Travelling to Osaka?

Our routes, not a list of everything. Places that have been there for centuries: no opening times or prices, which go stale.

1. 01

   Osaka in a day

   9 hA castle that inside is a concrete building with a lift, and a canal where people photograph themselves with a 1935 advert.Osaka Castle · Dotonbori · Shinsekai and the Tsutenkaku tower · The Umeda Sky BuildingRead the full guide
2. 02

   A weekend in Osaka

   20 hBased in Osaka, Kyoto is fifteen minutes by bullet train and Nara forty. It’s the best-placed city in Japan.Saturday: the city · Saturday night: eating in the south · Sunday A: Nara · Sunday B: HimejiRead the full guide
3. 03

   What to see in Osaka

   14 hA shrine with a bridge so steep that climbing it counts as purification, and an Expo site already being dismantled.Sumiyoshi Taisha · Shitenno-ji · Yumeshima: what’s left of the Expo · Universal Studios and the Nintendo worldRead the full guide
4. 04

   Eating and drinking in Osaka

   3 hThere’s one rule that gets you corrected out loud if you break it: you don’t dip a kushikatsu skewer twice.Takoyaki · Okonomiyaki, the Osaka way · Kushikatsu and the sauce rule · Kuromon market and the butamanRead the full guide
5. 05

   Where to stay in Osaka

   1 hThe city divides into north and south, Kita and Minami, and choosing between them changes the trip.Namba and Shinsaibashi (Minami) · Umeda (Kita) · Shin-Osaka · Tennoji and the southRead the full guide
6. 06

   Day trips from Osaka

   10 hFrom here, Kyoto is closer than many Tokyo districts are to central Tokyo. And there’s a mountain with a cemetery of two hundred thousand graves.Kioto · Mount Koya · Kobe · Nara and its deerRead the full guide
7. 07

   From Osaka’s airports to the centre

   1 hIf you arrive with a Japan Rail Pass, there’s a fast train you can’t use and one you can. Confusing them costs money.The Nankai Rapi:t, to the south · The JR Haruka, north and on to Kyoto · From Itami: the monorail · The bus, and why not the taxiRead the full guide
8. 08

   Osaka: practical tips

   1 hHere you stand on the right on the escalator, the opposite of Tokyo, and it’s the first thing that marks you out.The ICOCA card and the passes · Money and tipping · Eating while walking, and the bins · When to come, and the summer · Mobile dataRead the full guide

The real options, with what actually decides it: which terminal it leaves from and where it drops you. Fares and timetables live with the operator, who keeps them current.

• TrainNankai Rapi:tKIX → Namba (centro sur)The fastest to Namba, in the heart of the south: about thirty-four minutes, with reserved seats and round submarine-style windows. Important warning: Nankai is a private company, NOT JR, so the Japan Rail Pass isn’t valid on this train. If you have a pass, your option is the Haruka.34-40 minFares and timesNankai
• TrainJR HarukaKIX → Tennoji, Osaka y Shin-OsakaThe JR express: about forty-five minutes to Osaka station and around fifty to Shin-Osaka, where the bullet train calls. It IS covered by the Japan Rail Pass, and that’s its great advantage. If you’re going on to Kyoto, this is the one that connects without leaving the system.45-50 minFares and timesJR West
• MetroMonorraíl de OsakaITM → Hotarugaike y Senri-Chuo, con enlace al metroItami is the domestic airport and sits much closer to the centre than Kansai. The monorail leaves from the terminal itself and connects with the commuter and metro network at Hotarugaike, for getting down to Umeda, and at Senri-Chuo. It’s the way in without depending on the bus.·Fares and timesOsaka Monorail
• BusLimousine BusKIX · ITM → Estación de Osaka, Namba y hotelesA direct bus from both airports to the main stations and several hotels, with your case in the hold and no changes or stairs. From Kansai it’s around an hour to Osaka station and a little less to Namba. With heavy luggage or travelling as a family it usually pays off even if it isn’t the quickest.·Fares and timesKansai Airport Transportation
• TaxiKIX · ITM → Centro de OsakaFrom Itami it’s a short, reasonable ride. From Kansai it isn’t: some fifty kilometres with a toll bridge in between and it comes out very expensive, so in practice it only makes sense outside train hours. Japanese taxis open the rear door by themselves. Don’t touch it.·Fares and timesTaxi

• TokyoNRT · HND8 routes