. The buildings are linked with each other at ground level and also by bridges on the 3rd and 5th floors.
From the bridges, you will have a nice view of the station and the trains going in and out. In the central lobby on the first floor, there are a few facilities that are important for travelers.
Tourist Information and Money Exchange in Osaka Station
Travelex Japan’s Osaka TiS branch is a foreign cash exchange store located within Nippon Travel Agency. Nippon Travel Agency is located in front of the Tourist Information and Train Office on the east side of the Central lobby.
This information booth at the north end of the Bridge Concourse has English and Chinese-speaking staff. The information available here is mainly about the shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues in Osaka Station. You can also report lost and found items here or request an audio guide to Osaka Station City. Audio guides are available in English, Korean, and Chinese and cost only 500 yen.
North Gate Building
At 28 floors high, the North Gate Building is the tallest of the two buildings that make up Osaka City’s station. This building contains the Lucua and Isetan department stores. There are also a cinema, a gymnasium, many offices, and several high-rise garden squares with glorious views of the city.
Carillon Square
This open space on the second floor and east side of the North Gate Building is an extension of the walkway between Osaka City Station and Hankyu Osaka-Umeda Station. Its main point of interest is a large clock monument, called the ‘Carillon Clock’. It is quite ostentatiously decorated with bells that ring at every hour. There is also a cafeteria here with seats on an outside terrace and a rather expensive menu of drinks and light meals.
Yawaragi-no-niwa Garden
This open space on the 10th floor of the North Gate Building features a traditional Japanese-style garden with a lantern, pine tree, rocks, and moss. Inside the 10th floor is the floor of the Lucua Dining area, so this is a nice and quiet place to go out after a meal. Yawaragi-no-Niwa actually means ‘quiet garden’ and many people take a moment here to enjoy a breath of fresh air and a view over the city.
Kaze-no-hiroba Garden
Kaze-no-hiroba means ‘garden of the wind’ and this is a long, windy garden square on the 11th floor with excellent views and plenty of seating. This garden is notable for its colorful and fragrant flowers, and for a small water feature that young children seem to find particularly fascinating. This square is immediately above the Yawaragi-no-niwa and can be accessed from there by an outdoor staircase.
Osaka Station City Cinema
This is a first-class theater on the 11th floor of the North Gate Building with 12 screens, digital projection, and 2,564 seats. The theater prides itself on its barrier-free facilities that can accommodate wheelchair users, parents with small children, and the elderly.
Konami Sports Club
This gym is very well equipped with exercise machines of all kinds, abundant study space, bathing facilities, a sauna, and a beauty salon. The Konami Sports Club is located on the 12th and 13th floors of the North Gate Building but is accessed from the 11th floor.
Tenku-no-noen Farm
This ‘heavenly plantation’ is a small rooftop farm on the 14th floor of the North Gate Building. Several traditional local vegetables are grown here, as well as herbs and fruits, and there is also a small vineyard. Throughout the seasons, members of the public are invited to participate in the growing process with planting, care, and harvesting events. It is a small but significant attempt to bring the farming experience to the heart of the city.
Toki-no-hiroba Square
On the fifth floor of Osaka Station City, there is a bridge that runs between the buildings at the North Gate and the South Gate. It is decorated with two very large clocks, one gold, and one silver, and the name of the square ‘Toki’ is written with the characters ‘time’ and ‘space’. There is a cafe and bar called Caffe Bar Del Sole where you can get spaghetti, pizza, calzone, lasagna, risotto, and a wide range of soft drinks and stronger drinks. Above the square is the vaulted steel and glass roof of the station, and below it, you have a splendid view of the train tracks and platforms.
The South Gate building is mainly occupied by the Daimaru department store and the Granvia Hotel. The dining facilities in Daimaru are on the 16th floor, and the floor of the Granvia Hotel (which is accessible to the public and hotel guests) is on the 19th floor.
Osaka Station is not only a place where people take the train but a place where visitors can go shopping, have dinner or simply see the beautiful city of Osaka. The next time you visit Osaka, we recommend that you enjoy Osaka Station.
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