Osaka (大阪) means “large hill” in Japanese, in reference to where Osaka Castle sits. You’ll find it’s a massive city that’s hard to fully visit in one go.

How long to stay?

We had original plans to stay here for five nights, but hit some trouble on our flight in when it went mechanical and we ended up losing a day. I feel like we hit some of the main highlights of the city, but it did feel a little rushed. If it’s your first time coming here, I’d recommend a stay of five nights if you are also looking to explore the nearby city of Nara or other easy day trips (perhaps you want to go eat authentic kobe steak in Kobe?). If you’re looking to just stay within the confines of Osaka, four nights should work for you.

To be clear, I don’t recommend staying in Osaka as a base to explore Kyoto. Aside from missing out on some of the cultural nuances between the cities if you don’t stay in Kyoto to explore Kyoto, it’s also about an hour to get between the cities in each direction and that might make for early mornings or late nights depending on what you’re trying to do in Kyoto.

What we did

Osaka Castle

No visit to Japan is complete without stopping by Osaka Castle. Yes, there is an admission fee bookable on their website, but it’s currently only ¥600 and only needed for adults aged 16 and older (free for children 15 and under, bring proof of age just in case). Entry to the castle is available from 9AM to 4:30PM daily. Inside, you’ll find all sorts of detail about the feudal history of Japan and the role the city and castle played during that time.

You’ll find images of the castle all throughout Osaka, including on manhole covers, so it only felt right to come pay respects to the romanticized castle. It’s not going to be the most action-packed thing to see here, but even young Alex enjoyed his time here (at least for a bit). And while there could be crowds, we didn’t think it was a hindrance to our visit here. Expect to spend about 2-3 hours touring the Castle.

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

If you’re looking for a large aquarium that is easily accessible via public transportation, look no further than the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. Tickets are available on their website at a cost of ¥2,700 for adults and ¥1,400 or less for children (operating hours vary by day).

This aquarium is well-known for its whale sharks, which almost caught Alex by surprise in the picture below. We were impressed by the massive tanks and the many biomes you’ll find inside its walls. They also advertise a special “night aquarium” program if you’re here after 5PM, but we unfortunately missed it as we came before lunch.

How is it against other aquariums? I thought it fares pretty well, especially given its size and diversity of animals. Unlike some of the other aquariums we’ve been to, we would consider returning here on a future trip. Expect to spend anywhere between 2-4 hours here, with some variance based on whether to decide to eat here or not (we didn’t).

Legoland Discovery Center Osaka

While you’re at the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, it’s just a short walk over to the Legoland Discovery Center Osaka. Tickets can be purchased on their website and prices depend on the date chosen (weekends are more expensive), but expect a price of ¥2,200 on weekdays. Hours can also vary by day, but generally expect it to be open from 10AM to 6PM.

This was actually our first visit to a Legoland Discovery Center, having since gone to other locations. The Osaka location was a hit with then-two-year-old Alex and I feel younger kids would find a lot to do. Older children might struggle to find enough entertainment here, so keep that in mind for your visit. While you’re here, check out the Lego Osaka Castle over in Miniland (if you want a truly impressive display of miniature figures, check out Hamburg, Germany). If your children are young enough, go to both the aquarium and the Legoland as we did and call it a successful day.

Universal Studios Japan

If you’re into theme parks, visiting Universal Studios Japan (USJ) in Osaka is a must-do. It’s also very easy to get to using public transportation, which is awesome for visitors to the area. Ticket prices are as low as ¥8,600 for adults or ¥5,600 for children (free for children 3 and under), with discounts available for seniors and multi-day tickets, but prices do vary based on day selected. Operating hours vary by day but generally expect it to be open from 9AM to 7PM.

So what’s the reason to come here? Well, what other theme park offers opportunities to ride on a flying Snoopy, drive in an Elmo car, and meet Hello Kitty, followed by a chance to watch Sailor Moon or other anime favorites? It felt like pretty much every IP that isn’t Disney ended up here at USJ, which honestly was a bit neat to see. That only further gets cemented by the awesome Japanese culture found all throughout the park and the introduction of the Nintendo portion of the theme park. We haven’t yet been to this theme park since Nintendo was added (I’ve heard it’s much better than the one found at Universal Studios Hollywood), and we’re due for a return visit.

If I had to compare this Universal Studios against the ones available in the US, I’d say this one is leaps and bounds better than the one at Hollywood and the service level is also better than the two parks in Orlando. If we can find time to go to the parks in Singapore, United Kingdom, and Beijing, perhaps we will have a ranking of Universal Studios parks the same way we have one for Disney. I wouldn’t blame you if you spent 1-2 full days here.

Sightseeing

If you want to be a tourist, make your way over to Dotonbori, where you’ll find giant billboards that feel like they come to life in front of you. Some of the more popular signs include the giant crab and the Glico Running Man (Glico makes Pocky). Be prepared to get lost in the crowds here as it was very busy when we were here.

Nara

I plan to dedicate an entire separate post to Nara, but thought it would be a good idea to briefly introduce it here. Nara is perhaps most famous for deer that bow in exchange for food. If you’re taking public transportation, expect it to take about an hour in each direction. That makes it worthy of at least half a day devoted to coming here. I’d love to come back and explore it a bit more in depth next time, but it’s worth your time to come here if you’re in Osaka.

Where we ate

Shabuchin Namba

While we were in the Dotonbori area, we decided to make a pitstop at Shabuchin Namba, a restaurant that specializes in shabu shabu. As you might be able to tell from the pictures below, there was excellent marbelization of the fats on the meats here. The ingredients were fresh and this ended up being one of our favorite meals here in the city. We ended up not needing a reservation, but know that the restaurant felt like it was on the smaller side, so don’t be surprised if you see a wait if you come during a popular time. Reservations are available if you call (you can typically have your hotel make a reservation for you if you don’t know how to say it in Japanese).

Eventually Alex woke up from his nap and he loved the noodles and broth here. The broth gets especially delicious after all the meat has cooked in it, making shabu shabu a perfect comfort food for us.

Gyozaoh!

If you’re a fan of gyoza (potstickers), you might have interest in checking out Gyozaoh! also found near Dotonbori. One of the things I love about well-cooked gyoza is the crispy bottom that gives some extra texture to the otherwise warm and soft dumpling wrapper surrounding the goodies inside. These gyoza were no exception and were quite good. In fact, you’ll find lots of different dumplings and small bites at this restaurant. While the food was a bit more on the oily side compared to our shabu shabu meal above, this meal was still delicious and every bit equal to what we hoped for.

Tokumasa Udon Morinomiya

Covering off some more of the usual suspects for Japanese meals, we tried out a restaurant specializing in udon: Tokumasa Udon Morinomiya. You’ll find this restaurant around the south side of Osaka Castle. The service here is quick and friendly, but it was still very much delicious. Again, this is comfort food done well and the pricing is very reasonable. It might not win many culinary awards, but that was perfectly OK with us. We would gladly return if given the option.

The restaurant was also pretty kid-friendly and had both utensils and a small bowl available for Alex as he shared our meals.

Where we stayed

St. Regis Osaka

Call it a splurge, but we ended up staying at the St. Regis Osaka with the intent of getting the fifth night free when using Marriott points (though with us losing a day, we unfortunately didn’t get to take advantage). The hotel was excellent, with perfect service–including a butler to provide us with tea in the morning–and wonderful treatment of elites. At the time, I was a Platinum member with Marriott, allowing us a 4PM late checkout and an excellent buffet breakfast in their restaurant. I probably should note that the hotel ended up being unable to honor the 4PM late checkout after originally accepting the request as it turned out Egyptian officials needed the hotel cleared in advance of their stay for the G20 Summit. Clearly, elite status doesn’t trump actual royalty status. 😉

Still, it ended up being an excellent stay in the city close to public transportation and thus near everything we wanted to be near. It’s definitely well worth considering if you’re coming to Osaka and interested in splurging for a high-quality hotel stay.

While you’re here, check out our review of nearby Arashiyama or check out what we did in Tokyo.

What do you like to do in Osaka?