Hi,
Its our first time to osaka, can someone pls. help plan our itenerary , 4 days tour of osaka, one day will definitely go to universal studios and one to kyoto.......where is best place to stay for shopping and overall convenience.....thanks in advance

There are two main areas to stay in Osaka. The Minami or Namba area south of downtown and the northern station area which is known as the Kita Umeda section. You can read more details of what to see and do here at this site I am leaving:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2157.html

I will be there for 4 nights in late March but will be staying at the Hyatt near the piers. Terrible location but very nice hotel and since I am a Diamond member the automatic upgrades are irresistible.

Aloha!

What time of year will you be in Osaka?

mar. 31, 2010....april 4.......staying at swissotel nankai namba......advice needed on airport transfer to swissotel arriving night time........i saw airport limo to namba (ocat) what does this mean? i will be travelling with kids...if ever that is a terminal , is that a few minutes walk to swissotel?nankai......again thanks very much for your help.

i heard the swissotel is just behind the train station? namba station? so do you think its better to take the train or the airport limo bus?..........2 kids in the group

The Swissotel Nankai has a good location right behind the JR Namba station and in the thick of the shopping district.

Namba OCAT is the bus station on top of the JR Namba station. OCAT stands for "Osaka City Air Terminal". The airport limo refers to the airport limousine shuttle buses that transit between KIX and the OCAT. The limo buses are the way to go especially with kids in tow as they do take care of luggage and all in getting you from point A to point B. See here for more detail on the limo bus and other transport options into Osaka:

http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/a...bus/index.html

Aloha!

BTW, you just might lucky enough be in Osaka at peak Cherry blossom time. Be sure to visit Osaka Castle at that time. Be ready for the crowds too!

How old are the kids?

Ok, you will be in Osaka during baseball season! DO NOT miss the chance to go to a Japanese baseball game. It is a hoot, the fans are rabid and have chants for each player while at bat, noisemakers, balloons in the stadium, etc. Kids will love it if they are old enough for baseball. You can catch a game at Osaka Dome (inside, nice stadium) or Koshien stadium (outside, but the incredible Hanshin Tigers play there, and they have the most loyal rabid fans of all). Be sure to get the $10 seats in the fan section is you go to Osaka Dome for a game. You will be able to walk up and gets seats on day of the game that early in the season. You will NOT regret it.

If you are in Tokyo and can see the Giants play at Tokyo Dome, that is also very fun- again get the fan section seats. There is an amusement park outside the Dome, kids might like that also.

See the baseball schedule for April 2010 here
http://www.japanball.com/schedule_ja...ball_april.htm

April 2 the Buffaloes play Chiba at Osaka Dome at 6 pm, etc. Nice evening out w/the kids.

You will just miss the Osaka Sumo tournament by a few days, but do not miss a baseball game.

thanks hawaiian traveller, so you suggest to take the airport limo instead of the nankai railways train?.........after the bus drops you off at OCAT, how does one go from OCAT to swissotel? walk? how long?

or better to they do drop offs in front of the swissotel? thanks in advance........what are the things to do near the hotel?........how does one go from the swissotel to universal studios? is there a shuttle bus for it?

thanks hawaiian traveller, so you suggest to take the airport limo instead of the nankai railways train?.........after the bus drops you off at OCAT, how does one go from OCAT to swissotel? walk? how long?

Well now that I take a better look at your alternatives I see that your hotel lies right above the Namba station on the Nankai Railway line, offering you a direct train access to Kansai International Airport. So I would say that the most convenient access to your hotel would be via the Nankai Airport Express

See here for detailed info on ticket prices and access if you haven't already:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2033.html

http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/a...ain/index.html

Universal access info:

http://www.usj.co.jp/e/

Aloha!

My friends who are from Kyoto RAVE about Osaka food and Spa World.

thanks hawaiian traveller you really know your way in Japan, I just got an email from swissotel which suggested likewise the same as yours.........via train which train station is on the 3rd flr of the same building ...........thanks a lot......now is there any good shops/restaurants that you will highly recommend? i have 1 or 2 free days........

Hello Mikeyuty, I suggest you look at the Osaka Unlimited pass (http://www.pia-kansai.ne.jp/osp/en/index.php). If used carefully you can save a lot of money in sightseeing, eating and travel. For example, the pass will give you discount admission into the Osaka Aquarium, a fantastic undersea experience, and a special deal for Universal Studios. There is also free travel on the subways (not the JR rail lines though.)

You will be close to Minami and Dotonbori, Osaka's famous shopping and dining district. Lots of choices.

See the guide to this area here:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4001.html

thanks all for your helpful advice

Mikety,

It looks like we are going to overlap in Osaka the first weekend in April (2-4 for us). Here's hoping for peak cherry blossom viewing those days!

well just got back, first the swissotel in namba area was superbly located.( near takashimaya and dotonburi, and easy to walk to shinshibashi and ebubashi shopping district)...behind the nankai namba rapit train station, there is no other way to go rather than taking the rapit train for just yen 1390 one way, for round trip i think is 500 yen cheaper, from there very friendly concierge who will help you to reach osaka castle and universal studios which we went on our own.. next we joined sunrise tours for 1 day kyoto /nara tours which is better not to go on your own....

if you have a JR rail pass, try the grasmere Monterey- it has an exit right onto the JR station concourse. It was absolutely beautiful- so quiet, and good views from 30th floor. if you stay for 3 nights, as we did, last week, you get a specail rate. we paid £180 for 3 nights room only. And the room was fab- 2 ensuites!!!!-as the hotel is less than a year old all is new and lovely. the breakfast room is very garacious with scenic views. breakfast is pricey at just over 2,000 yen each, but there is a good spread and plenty of choice of japanese/western . for quality, and location, you cant beat this hotel. we also stayed, the previous week at hotel grand vista in the dotomburi region, but this was a15 minute walkaway from the JR station. Lovely place- but if you are doing the kyoto tour, and the nara tour, then the last thing you need , in our experience, at the en d of the day is to have a long wlak back to the hotel from the station!

finally, the biggest plus of all- the grasmere monterey is 25 yards from the yours supermarket, again on the edgee of the station concourse. we bought ready meals form the supermarket and heated them in the microwave at the supermarket. saved a fortune in restaurant bills! We als o found this was the cheapest and best supermarket we visited excellent proves and quality
hope your trip goes well!

re excursions- dont miss the romantic train, and bamboo groves at arishymata. an easy half day trip, via kyoto from osakla all free with jr pass. you can come down the gorge on a river raft for an extrea 2,000 yen, but we left well alone.

make sure you use the goodwill guides- i can personally recommend the guides we used last week in nara and kyoto- a free service all you do is pay for their lunch and travel costs. whilst in nara, we attended a ta ceremony at the private home of a tea teacher- that was a highlight of our trip.

finally, dont miss himejii castle. cherry blossoms should be full bloom now- we just missed them- only 30% open last week!