Umeda is Osaka’s premiere shopping and entertainment district and the city’s busiest transportation hub. It’s almost impossible to visit the city or Kansai, in general, without transiting through this area.
Today we’d like to introduce a great walkable neighborhood, Nakatsu, near Umeda and to recommend a select series of short-term apartments that are within easy walking distance of many Umeda area attractions. The energy and crowds of Osaka can be really exciting. After a long day of working or sightseeing, it’s good to know that you can come home to a quiet, relaxing room to recharge. First, we’ll take a look at the Nakatsu area, then at the recommended short-term options nearby, and finish with an overview of the many attractions in Umeda.
Nakatsu
Nakatsu is a conveniently located station, just one stop north of Umeda on the subway Midosuji line. You can ride to Umeda in about two minutes or walk in about 11 minutes (about 850-meters).
Nakatsu is also just two stops south of Shin Osaka Station, which is where the Tokaido and Sanyo shinkansen stop in Osaka. If you are coming to Osaka from Tokyo or Yokohama by shinkansen, Nakatsu is the stop before Umeda.
Where to Stay
The Umeda area is known for its fantastic shopping and entertainment, including the many name-brand high-rise hotels surrounding Osaka and Umeda stations.
If you are, however, looking for accommodations that are more stylish and personal, we recommend considering a short-term apartment that combines flexibility, comfort, and excellent value.
The series of designer monthly apartments below are all owned and managed by Choei Co. Ltd., a leading Osaka-based real estate company.
Serenite Umeda Kita Premium
The Serenite Umeda Kita Premium is perfectly situated within easy walking distance of central Umeda. Only a 10-minute walk from Hankyu Umeda Station, 6-min walk from Nakatasu Station on the Midosuji line, 8-min walk from Nakazakicho Station on the subway Tanimachi line, and 17-min walk from JR Osaka Station.
This property is ideally suited for guests who want to stay in a convenient location but who also want a comfortable, spacious room to come home to.
Guests can choose from two room styles (“Excellent Brown” or “Double White”) in these high-grade apartments. All rooms are beautifully furnished and well-appointed and come with free WiFi, a 50-inch TV and Blueray recorder, as well as a comfortable seating space. Rooms can accommodate up to two guests but there is an additional fee for the second guest.
Within a few hundred meters of the building are a convenience store and two supermarkets. Major attractions like Yodobashi Camera Umeda and Grand Front Osaka are about 1,200-meters away.
These spacious 45.67 m² 1LDK (1BR) rooms are available for a minimum of a seven-night stay. Room rates vary depending on the length of stay.
For details on reserving a room, please visit the property detail page here: Serenite Umeda Kita Premium
Serenite Umeda Kita
The Serenite Umeda Kita building is also part of Choei Co. Ltd.’s short-term apartment series in Osaka and is located within easy walking distance of central Umeda.
Please click on the photos to go the property detail page for details! For more info or to make a reservation, please fill out the inquiry form on the property detail page.
For more information and to book a room, please visit Choei Co. Ltd.
Umeda
Umeda is one of Osaka’s two main city centers. It is the main commercial, shopping, and entertainment district in northern Osaka and the city’s busiest transportation hub. The Namba area is Umeda’s counterpart in the southern part of the city. Umeda is also referred to as Kita (which means “north”), while Namba is also called Minami (which means “south”).
The heart of Umeda is the complex housing Osaka Station and Umeda Station, whose combined daily passenger numbers make them the busiest station in western Japan and the fourth busiest railway in the world (Wikipedia).
If you are coming to Osaka for a visit, it is very likely that you will pass through either Osaka or Umeda stations.
Train Lines in the Umeda Area
Seven different stations can be found in the Umeda area, all of which are connected by underground passageways.
JR Osaka Station is officially served by three train lines:
- JR Kobe Line — The section of the Tokaido Main line between Kyoto and Osaka
- JR Kyoto Line — The section of Tokaido Main line between Osaka and Kobe
- Osaka Loop Line — This line, operated by JR West, circles 19 stations in central Osaka, 12 of which connect with other lines that service the greater Osaka area and provide intercity connections, including direct access to Kansai International Airport, Nara, and Wakayama.
It’s also important to note that Osaka Station is:
- The starting point for the JR Takarazuka Line, which is the name given to the route between Osaka Station and Sasayamaguchi Station in Hyogo Prefecture. On this route, the main destination of interest for tourists is the hot spring town of Takarazuka. Osaka Station would also be the starting point if you are traveling to the San’in region (on the southwest coast of Honshu).
- The terminal station for trains going to the Hokuriku region via the JR Kyoto line.
Umeda Station
As mentioned above, Umeda Station is directly connected to Osaka Station.
- Hanshin Main Line: Umeda Station is the terminal station in Osaka for the Hanshin Main line, which goes between Osaka and Kobe. Officially, the name of this station is Osaka-Umeda Station, but it is commonly called Hanshin Osaka-Umeda Station. It is located south of Osaka Station, with an underground entrance near the basement level of the Hanshin Department Store.
- Hankyu Railway: Hankyu operates three main trunk lines (originating at Umeda) connecting Osaka with Kobe, Takarzuka, and Kyoto.
Commuters and travelers also have access to four other stations in or near the Osaka-Umeda station complex:
- Nishi-Umeda Station: On the subway Yotsubashi line (is directly connected to Osaka Station)
- Higashi-Umeda Station: On the subway Tanimachi line (is directly connected to Osaka Station)
- This line connects the cities of Moriguchi, Osaka and Yao
- Umeda Station: On the Midosuji line (the main north-south rapid transit line in Osaka)
- Kita Shinchi Station: On the JR Tozai line is about a 10-min walk south of Osaka-Umeda
- This line runs east-west through central Osaka and through to Amagasaki Station in Hyogo Prefecture.
One stop from Shin Osaka Station
Osaka Station is also just one stop from Shin Osaka Station, a stop on the Tokaido Shinkansen (which connects Japan’s three biggest metro areas, Tokyo/Yokohama, Nagoya, and Osaka/Kyoto) and the Sanyo Shinkansen (which connects Osaka with Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu).
This means that if you are coming into or traveling out of Osaka by shinkansen, it is very likely you will be transiting through Osaka or Umeda.
Shopping, dining, and entertainment
Umeda is both a bustling business district and one of the Osaka’s two main shopping, dining, and entertainment areas; the other being Namba. A lot of Umeda’s shopping malls are underground and connected to the various stations and each other by underground walkways.
In 2011, a major renovation of JR Osaka Station was completed, which transformed the central hall into into a gorgeous, light-filled architectural showpiece. This was also the first step in the redevelopment of Umeda’s north side and which will remake all of Umeda into a modern city center.
The Osaka-Umeda station complex is surrounded by massive department stores (Hankyu, Daimaru, Hanshin and Isetan), name-brand hotels, storefronts of major chain stores (like a 13-story branch of Yodobashi Camera, an electronics paradise!) and innumerable restaurants, bars, and shops.
Tenjinsujibashi Shopping Street offers old-school shopping for those who want a taste of Show-era Japan.
There are also many museums and satellite campuses of universities located in Umeda.
Iconic buildings
A number of landmark buildings and structures define the Umeda skyline.
Of these, the Umeda Sky Building is probably the most iconic. Also known as “New Umeda City,” it is located about a 10-minute walk north of Osaka Station and accessible via an underground passageway. The Umeda Sky Building is a 173-meter skyscraper consisting of two 40-story towers that connect at the 39th-floor by the “Floating Garden Observatory,” which offers spectacular views of the city. Bridges and an escalator cross the atrium-like area between the buildings; and at the base of the towers is an urban garden with walking trails and water features. The basement floor has a shopping center modeled after Japan’s Showa period!
Grand Front Osaka, which opened in 2013, is a huge commercial, shopping, and dining complex that is part of the redevelopment of the north-side of Osaka Station. It consists of over 260 shops and restaurants, as well as an Intercontinental hotel, office and event space, and a residential tower. Elevated walkways connect the multiple buildings of Grand Front Osaka to each other and to Osaka Station.
Along with the Umeda Sky Building, HEP Five is one of Umeda’s best known landmarks. It is basically a shopping mall that has a huge red ferris wheel attached to its roof! The 106-meter high ferris wheel offers amazing views of the city. HEP is an acronym for “Hankyu Entertainment Park.” It is located a short walk east of the Osaka-Umeda station complex.