Known as Japan’s second largest metropolitan area after Tokyo, Osaka has been one of the
most important urban areas since Japan’s early history.
Divided into 2 main city centers known as Kita (or Umeda in the North), and Minami down
South, Osaka offers many shopping and dining experiences.
The Umeda district, is not only Osaka’s biggest transportation hub, but it also has
a huge abundance of attractions in a relatively small area, such as shopping malls, restaurants,
a ferris wheel, entertainment and panoramic views of the city.
With Osaka and Umeda stations at its center, and only one hour from Kansai International
Airport by train, Umeda is one of the best districts to head to for a day
of amusement and shopping.
There are a dizzying number of shops and restaurants in the area, however, if you need a place
to start, here are our recommended shopping spots and fun things to do in Osaka-Umeda.
There are lots of malls and attractions in the Osaka-Umeda area namely but not limited
to: GRAND FRONT OSAKA, HANKYU SANBAN GAI, NU Chayamachi and Chayamachi Plus, HEP FIVE,
DIAMOR OSAKA, HERBIS PLAZA and Umeda Sky Building.
Today we’re going to check out some of the fun things to do at these places
during your stay in Umeda.
Made in Japan shopping
For those looking for uniquely local products,
Onitsuka Tiger is a well-known sneaker brand that has fans from all over the world.
Their Made in Japan and Nippon Made range of sneakers make for fashionable souvenirs
and are comfortable for walking in the city (especially while on holiday!).
We visited the brand’s showroom on street level at Nu Chayamachi to browse through their
selection of sneakers including some Japan-specific ones.
They were all beautiful but the Kabuki inspired one definitely caught our eye.
Cafe Hopping
The Pompompurin Cafe in HANKYU SANBAN GAI is
one of four cafes in Japan to get your cutesy cafe fix of the Pompompurin character.
Everything is made to look like the yellow mascot, including the food, drinks and furniture.
We went for a delicious Omu-rice dish (or Japanese style omelet), accompanied with a
strawberry yoghurt shake, and for dessert a custard pudding on top of ice-cream, corn
flakes and whip-cream.
Talk about calorie heaven!
The cafe also sells goods and plush toys, if you want to take some of the cuteness back home.
Taking the Ferris wheel
The HEP FIVE shopping mall, located only 5 minutes
away from Osaka Station, is immediately identifiable, with its flashy red signage, its giant red
whale floating in its main hall and its 106 meter tall ferris wheel.
A ride on the ferris wheel takes around 15 minutes and will allow you to enjoy stunning
panoramic views of the city, with explanations on the windows to understand what are some
of the buildings around the area.
If you look closely you can even spot Osaka Castle!
Pamper yourself.
Looking to pamper yourself and experience what a Japanese beauty parlor is like?
On the 6th floor of the HERBIS PLAZA is the SHISEIDO SALON&SPA, where you can experience
a high-end treatment service.
A basic relaxing hair treatment itself takes about 15 minutes with further add-on options,
and the entire process takes around an hour including blow-drying.
The whole experience will leave you feeling refreshed and like a different person.
Appointments are recommended and appreciated as space is limited.
Dining and eating sashimi
The Umeda district is not only great for shopping,
it also offers great lunch and dining experiences.
The impressive GRAND FRONT OSAKA complex has a variety of nice restaurants on its top floors,
especially if you are looking to eat some delicious fresh seafood.
Ginpei is a cosy restaurant which offers great options to try out exquisite slices of sashimi
for a reasonable price.
Food souvenir shopping
A great place for Japanese food souvenir shopping,
is the Kuzefuku Shoten that style themselves as “the Japanese gourmet store”.
Located in the DIAMOR shopping mall, the shop sells a wide variety of Japanese products,
foods, sauces, sake, as well as traditional snacks, such as these fish bones.
The shop also sells donuts with traditional Japanese flavors such as tofu, kinako, green
tea and more.
Finally to end a day of shopping, we recommend
checking out the Kuchu Teien Observatory, on the top floor of the Umeda Sky Building,
one of the landmarks of the Umeda District.
To access it, you go on a spectacular escalator which goes in between the two towers that
make the Umeda Sky Building.
The observatory offers absolutely stunning panoramic views of the city, especially when
the city lights come up just as the sun disappears in the horizon at sunset.
These are just a sample of the activities you can do in the many shopping malls and
department stores that constitute the Umeda district.
I hope that this video has sparked some ideas, should you visit Umeda on your trip to Osaka.
For more information about the Umeda district, or to watch another video, click the links
on the screen now, or head over to japan-guide.com, your comprehensive up to date travel guide,
first hand from Japan.
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Happy travels.