That Building Stands in Nakanoshima
Osaka’s Historic Landmark Hotel: RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka
I’m visiting RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka, one of Osaka’s most venerable hotels, with more than 80 years of history behind it. It stands in Nakanoshima, an island district between the Dojima and Tosabori Rivers in central Osaka.
The nearest station is Nakanoshima Station, the terminus of the Keihan Nakanoshima Line.
Seen from Nakanoshima, it cuts a grand figure above the river. This is the Tower Wing, completed in 1973. You can’t see it in the photo, but the West Wing, completed in 1965, stands to the right.
When you think of 1973, you think of the oil shock. And ever since that era, this place has reigned here in Nakanoshima as “Osaka’s guesthouse.”
The architect behind it was Isoya Yoshida. He was known for creating architecture rooted in traditional Japanese building and art, and you can still feel that here at RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka today.
So this will be both a hotel stay report and a little architectural expedition.
This Is the Royal Hotel Main Lounge
A Space So Beautiful It Takes Your Breath Away
When you enter the hotel and walk straight through the front lobby, you come to a vast open atrium. This is the Main Lounge. “Royal Hotel” was the hotel’s name before it became today’s “RIHGA Royal Hotel.”
At “The Japanese House: Architecture and Life after 1945,” held at the Mori Art Museum, it was displayed alongside a panel of Ogata Kōrin’s Red and White Plum Blossoms folding screen.
I’ve read that this Main Lounge was designed around the art of the Heian period. The columns are decorated with lacquer and maki-e, and overhead hang cloudlike glass chandeliers…
And at the center, a river flows quietly through the space…
And by the way… you can cross the river!! (lol)
Artists were involved in the design of both the columns and the chandeliers, and the result is a space that truly brings together the beauty of Japan. It really is a space of hospitality worthy of the name “Osaka’s guesthouse”…
Where the river runs to, it opens onto a large waterfall and a green garden space. This, too, is beautiful in a distinctly Japanese way. (It’s a little hard to see at night, though…)
I had cake in the lounge. (I ditched the after-party for this!!! So glad I made it in time!!!)
I rushed in just before closing, so the cake selection was already pretty limited, but I was still glad I got to relax and enjoy the space.
If You Want to Explore the Architecture, Morning Is Best
You can’t go inside before it opens, but if you come in the morning, you can get a much better view of the greenery in the garden beyond, and the whole place feels quite different. The glass chandeliers are honestly 1,000 times more beautiful in person than in photos, so I really hope you’ll see them with your own eyes.
If you go up to the second floor, there’s also a spot where you can take in the whole space, so definitely check it out. (The hotel recently added a special page on its official website introducing the art around the property, and that spot was featured there too… lol)
This lobby overflows with traditional Japanese beauty, and even if the hotel is ever rebuilt, I hope this masterpiece will always be preserved…
Bonus: you can ride an escalator with a rounded body.
About the Time I Got to Stay on the Natural Comfort Floor
Into a Room with a Space Theme…
Since I was there on business, I had of course booked a single room, but thanks to their kindness, I once got to stay on the Tower Wing’s Natural Comfort Floor! It’s the kind of class that comes with lounge access and use of the pool, so it’s basically a club floor. (Though sadly, guests who get upgraded can’t use those perks… which makes sense, I guess.)
As the name “Natural Comfort” suggests, the rooms are themed around nature, with four types: flowers, sky, sea, and forest. On this day, mine was the sky room—and within that theme, it was specifically a space-themed room.
It was far too luxurious a room for just one person to stay in…!
By the pillow there were… st-stars…??????
The bedroom itself had been beautifully renovated, but the bathroom area did feel a little dated. Well, that can’t really be helped.
There were also complimentary RIHGA Royal branded leaf pies in the room, which I happily enjoyed. Thank you for the treat!
And for Comparison, a Regular Room
A River View Makes It Special!
Even by “regular room,” this was still one where they upgraded me to a twin, but… this is what it was like.
What surprised me was that it had two bathrooms—well, one of them was just a shower booth. When I first entered, I thought, “Oh, so this room only has a shower,” and then I walked farther into the room and…
Wait… there’s another room back here…!?!
There’s a bathtub lol
That was the situation. It’s a pretty interesting layout, honestly (lol).
This room was in the West Wing—the older one—but if you’re lucky, you can get a river view, and that’s part of the fun too.
I do hear people occasionally say the building is showing its age and may be due for rebuilding before too long, but it’s a wonderful hotel, with its beautiful lounge and thoughtful design details throughout that treasure traditional Japanese beauty.
It’s one of the places in Osaka I’d really recommend seeing. It’s directly connected to Nakanoshima Station, so pair it with an architectural walk around Naniwabashi Station too!
And that wraps up my post on RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka.
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