Kita (キ タ) is a district of the city of Osaka.
To know
Geographical notes
Kita is the new city center of Osaka. The area around Umeda Station, where the main terminals for Osaka subway, JR, Hankyu and Hanshin are located, boasts department stores, buildings full of trendy shops and various attractions. The southern edge of the neighborhood is Nakanoshima, a sandbar in the middle of the river that houses cultural institutions and government offices.
How to orient yourself
Kita (Osaka): full screen map.Neighborhoods
- 1 Nakanoshima
How to get
On the train
There are two main train stations in this area, namely Umeda Station and Osaka Station. Both are very close.
Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen (新 幹線) trains arrive at Shin-Osaka station, north of the city center.
From Shin-Osaka, you can connect to Umeda Station using the Midosuji subway line, or connect to the JR local network for other destinations.
The best trains between Kansai International Airport and Osaka Station are the "Kansai Airport Express Service" which operates with JR-WEST. The journey takes approximately 65 minutes and costs ¥ 1160.
JR Limited Express Train "Haruka" stops at Tennoji Station and Shin-Osaka Station. But Haruka doesn't stop at Osaka Station. The train passes through Umeda Freight Line, which bypasses Osaka Station.
Umeda Station is one of the walkways that connect it to Osaka Station
- 1 Umeda Station (梅田 駅 Umeda-eki) (Connections with the metro line
. Umeda Station and Osaka Station are connected by elevated walkways and corridors). The station is served by the following companies:
. Umeda Station and Osaka Station are connected by elevated walkways and corridors). The station is served by the following companies:- Hankyu Railways
Kobe Line - Offers connections to the following cities: Nishinomiya is Sannomiya (Kobe).
Kyoto Line - Offers connections to the following cities: Takatsuki, Settsu, Ibaraki is Kyoto.
Takarazuka Line - Offers connections to the following cities: Toyonaka, Ikeda is Takarazuka.
Hanshin Electeric Railways
Main line: offers connections to the following cities: Amagasaki, Nishinomiya is Sannomiya (Kobe). 
Kobe Line - Offers connections to the following cities: 
Kyoto Line - Offers connections to the following cities: 
Takarazuka Line - Offers connections to the following cities: 
Main line: offers connections to the following cities: 
Osaka station
- 2 Osaka station (By metro station Hanshin-Umeda, Higashi-Umeda
and Umeda ). This station develops in height with several floors full of shops and services. Inside you can find everything you need. It is advisable to view the maps on display to orient yourself because it is very easy to lose direction. The station is served by the JR-WEST (unlike the nearby Umeda which is served by private companies):
and Umeda - Circular Line of Ōsaka - Offers connections to the following locations: Universal City, Tennoji, Kansai International Airport, Wakayama is Nara.
- JR Kyoto Line - Offers connections to the following cities: Shin-Osaka, Suita, Takatsuki, Settsu, Ibaraki is Kyoto.
- JR Kobe Line - Offers connections to the following cities: Amagasaki, Nishinomiya is Kobe.
The JR Kyoto Line is the common name for a portion of the Tōkaidō Main Line, between Kyoto Station and Osaka Station.
By bus
There are several bus terminals around the Osaka train station. Airport Limousine Bus connects Kansai International Airport to Hotel New Hankyu Bus Station, ¥ 1500 each way.
- 3 Hankyu Highway Bus Osaka Umeda Terminal (阪急 高速 バ ス 大阪 梅田 タ ー ミ ナ ル), 1 Chome-2 Umeda, Kita-ku (On the 1st floor, near the Umeda Station ), ☎ 81 6-6372-1905.
Ticket office hours 8: 00-18: 30. Connections with both airports with companies: Kansai Airport Transportation, Osaka Airport Transport is Hanshin Bus
Ticket office hours 8: 00-18: 30. Connections with both airports with companies: - The company Hankyu Bus (site in Japanese only) links with:
- Kansai - Amanohashidate, Arima Onsen, Sumoto (Awaji-Island)
- Kanto - Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba, Tokyo Disney Land
- Chubu - Shizuoka, Matsumoto, Nagano, Suwa, Kanazawa, Fukui, Toyama, Niigata
- Shikoku - Takamatsu, Kochi, Tokushima, Awaikeda
- Kyushu - Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Nagasaki, Kagoshima
- 4 Herbis Osaka Bus Terminal, 2 Chome-2-22 Umeda, Kita-ku (5 minutes walk from JR Osaka Central Station, Herbis PLAZA floor B1). Ticket office: from 8:00 to 20:00. Airport bus tickets can be purchased through any ticket vending machine.
- Airport stop with Osaka Airport Transport is Hanshin Bus.
- Hanshin Bus
- 5 JR bus terminal, Osaka station (JR Osaka North Gate Building 1st floor), ☎ 81 06-6371-0111. Ticket office 5: 45-23: 50. West JR Bus (site in Japanese)
- Kansai - Shirahama, Sumoto (Awaji-Island)
- Kanto - Tokyo, Yokohama, Omiya, Tachikawa, Tokorozawa
- Chubu - Kanazawa, Toyama, Fukui
- Chugoku - Hiroshima, Okayama, Kurashiki, Tsuyama, Kure, Hamada, Masuda
- Shikoku - Tokushima, Naruto, Takamatsu, Sakaide, Marugame, Zentsuji, Kochi, Matsuyama, Saijo, Suzaki
- Kyushu - Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Nagasaki, Kagoshima
- 6 Willer Bus Terminal, Umeda Sky Building (10 min from Osaka Station, 8 min from Nakatsu Station), ☎ 81 050-5805-0383. Mon-Fri 10: 00-14: 00. Willer Bus:
| Streets that pass through Kita |
| Kobe ← Nishinomiya ← | OR  NEITHER | → Suita → Ibaraki → Kyoto |
| Motomachi ← Koshien ← Amagasaki ← | OR  IS | → end |
| Sannoiya ← Nishinomiya Kitaguchi ← Juso ← | OR  | → end |
| Kawaramachi ← Nagaokatenjin ← Ibarakishi ← | NEITHER  S. | → end |
| Takarazuka ← Ikeda ← Toyonaka ← | No.  S. | → end |
Senri-Chuo ← verse  ← Shin Osaka ← | No.  S. | → Nanba → Tennoji → Nakamozu |
| Dainichi ← Miyakojima ← | NEITHER  SELF | → Tanimachi 4-chome → Tennoji |
| end ← | No.  S. | → Nanba → Suminoe Park |
| Ikeda ← Itami Airport ← Toyonaka ← | No.  S. | → to  |
How to get around
What see
Osaka Science Museum
- 1 Osaka Science Museum (大阪 市立 科学館) (Walk from Higobashi subway station or Yodoya-bashi station, 500 and 900 meters west respectively.).
Adults ¥ 600, children ¥ 300. Tue-Sun 9: 30-17: 00, closed on December 28th, January 4th and on public holidays. Large multi-story interactive activity center. Great for children. Planetarium and cinema (with science films) downstairs.
Adults ¥ 600, children ¥ 300. 
Osaka Museum of Home and Living
- 2 Osaka Museum of Home and Living (大阪 く ら し の 今昔 館), 6-4-20 Tenjinbashi, Kita-ku (Walk from Tenjinbashisuji 6-chome station. Housing Information Center, 8th floor), ☎ 81 6-6242-1170. Adults ¥ 600, free for students, children and seniors. Wed-Mon 10 am-5pm. Step back in time as you walk through this life-size reproduction of an Osaka neighborhood from 1830. The street contains re-creations of a public bathroom (you can borrow a yukata, or cotton kimono, to wear as you wander around) , as well as the various shops and merchants' homes. There is also a section showing detailed Osaka dioramas after the Meiji period. Audio guides are available in English.
Umeda Sky building
Mint building
- 3 Umeda Sky Building (梅田 ス カ イ ビ ル), 1-1-20 Oyodonaka, Kita-ku (10 minutes walk from JR Osaka or Hankyu Umeda). ¥ 700. 10:00-22:30. Built in an effort to upgrade the Kita neighborhood, the project was not the commercial success hoped for, but this bizarre 173-meter building is still a landmark of the city. Take the escalator in mid-air to the rooftop observatory for an open-air view of Osaka, which is especially impressive on a clear night. The place is famous among lovers. You can purchase an engraved lock (¥ 1000) and attach it to the wall around the seats (locks are only available after 7pm). The basement features a reconstruction of a Meiji-era street, with a few appropriately styled small restaurants and bars. There is also a small shop on the ground floor where you can buy cheap quality mochi.
- 4 Japanese mint (造幣 局), 1-1-79 Temma Kita-ku (15 minutes walk from Temmabashi subway stop). Free. It is not well known even by people from other parts of the country that the mint is actually based in Osaka. For the osakans, Sakura-no-tōrinuke (tunnel の 通 抜 strada, road of the cherry tree tunnels) is synonymous with this structure, attracting a large number of visitors (around 1 million in just 7 days) during a limited and planned week in Mid-April . A must see if you are a fan of coins and happen to drop off in Osaka during the season.
What to do
Shopping
- 1 Daimaru Umeda (大 丸 梅田 店), Umeda, 3 Chome − 1, １ (Direct access from JR Osaka Station), ☎ 81 6-6343-1231. 10:00-20:300. One of the largest department stores in Osaka, renovated and reopened in spring 2011
- 2 Hankyu San Bangai (阪急 三 番 街), 1 Chome-1-3 Shibata (Direct access from Hankyu Umeda Station), ☎ 81 6-6371-3303. 10:00-23:00. The large shopping areas fill with a variety of branded shops and boutiques.
- 3 HERBIS PLAZA ENT (ハ ー ビ ス プ ラ ザ ENT) (3 minutes walk from Hanshin Umeda station), ☎ 81 6-6343-7500. 11:00-20:00. Boutiques of famous brands inside and outside of Japan, gourmet restaurants
- For Japanese and foreign books try Junkudo south of Osaka station, or:
- 4 Kinokuniya, 1F Hankyu Umeda station, ☎ 81 6-6372-5821. Mon-Sun 10: 00-22: 00. A large well-stocked library.
- 5 Fujisawa Books, 1F Hankyu Umeda station (Near Kinokuniya), ☎ 81 6-6373-0779. Tue-Mon 11: 00-20: 00. Small library with precious antique books of value and Japanese prints. They accept credit card.
- 4 Kinokuniya, 1F Hankyu Umeda station, ☎ 81 6-6372-5821.
- The official Hanshin Tigers (baseball team) store is located on the 8th floor of the Hanshin department store in Umeda.
- The commercial street 6 Tenjinbashi-suji (天神 橋 筋 商店 街 Tenjinbashi-suji Shōtengai) is said to be Japan's longest and most covered shopping arcade, 2.6km in length. The tunnel runs north-south along Tenjinbashi-suji road and is accessible from multiple subway and / or JR stations, e.g. Tenma, Minami-Morimachi and Tenjinbashi-suji 6-chome. The gallery is a live exhibition of daily life in Osaka, which has been around since the Edo period.
How to have fun
- The Nakanoshima Festival Hall, near Umeda, and the Umeda Symphony Hall host modern and classical recitals, while Umeda Koma in Umeda and Shin-Kabukiza in Uehommachi host performances by Enka. For more independent or underground music, give it a try Banana Hall in Umeda o Big Cat in Amerika-mura.
Night clubs
- 1 Billboard Live Osaka (ビ ル ボ ー ド ラ イ ブ 大阪), 2 Chome-2-２２ Umeda, ☎ 81 6-6342-7722. Live music venue.
- 2 The Blarney Stone, Sonezaki, 2 丁目 10−15 曽 根 崎 セ ン タ ー ビ ル, ☎ 81 6-6364-2001. Mon-Thu 17: 00-01: 00, Fri-Sun 17: 00-05: 00. Irish pub
- 3 Common cafe (コ モ ン カ フ ェ), 1-2-2 Nakazaki-nish, ☎ 81 6-6371-1800. 12:00-24:00. A café where foreigners can exchange information with the Japanese about what interests them
- [link not working]Sam and Dave. Popular international dance club with a meat market atmosphere. There are two locations in Osaka
- 4 Blarney Stone, Kita-ku, Sonezaki, 2 丁目 10−15 曽 根 崎 セ ン タ ー ビ ル, ☎ 81 6-6364-2001, @[email protected]. 17:00-01:00. This Irish pub duo has a relaxed vibe, friendly staff, and a decent happy hour.
Gay clubs
- 5 Cafe de Jumpin 'Jumpin', ☎ 81 66-363-3367. 19:00-05:00. One of Osaka's gay and lesbian bars
- 6 Lupu, 1F, Kansai-Chuo Bldg, 15-2 Doyama-cho, ☎ 81 66-311-6700. 20:00-04:00. A gay and lesbian bar owned by a lesbian couple.
- 7 [link not working]Physique Pride, 8-23 Sanyo-Kaikan 1-F Doyama-cho, ☎ 81 66-361-2430. One of the most popular gay and lesbian bars in Osaka among foreigners
- 8 Explosion, 8-23 Dōyamachō, ☎ 81 6-6312-5003. The most popular and biggest (though not very big) gay club in Osaka. They have special events on Fridays and Saturdays, some of them only for men and occasionally only for women, so check their website to make sure you can access the day you intend to visit. Foreigners sometimes get free drink discounts or coupons, so bring your passport (especially if you are of Asian descent).
- 9 Jack in the Box, 12-12 Doyama-cho, ☎ 81 66-361-3271. Wed-Mon 09: 00-05: 00. A gay nightclub for men only
Where to eat
Moderate prices
- 1 [link not working]Snack Park (ス ナ ッ ク パ ー ク), Hanshin department store (Umeda), floor B2. 10:00-20:30. It offers okonomiyaki, takoyaki and some surprises like the doteyaki (ど て 焼 き) - stewed beef tendon
- 2 Tsuruhashi Fūgetsu (鶴 橋 風月), Hankyu Grand Building 29F (Next to Hankyu Umeda Station), ☎ 81 6-6367-8002. ¥ 700-800. 11:00-23:00. Good okonomiyaki and yakisoba, with extra toppings (eggs, cheese, etc.). The restaurant overlooks Umeda. There is an English menu.
- 3 Hanadako (は な だ こ), 9-２６ Kakudachō. 1000 yen or less. Mon-Sun 10 am-11pm. Takoyaki on your feet or take away, very popular with locals.
Average prices
- 4 En (Umeda) (え ん 梅田 店), SWING umeda 2F 2-15-20 Sonezak (From Hankyu Umeda Station, exit east. From the Hep 5 building (red ferris wheel), walk south in front of Hep Navio and cross the street that leads to the shopping street. Walk 50m to the shopping street, take the first right, walk 50m, cross the street and walk to the shopping street. The entrance to En え ん is on your left.), ☎ 81 6-6361-9896. Food costs ¥ 2000-2500 per person, drinks start at around ¥ 500. 05:00-23:30. En is one of the most atmospheric and tasty izakaya in Osaka, with branches in Umeda and Namba. The interior is beautiful and the food is delicious and reasonably priced. En also has a wide range of Japanese Sake and has an English menu.
- 5 Endo Sushi (中央 市場 ゑ ん ど う), 1 Chome-1-86 Noda, Fukushima Ward, ☎ 81 6-6469-7108. About ¥ 3000. 05:00-14:00. Sushi inside the Osaka fish market
Where stay
Moderate prices
- 1 J-Hoppers Osaka Central, Fukushima 7-4-22 (3-minute walk from Fukushima Station on the JR Loop Line), ☎ 81 6 6453-6669. 8- or 6-bed dormitory ¥ 2500, private rooms ¥ 3000 per person. Check in: 15:00-22:00, check-out: 08:00-11:00. A lively backpacker hostel located in the center of Osaka. There are three types of private rooms (double, twin and triple). All staff members speak English and can help guests make travel plans. There are also staff members who speak French and German. Free WiFi with your laptop or ¥ 100 for 30 min. with hostel computers. Bikes for hire (¥ 500 per day), no curfew or lockdown, and luggage storage services.
- 2 Capsule Inn Osaka, 9-5 Doyamamachi, Kita-ku (in the Higashi-Hankyu shopping arcade near Umeda station), ☎ 81 6-6314-2100, fax: 81 6-6363-3014. ¥ 2700 for one night, ¥ 3300 including entrance to the spa. This is Japan's first capsule hotel, designed by renowned architect Kisho Kurokawa and opened in 1979. Still open for business, happy to welcome male foreigners. Women are not allowed.
- 3 Capsule Hotel Daitoyo (サ ウ ナ & ス パ カ プ セ ル ホ テ ル 大 東洋), 2-1-9 Nakazaki-Nishi (Close to Nakazaki-cho station, Tanimachi-Line subway). ¥ 3200. Near Umeda, with branches in Namba and Juso. It has a spa, sauna, and floor for women.
- 4 Sunplaza Rinkai (サ ン プ ラ ザ 臨海), 16-4-4 Toyosaki Kita-ku (Subway Exit 1 from Nakatsu Station (中 津 駅) on the Midosuji Line, one stop from Umeda Station and two stops from Shinosaka Station), ☎ 81 6-6377-9260, fax: 81 6-6377-0650. ¥ 3500 per person per apartment including taxes, service charges and utilities. The website is in Japanese. The English site can be obtained through an online booking agent if the full name is from Google and an immediate confirmation will be provided if seats are available. Doubles available. Each apartment has in-suite shower and toilet, A / C, TV and a kitchenette complete with fridge, stove and cooking utensils.
- 5 Guest House U-en (由 苑), 1-5-8 Uemachi, Chuo-ku (Walking distance from Osaka Castle), ☎ 81 6-7503-4394. Dormitory ¥ 2300-2500, private rooms ¥ 5500-6500. The ground floor of this building was once a printing factory, and the upper level was a family home. The guest house has a traditional feel.
High prices
- 6 Hilton Osaka, 1-8-8, Umeda, Kita-ku (Across the street from JR Osaka station), ☎ 81 6-6347-7111, fax: 81 6-6347-7001. Check in: 14:00.
- 7 Granvia Osaka hotels, 3-1-1, Umeda Kita-ku (Next to JR Osaka train station), ☎ 81 6-6347-1235, fax: 81 6-6347-1230, @[email protected]. Check in: 15:00.
- 8 Imperial Hotel, 8-50, Temmabashi 1-chome, Kita-ku (On the riverside), ☎ 81 6-6881-1111, fax: 81 6-6881-4111.
- 9 Rihga Royal Hotel, 5-3-68, Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, ☎ 81 6-6448-1121. Opened as the New Osaka Hotel in 1935, this landmark hotel proudly offers one of the best hotel services in the city.
- 10 Ritz-Carlton, 2-5-25 Umeda, Kita-ku (down the street from the Sakurabashi Exit of Osaka Station, behind the Central Post Office), ☎ 81 6-6343-7000, fax: 81 6-6343-7001, @[email protected]. Rates start at around ¥ 30,000 per night and go up. Check in: 15:00, check-out: 11:00. The first Japanese. This outlet has been voted Japan's best hotel multiple times and has become known as one of the city's finest gathering and dining spots.
- 11 The Westin Osaka (ウ ェ ス テ ィ ン ホ テ ル 大阪), 1-1-20 Oyodo Naka, Kita-ku (Next to the Umeda Sky Building), ☎ 81 6-6440-1111, fax: 81 6-6440-1100, @[email protected].
How to keep in touch
Useful information
- 7 Osaka Visitors Information Center - Umeda, 3F JR Osaka Sta.1F North Central Gate 3-1-1 Umeda Kita-ku (North side central concourse of Osaka Station on the JR Osaka Loop Line), ☎ 81 6-6345-2189. 07:00-23:00. Tourist information is offered in English and Japanese.
