オススメ度
外国語対応
About Osaka North
Kansai natives call the area around JR Osaka station and Hankyu Umeda Station “Kita” which means “north” in Japanese.
* Shinsaibashi and Nanba are called “Minami” which means “south.”
Kita has the largest train terminal in West Japan, with street after street of offices, large-scale business facilities, hotels and high-rise buildings and a downtown center home to the largest shopping district in West Japan.
There are many options for shoppers, as well as high-quality restaurants and convenient public transport access, making the area is an essential place for visitors to check out.
Brief History
Until the mid-18th century, what is now the “Kita” area was desolate and consisted mainly of rice fields.
However, following the opening of Osaka Station in 1874, many new train lines were put in place, and in turn business facilities and buildings began to pop up.
“Kita” has experienced continuous growth for 150 years, and is the largest town in western Japan.
Nearby Excursions
As “Kita” is close to the Kitashinchi and Tenjinbashi/Tenman areas , it is a good idea to visit these areas together.
Recommendation
The Kita area is great for shopping, food (restaurants, cafes, bars, sweets), and entertainment (nightclubs etc.).
It has the department store with the largest floor area in Japan (and 2nd-highest total sales).
In addition, there are “over store” businesses and shops in fierce competition with each other to attract customers.
Kita is truly a haven for shoppers where you can find virtually anything that you could ever want.
The area also has plenty of high-quality restaurants.
Including the surrounding Kitashinchi and Tenma/Minamimorimachi areas — approximately 50 Michelin Star restaurants.
There are also conveniently-placed restaurants and underground department stores.
In the entertainment district there are numerous nightclubs, theaters and movie cinemas.
What’s more, there is a large underground shopping center that runs 1 km across from west to east and north to south.
The area has many roads that cannot be crossed above ground, however, it is easy enough to traverse on foot if you head underground.
While there, it’s worth taking a look at the many reasonably-priced shops and restaurants on your way.
With that all said, the underground shopping center has been built up over the years in a disorganized fashion and can feel like a maze if you go in unprepared.
Even if you research in advance you are likely to get lost, so please be careful.
Access to Osaka North / Data
Trains
Kita is a huge train terminal with 9 individual train lines.
JR Osaka Station and Umeda Station have a tremendous number of passengers, with over 2.4 million people traveling in over a day – the fourth busiest station in Japan and worldwide.
The stations below are all connected to the underground shopping center (with the exception of Hankyu Umeda Station, and Higashi Umeda Station on the Osaka Metro Tanimachi line) which can be confusing and easily get lost.
When changing trains in transit it is recommended to sometimes check with station staff or other passengers on the platform to make sure you’re on track – while being careful of the train doors and the platform, of course.
It is worth nothing that there is 700-800 m between Hankyu Umeda Station (the northernmost station), Osaka Metro Nishi Umeda Station (the southernmost station) and JR Kita-Shinchi Station, which takes over 10 minutes on foot and is inconvenient when transferring trains.
Osaka Station
JR : Tokaido Main Line / Fukuchiyama Line / Osaka Loop Line
Umeda Station
Hankyu Railway : Kobe Main Line / Takarazuka Main Line / Kyoto Main Line
Osaka Metro : Midosuji Line
Hanshin Railway : Main Line
Higashi Umeda Station
Osaka Metro : Tanimachi Line
Nishi Umeda Station
Osaka Metro : Yotsubashi Line
Kita Shinchi Station
JR : Tozai Line
Shopping
There are a lot of department stores and shopping centers so we will only talk about the most popular ones here.
Department stores
Grand Front Osaka
It Consists of four landmark buildings forming the largest commercial complex in Japan, with shops, restaurants, offices, hotels (Intercontinental Osaka), a convention center, movie theater, apartments and more. Connected to JR Osaka Station. Contains 270 shops mostly located in the south building (Tower A), with representative stores known for their wide range of products.
[ See details ]
| Address | 4-1 (Umekita Hiroba), 4-20 (South Building), 3-1 (North Building) Oofakachou Kita-ku, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - Directly connected to JR Os[…] |
| Tel | 06-6372-6300 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
LUCUA osaka
A shopping station complex directly connected to JR Osaka Station. There are approximately 400 shops in total between the East Building “LUCUA” and the West Building “LUCUA 1100.” There are many popular fashion stores but also trendy department, cosmetic and sweets shops popular with young women.
[ See details ]
| Address | 3-1-3 Umeda Kita-ku, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - Directly connected to JR Os[…] |
| Tel | 06-6151-1111 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
Hankyu Umeda Main Store
Highly-reputed and world-class, the Hankyu Umeda store is the highest-grossing department store in Western Japan and the 2nd overall in Japan, renowned for its high quality goods (with prices to match). No. 1 for fashion, cosmetics and beauty in Kansai, Hankyu is known as the birthplace for many modern fashion trends amongst women across a […]
[ See details ]
| Address | 8-7 Kakuda-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - 2 min walk from JR Osaka St[…] |
| Tel | 06-6361-1381 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
Daimaru Umeda Store
A department store aimed at young women with a focus on fashion and general goods. Includes major chains such as Tokyu Hands and Uniqlo. The Pokemon Center and Tomika Shop are fun for kids. The food court is also of good standard.
[ See details ]
| Address | 3-1-1, Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi |
|---|---|
| Access | - 2 min walk from JR Osaka St[…] |
| Tel | 06-6343-1231 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
Hanshin Umeda Main Store
An everyday department store targeted at ordinary people. It is famous for its lively and loud fresh fish section which feels like a real fish market. The squid dumplings, sold for 152 yen each, are so popular that people will queue day after day. If you have the time, it’s worth trying them.
[ See details ]
| Address | 1-13-13,Umeda,Kita-ku,Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - 2-min walk from JR Osaka St[…] |
| Tel | 06-6345-1201 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
Nishi Umeda
If you’re looking for high-quality luxury goods in Osaka, Nishi-Umeda is the place for you. Recently extensively developed, the area feels fit for a celebrity with the ultra-luxury Ritz Carlton Osaka, fancy restaurants and vast shopping facilities containing flagship stores for famous fashion brands. In Herbis Plaza Ent, you can find Gucci, Tiffany, Omega, Emporio […]
[ See details ]
| Address | 2-2-22 Umeda Kita-ku , Osaka (HERBIS PLAZA ENT) /1-8-16 Umeda Kita-ku , Osaka(Hilton Plaza Osaka) |
|---|---|
| Access | - 4 min walk from JR Osaka St[…] |
| Tel | 06-6343-7500 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
Electronics Store
Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Umeda Store
Yodobashi is a large domestic electronics store chain, and this store has the highest turnover in Japan (approx. 120 billion yen) and the largest floor space (approx. 30,000 m2). There is a great selection of items and multilingual staff, and also around 30 affordably-priced restaurants and cafes on the 8th floor.
[ See details ]
| Address | 1-1, Ofukacho, Kita-ku Osaka-shi, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - 1 min walk from JR Osaka St[…] |
| Tel | 06-4802-1010 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
Eat
The Kita area is full of restaurants – enjoy it to your heart’s content!
Depachika (Food section in a department store basement)
Hankyu Umeda Main Store, Daimaru Umeda and Hanshin Umeda Main Store are high-level.
As the largest department store in western Japan, Hankyu feels classy and has many “only one” shops and fashionable goods.
Daimaru prides itself on having all of the kinds of food that Kansai people like, whereas Hankyu proclaims that the food it sells has a broad appeal and can be enjoyed by anyone.
You could grab something to eat from the bento box shop, the deli, or the sweets shop while traveling to your hotel or between destinations by bullet train or plane.
You could grab something to eat from the bento box shop, the deli, or the sweets shop while traveling to your hotel or between destinations by bullet train or plane.
UMEKITA FLOOR
An upmarket eating space with 16 shops that sell various cuisines, located on the 6th floor of the Grand Front Osaka north building. Opening hours are from 11am to 4am which make it a very convenient option for dinner. You can eat in at a single restaurant, or order from multiple restaurants and eat in […]
[ See details ]
| Address | Grand Front Osaka North Building 6F, 3-1 Oofakachou Kita-ku, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - Directly connected to JR Os[…] |
| Tel | 06-6372-6300 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
LUCUA BARCHICA＆LUCUA FOOD HALL
The 2nd basement floor of LUCUA Osaka has many food-related stores. The “Paruchika” area has a 27 individual stalls that sell a range of cuisines at reasonable prices, and stay open as late as midnight. The “Food Hall” area is centered around a high-class supermarket with a wide range of ingredients and food products, and […]
[ See details ]
| Address | Basement 2F, 3-1-3 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - Directly connected to JR Os[…] |
| Tel | 06-6151-1111 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
UMEDA FOOD HALL
Seating approximately a thousand people, the Umeda Food Hall is a large-scale food court in the heart of Osaka, with 18 popular shops including sushi, kushi-katsu, noodles, cafés and sweets. Unlike your typical food court, there are five different areas each with their own atmosphere so that you can relax and appreciate the high-quality food.
[ See details ]
| Address | Hankyu Sanbangai Kita-kan B2F, 1-1-3 Shibata Kita-ku, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - Connected directly to Hanky[…] |
| Tel | 06-6371-3303 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
Whity Umeda
Whity Umeda forms a large part of the underground shopping center below Osaka Station. The shopping center is visited by around 600,000 people per day – the most visitors out of any shopping center in Japan. There are over 70 restaurants rich in variety, with reasonable prices in comparison to the pricey food stores inside […]
[ See details ]
| Address | Umeda Chikagai, Komatsubarachou Kita-ku, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - 3 min walk from JR Osaka St[…] |
| Tel | 06-6312-5511 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
Osaka Eki-Mae Building（Basement）
There are four large buildings on the south side of JR Osaka Station, each joined underground. The 1st and 2nd floors underground include a food court with reasonably-priced high-quality restaurants, making the area popular with office workers both for lunchtime and dinner. Many of the businesses have been there for a long time, giving it […]
[ See details ]
| Address | (3-1、2-2、1-3、3-56) 1-chome, Umeda Kita-ku, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - 1-3 minute walk from JR Toz[…] |
| Tel | |
| URL |
Ohatsu Tenjin Dori Street
The local pub district in Osaka. The Ohatsutenjin Shopping Area has 80 restaurants of bountiful variety, the narrow roads lined by long-established shops with good reputations. Known as the “bar street,” the 20 or so restaurants are well-known amongst the locals.
[ See details ]
| Address | 2-5 Sonezaki, Kita-ku, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - 7 min walk from JR Osaka St[…] |
| Tel | 06-6311-7622 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
Fukushima Station Area
The Fukushima neighborhood, only one stop from Osaka Station, is filled with high-quality restaurants competing in a “gourmet battleground.” Renovated Izakayas and bars can be found lining the narrow roads, staying open until late at night. They use a limited supply of ingredients, and the stores make high-quality products at reasonable prices.
[ See details ]
Sightseeing
Umeda Sky Building / Kuchu Teien Observatory
The high-rise Umeda Sky Building was constructed so that the two individual buildings join at the top to form a design that looks like a floating spaceship. With a global reputation, every year the building is visited by over a million tourists and was once featured in a British magazine article on the “Top 20 […]
[ See details ]
| Address | Umeda Sky Building 39 / 40F 1-1 Oyodonaka Kita-ku, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - 7 min walk from JR Osaka St[…] |
| Tel | 06-6440-3855 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
Chayamachi
Chayamachi is the trendiest part of Kita, located on the north side of Hankyu Umeda Station. With fashion stores that feature some of the most popular brands amongst people in their 20s and 30s and street-level stores, it is the birthplace of many fashion trends. There are also many trendy cafes that are great if […]
[ See details ]
| Address | Chayamachi Kita-ku, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - 1-9 min walk from Umeda |
| Tel | |
| URL | [ Click ] |
Entertainment
Club
There are many high-quality, popular nightclubs in the Kita area.
CLUB PICCADILLY UMEDA OSAKA
About: The only night club in Kansai to be featured in famous British dance/music magazine DJ Mag’s list of the top 100 nightclubs in the world. Visit the link below to see DJ Mag’s summary. https://djmag.com/top-100-clubs/poll-clubs-2018-club-piccadilly Originally a movie theater, the building has been redeveloped into a high-class, luxury space. It has the largest-scale facilities […]
[ See details ]
| Address | Plaza Umeda Building 8F, 8-17 Taiyuujichou Kita-ku, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - 7 min walk from JR Osaka St[…] |
| Tel | 06-6809-5895 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
OWL OSAKA
About: A high-quality and trendy nightclub with a white owl as its logo. The lighting and interior design is extravagant and the sound quality is also good. Many world-class DJs perform here. Although always busy at night, before the last train in particular the energy in the club peaks and people tend to get excited. […]
[ See details ]
| Address | Umeda Rakutenchi Building B1, 5-1 Kakuda-Cho, Kita-ku, Osaka |
|---|---|
| Access | - 3-5 min walk from Umeda Sta[…] |
| Tel | 06-6362-0822 |
| URL | [ Click ] |
Gay Town
Located in the Doyamacho area on the east side of Umeda Station there are around 230 restaurants – mainly gay bars – forming the largest gay town in west Japan.
Foreigners are welcome in half of the bars so there is no need to feel nervous.
On the other hand, if you have any issues, that’s on you.
Below is a map of the various gay bars in the area (in Japanese):
| Address | Osaka Kita-ku Doyamacho |
| Access | – 3 min walk from Osaka Metro Nakazakicho Station – 3-5 min walk from Umeda Station – 7 min walk from JR Osaka Station |
