Where to Stay in Osaka: Best Locations For Limited Time in Osaka!
Where to stay in Osaka with limited time! If you are only in Osaka for a few days (like us), staying a central location can be a time saver!
Osaka is a huge city, and trying to stay on the outskirts of the city to avoid crowds can be more quiet, yes. But it can also put you 45 minutes via train from main attractions.
Therefore, I recommend choosing a central region of Osaka so you can be within walking distance of many places, but just be smart about which streets you choose to minimize noise!
Here are the different regions of Osaka, the best regions to stay in, the best neighborhoods in those regions and hotel options for each!
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Osaka Regions (with a Map)
Osaka is a large city and divided into multiple “regions.” Different maps break down the regions of Osaka a little differently, but the map below (from wikivoyage) is one of the best to get a grasp of the layout of Osaka!
- North Osaka (Shin-Osaka Bullet Train station)
- Kita (Central Osaka- Umeda Area)
- Minami (Central Osaka- Shinsaibashi and Namba areas)
- Osaka Castle Area (East, central Osaka)
- Tennoji (Southeast, central Osaka)
- East Osaka
- South Osaka
- The Bay Area
By T.Kambayashi – Image:Osaka City Map.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Best Regions to Stay
Of these 8 areas, Minami, Tennoji or Kita are the best, most central areas that are well-connected to public transportation, loads of restaurants and many of the attractions in Osaka.
Minami- Home to two major neighborhoods of Namba and Shinsaibashi. This is the MOST centrally located area home to the famous Dotonbori Street.
Tennoji– On the south side of “central” Osaka where you will find Shitennō-ji Temple and Tsutenkaku Tower and Shinsekai Market.
Kita– Home to the large Osaka Station and the popular neighborhood of Umeda, where you will find the Umeda Sky Building.
Where to Stay in Osaka: Namba or Shinsaibashi in Minami
Minami is the MOST centrally located area in Osaka and the most popular neighborhoods within it are the Namba and Shinsaibashi areas.
When you see the vibrant lights along the canal in Osaka, you are seeing Dotonbori Street located in the Namba District.
During our one day in Osaka, we spent most of our time exploring the Minami and Tennoji areas, with the exception of the more southern-located Sumiyoshi Taisha and the northeastern Osaka Castle.
Dotonbori, Namba, Minami Area
Our Hotel Selection and Why we Chose it
We opted to stay in the Minami area due to our limited time and its great walkability to major attractions and restaurants (especially as first-time visitors!)
However, we did opt to stay in Shinsaibashi rather than Namba. Though it isn’t QUITE as in the “center” of everything as Namba, it is a little quieter, but is still a great location!
We stayed at Hotel Arashi in Shinsaibashi, which ended up being a great location. It was within walking distance to Dotonbori, had a convenient store right around the corner for breakfast/snacks and was within walking distance to major train station hubs.
Hotel Pros: Location, price, friendly staff, good sized room and restroom. Cons: Mattress was firm.
Stay Central!
Stay at Hotel Arashi in Shinsaibashi!
➡️ great location
➡️ good price tag
➡️ good-sized room!
Want to be dead-center of the hustle and bustle??
There is also a Hotal Arashi in the Namba district if you would rather be in the prime entertainment area of Osaka!
Where to Stay in Osaka: Alternatives to Minami Area
If you don’t want to be QUITE so in the middle of everything, the areas just north and south of Minami can be great options as well.
To the south is the Tennoji Area and to the north is Umeda in the Kita area, both of which are still rather central, but quieter than Minami.
Tennoji Area
Tennoji is located in the southern, central area of Osaka. Here you will find the Shitennō-ji Temple, Isshin-ji Temple, Shinsekai Market and Tsutenkaku Tower which are all worth visiting!
Shinsekai and the Tsutenkaku Tower area is a vibrant area known for its retro, neon lights. If you want a good nightlife scene, but with less crowds, this can be a great area for you!
Sites in the Tennoji Area
Tennoji is about a 15-20 minute train ride from the central, Namba district of Osaka. So the central highlights of Minami are still very accessible from this area. Plus, it also has great sites of its own!
In my humble opinion, this is the second best area to stay due to its proximity to the Minami area and due to it having a lot of amazing sites to see as well.
Search popular hotels in the Tennoji Area of Osaka!
Umeda in Kita
If you really have no interest in staying where the crowds are (as much as you can avoid them in a city like Osaka 🙂), but still want to be a reasonable distance from central Osaka, Umeda can be a great option for you.
Umeda is known as a business and shopping district as well as the central transportation hub.
- It is 3 miles and about 25 minutes north of Dotonbori Bridge and the Namba area. Even though this is one of the “more central” areas of Osaka, it is still quite far from the Minami area just due to the size of Osaka!
Again, this is a good spot if you want to be outside of the entertainment district and/or are going to take day trips from Osaka (such as to Nara or Himeji), as many of the intercity trains leave from this area. It is also a good place to be to get to/from Kyoto or Tokyo.
Though you will be a bit further from central Osaka, you can still find plenty of restaurants and hotels in the Umeda area.
Remember, though, that you will have more travel time to the highlights of Osaka that are in the central to south-central areas of Osaka (which is where we spent a majority of our time in Osaka!)
Search popular hotels in the Umeda district of Osaka!
Final Thoughts on Where to Stay in Osaka
Osaka is a huge city full of amazing sites and if you are only there for a short time, staying in a central area can really help you be efficient!
Here is how to maximize your time and spend a perfect day in Osaka!
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