Osaka– category –

A stay at Osaka Station Hotel during my visit to Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. From the moment I stepped in from KITTE Osaka, the hotel felt like a completely different world, with a calm yet playful atmosphere, a spacious and beautifully designed room, and stunning night and morning views. Breakfast was especially memorable, with top-class buffet quality, sushi, pastries, desserts, and an extraordinary amount of perfectly ripe melon.

After returning from the Expo exhausted, I went to Kohaku Brasserie in KITTE Osaka, in the same building as my hotel. Unlike the usual Kohaku, which focuses on small plates, this newer format serves more substantial French à la carte dishes.

Without a breakfast plan at the hotel, I started the morning at Kissa Shotiku, a two-story retro coffee shop in Osaka known for its stained glass and pine-patterned ceiling.

Caption by Hyatt Namba Osaka has a better location than I expected, conveniently close to the station. This is about my stay at Caption by Hyatt Namba Osaka when I visited Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. Unusually for me, I stayed at a Hyatt Group hotel rather than a Marriott Group one. My impression is that the Caption brand sits in a position similar to Aloft or Moxy within the Marriott Group. The room was stylish, though the bed was a bit narrow. That said, the compact size of the bed did bother me a little. The toilet seemed to be a higher-end TOTO Neorest model and was comfortable to use. However, it was set in the same space as the sink. There was no bathtub—only a shower booth. There were also a few playful touches, such as a closet hanging rod designed to look like a Japanese sword.

I stayed at The Westin Osaka, using a Marriott Bonvoy free night reward. Between the changing cityscape of Umekita, lounge time with my parents, and a satisfying breakfast, it made for a memorable short stay.

I spent the morning at W Osaka swimming in the neon-lit WET pool, then heading to breakfast at Oh.lala.... It was stylish, playful, and very much W—exactly the kind of stay I loved, even if I can see why it won’t be for everyone.

After falling for W Hotels in Hong Kong in 2017, I had been waiting for the brand to arrive in Japan. When W Osaka finally opened, I went to see whether that old feeling still held true—and from the understated black exterior to the unmistakably W-style room, it absolutely did.

On a nighttime stroll through Kitahama and into Nakanoshima, I enjoyed the illuminated architecture, the calm riverside scenery, and the atmosphere of the city after dark.

In Osaka’s Kitahama district, a short walk along Sakaisuji reveals a business and financial area where historic modern buildings still shape the streetscape.

Looking out from Osaka Station, I spotted the Umeda Sky Building beyond the vast redevelopment area of Umekita Phase 2. Up close, its huge circular opening, suspended escalators, and postmodern details made it even more fascinating.

JR Osaka Station has been transformed by major redevelopment, from the spacious Umekita Plaza and its dramatic use of water to the massive station building and, a short walk away, the striking Umeda Ventilation Tower.

I stayed at Hotel Monterey La Soeur Osaka, an American Art Deco–themed hotel near Kyobashi Station. From the lobby and elevators to the guest room and breakfast venue, the design gave the whole stay a distinctive atmosphere.

I visited RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka, a long-established hotel in Nakanoshima with more than 80 years of history. From its grand main lounge shaped by Japanese aesthetics to the guest rooms in its older and newer wings, it felt like both a hotel stay and an architectural exploration.

In Nakanoshima, Osaka City Central Public Hall stands as a defining landmark. I look at the red-brick building, the surrounding district, and the architecturally rich setting that has grown around it.

In Bentencho, a station area just outside central Osaka, Art Hotel Osaka Bay Tower stands inside the former ORC200 redevelopment. I’ve stayed there both before and after its 2018 renewal, and what remains most memorable is the contrast between its updated rooms, its lingering late-1980s to early-1990s boom-era details, and the views from high above the city.

I stayed at Moxy Osaka Honmachi, a design-forward hotel with a lively lounge, welcome drinks, simple rooms, and a noodle-based breakfast that made for a hotel stay a little different from the usual.

On a day that was finally a trip rather than a business visit, I headed from Shin-Osaka to the National Museum of Ethnology in Expo Commemoration Park. From the approach past the Tower of the Sun to the museum’s enormous world-spanning exhibits, it felt like setting off on a journey around the globe.

After visiting the National Museum of Ethnology, I also stopped by the EXPO’70 Pavilion in Expo Commemoration Park, where the original pavilion building and displays from the Osaka Expo remain.

NIFREL is a different kind of aquarium-like museum near Expo Park, with themed exhibits, close-up animal encounters, and even open areas where capybaras and other animals roam freely.