HISTORICALLY KNOWN AS “NANIWAZU,” OSAKA WAS NAMED THE CAPITAL OF JAPAN IN THE 17TH CENTURY BEFORE THE CAPITAL WAS MOVED.

SINCE ITS OPENING TO FOREIGN TRADE IN 1868, THE OSAKA PORT SERVES AS AN EMBARKATION POINT FOR SHIPS TRAVELLING TO AND FROM THE KOREAN PENINSULA AND CHINA. OSAKA’S INDUSTRY AND TRADE BEGAN TO THRIVE SINCE THEN AND THE NUMBER OF VESSELS UTILIZING OSAKA PORT INCREASED DRAMATICALLY.

ALONG THE WAY, OSAKA HAS GAINED A REPUTATION AS JAPAN’S KITCHEN AND HAS BEEN KNOWN AS “THE CITY OF FOOD.” IT IS HOME TO IMPOSSIBLY DELICIOUS STREET FOOD AND UPSCALE MICHELIN-STAR RESTAURANTS. YOU CAN EASILY EAT YOUR WAY IN OSAKA AS THE CULTURE IS SO A FOOD -CENTRIC !

IT IS ALSO A PLACE WHERE NOTHING IS ALMOST OLD. THE CITY WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED DURING WWII. HISTORY COMES ALIVE AT THE 16TH CENTURY OSAKA CASTLE, WHICH HAS UNDERGONE SEVERAL RESTORATIONS. THE OTHER ONE IS THE SUMIYOSHI-TAISHA, ONE OF JAPAN’S OLDEST SHINTO SHRINE.

TODAY, THE OSAKA PORT IS ONE OF THE NATION’S LEADING PORTS. IT IS A BUSTLING AND ENERGETIC PORT CITY WHICH IS DISTINCTLY MODERN KNOWN FOR ITS NIGHTLIFE AND DELICIOUS FOOD! THOUGH IT MAY LACK THE SOPHISTICATION OF TOKYO, OR THE CULTURAL REFINEMENT OF NEARBY KYOTO, IT MORE THAN MAKE UP FOR IT WITH ITS EMBRACE FOR MODERNITY!

AT DOTONBORI, FAMOUS FOR ITS EYE-CATCHING SIGNAGE AND BILLBOARDS, ONE CAN EXPERIENCE THE JAPANESE SPIRIT AND A COLORFUL VIBRANT SHOPPING SCENE.

ON ANY ASIAN CRUISE, A STOP IN OSAKA IS IMPORTANT. JUST AN HOUR AWAY FROM OSAKA WILL TAKE YOU TO EITHER KYOTO OR NARA, TWO JAPANESE CITIES THAT ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR ANCIENT TEMPLES AND SHRINES.

PORT GUIDE

OSAKA PORT FACILITIES AND LOCATION

Address : 1 Chome 5-10 Kaigandori

Minato Ward, OSAKA 552-0022 Japan

This is a link to a map in an external website. You can view the port area information through its zoom feature. (Printable Map to take along).

Port Location Map Below

Map of Osaka for your reference.

When your Osaka cruise ship docks in the Port of Osaka, you’ll be able to easily navigate from Tempozan Pier, where ships disembark. The pier is also close by to attractions like the Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium and plentiful shopping at the Tempozan Marketplace. It’s easy to spend the day hanging nearby the port if you don’t feel like venturing further into Osaka.

TRANSPORTATION IN OSAKA

Osaka’s public transportation is clean and efficient, including the subway lines and bullet trains. Japan’s subways are consistently the most on time in the world. The subway stops running at midnight, but at most times of the day, the eight subway lines in Osaka are the best way to navigate the city. If a taxi has a red light on, that means they’re taking passengers

OSAKA AMAZING PASS - is a convenient sightseeing transportation ticket with a great deal which includes admissions to sightseeing facilities and free-rides on trains/buses in Osaka City. Definitely worth visiting if you buy the 2 day pass as you could get a day time and night time perspective from different parts of Osaka. This is the other onsen available on the pass and it is also worth a visit.

The Osaka Amazing Pass is a combined sightseeing and transit card with a barcode allowing unlimited travel on the Osaka Metro subway and Osaka City buses, and is available as a one- or two-day pass, costing ¥2,700 and ¥3,600, respectively. You can also use it if you want to visit Osaka, Kyoto and Nara (1-Day/2-Day Pass.

Nearest major train station - Osaka Metro Chuo-line Osakako-Station ( Foot 5 minute )

Nearest major bus station - Osaka City Bus Tempozan ( Foot 1 minute )

Services available- Tourist information and Foreign exchange, Free Wi-Fi.

ONE DAY IN OSAKA

TOP SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS FOR CRUISES TO OSAKA

OSAKA CASTLE -Osaka Castle is one of the country’s most important landmarks. The Castle tells a story of Osaka during the 16th century and the unification of Japan. It remained a power center for the country until WWII. This huge castle was built as a symbol of the authority of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It was burned down during the summer campaign of the Siege of Osaka.

It’s also home to an incredible garden, and when the cherry blossoms are in season in April, Osaka Castle blushes pink as the trees bloom. Visitors come from all over Japan to experience the beauty of Osaka Castle. Entry to the grounds is free, though there’s a fee to explore the castle tower and garden.

Check the guide here.

SUMIYOSHI TAISHA SHRINE - The architecture of the Sumiyoshi Taisha is completely unique to Japan. It was built without any outside influences, and for that reason it’s considered one of Osaka’s most culturally significant attractions. Millions visit this famous shrine each year. You can walk in the footsteps of Japanese history, whether you’re strolling through the gardens or exploring the four elaborate halls within the shrine. It’s a must-do experience for travelers on a cruise to Osaka.

SHITENNOJI TEMPLE - founded in 593 AD. This is considered the first Buddhist temple in Japan. While much of the temple has been reconstructed over time, one gate on the ground has survived since 1924.

OSAKA AQUARIUM -one of the biggest in the world and offers nighttime and interactive exhibits to provide something new and fun for all ages. There are 15 tanks home to diverse marine life from all over the world, each representing different regions and oceans. You’ll travel around the world in just a few hours here. The most popular animals are the ringed seals and the whale sharks. From the large “Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel”, you can see the “Akashi Kaikyo Bridge” and panoramic view of the Osaka Bay area. And there are many unique modern shops at the “Tempozan market place.

The standard fare for this ticket is 2,550 yen for adults and 1,300 yen for children.

VISIT AN ONSEN - Even without leaving the bustling metropolis of Osaka, you can enjoy a short trip to a Japanese hot spring and experience just a little flavor of the traditional Japanese inn. In an expansive Japanese garden of more than 3,000 m2, gradually soak your feet in one of our foot baths as you wear your stylish yukata and gaze upon the seasonal trees and flowers!

Atop Solaniwa Onsen’s roof is an expansive Japanese garden of more than 3,000 m2. Here you can gently soak in a foot bath in your stylish yukata, gaze out upon the garden from our café, and enjoy drinks and cakes in the seasonal beauty of the many trees and flowers.

On the 5th floor, you can enjoy the “Clear Skin Bath”—a natural hot spring whose slightly alkalized waters flow up from a source 1,000 meters below the earth. The open-air bath enjoys fresh water bursting forth from the subterranean source, the garden-viewing bath looks down on a massive Japanese garden, and the carbonated spring or special “bath-of-the-day” each have their own unique health benefits. In total, there are 9 different types of baths — not to mention saunas and scrub-down areas — for you to choose from!

The stone saunas warm your body from its very core with the far-infrared rays of a dry sauna. Releasing sweat from the depths of your body will bring about health, beauty, and relaxation. Solaniwa Onsen offers a total of 7 rooms that can be used by couples.

At Solaniwa Onsen, all our guests wear yukatas and other costumes.

All services and purchases in the facility are paid for with your wristband. You pay the bill when you leave.
Solaniwa Onsen is connected by a direct walkway to Bentencho Station, which is around 10 minutes from Osaka Station (Umeda Station) on either JR or Osaka Metro.
You can also use the parking lot in Osaka Bay Tower, the complex that houses Solaniwa Onsen. (There is an additional fee.) Please see the map.

GET OUT OF TOWN

It's not too hard to see many of Osaka's best sights in one day, but if you have a little time, there's a lot more to explore! Make sure you don't miss the neighboring cities of Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara while you're in the area, too.

KYOTO - otherwise known as the ‘Thousand -Year Capital” is home to roughly one quarter of Japan's national treasures, countless shrines and temples, and seventeen sites recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. It is the cultural capital of Japan and a major tourist destination.

From Osaka to Kyoto - The Shinkansen service which runs from Shin-Osaka Station to Kyoto Station is the fastest way and it's covered by the JR Pass. The bullet train time is only 15 minutes. If you don't have a JR Pass, the Shinkansen price for this journey is 1,420 yen. Here’s a link to Kyoto Travel Guide.

NARA - It is the capital of Japan from 710 AD to 794 AD. The temples of Nara, known as the Nanto Shichi Daiji, remained powerful even after the capital moved to Heian-kyo in 794. Today, Nara is home to eight temples, shrines and ruins, which together with the Kasugayama Primeval Forest collectively form the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara,” a UNESCO World heritage Site. Check this link for more information.

It is a much larger and older temple than anything you will see just about anywhere in Japan. A stroll through the deer park and some of the shrines can round out a longer day trip.

From Osaka to Nara - The Nara Deer Park can be reached easily from most major cities using your Japan Rail Pass. The trip from Osaka is covered by the JR Pass. Take the Yamatoji Line from either JR Osaka Station or Tennoji Station to JR Nara Station. The trip takes 30 to 45 minutes one-way, depending on the departing station. The one way trip takes 45 minutes and costs 810 yen. The train also stops at Osaka's Tennoji Station (30 minutes, 470 yen one way). The Japan Rail Pass fully covers the trip.

WHAT TO EAT

KONAMON (Takoyaki・Okonomiyaki) - With lots of cabbage mixed with pork, seafood and other ingredients of choice, "okonomi-yaki" is a typical menu item from Osaka.

There are various types of konamon dishes (flour-based dishes) in Osaka. “Takoyaki” is octopus balls made of a wheat-flour based batter and cooked in a special molded pan.

TAKOYAKI - a quintessential Japanese street food made of an egg-rich batter and octopus was first popularized in Osaka. Essentially they're round balls of fluffy dough that are smothered with a special savory takoyaki sauce and have a tasty piece of octopus meat at the center.

Nabe The “Dashi”, is the root of Osaka food culture. “Tetchiri” (boiled blowfish dish, “Shabu-shabu” (thinly sliced meat boiled with vegetables), “Udon-suki” (seafood and vegetables served with noodles), “Kani-suki” (crab and vegetables) are original from Osaka.

SHOPPING

TEMPOZAN MARKETPLACE - Not far from the Port of Osaka, is a food court and shopping center selling Japanese specialty cuisine and handmade goods. The America-Mura shopping district has also grown in popularity for its imports of Western merchandise, vinyl shops, bookstores, and cafes

SHINSAIBASHI -SUJI SHOPPING STREET AND DOTOMBORI

“Shinsaibashi-suji Shopping Street” is very popular shopping area. You will find approximately 180 shops, including a retro feel coffee shop, and a large department store. “Dotombori ” is a place well-known for the “Ebisu-bashi Bridge”, the giant Glico signboard. It is a symbolic spot and you can feel “the food town” of Osaka.

AROUND ABENO

Opened in March 2014, standing 300-meter tall “Abeno Harukas “ is the tallest high-rise building complex in Japan. Also “Q's Mall”, which has one of the largest shopping mall in Osaka.

LOCAL CURRENCY AND TIPPING CUSTOMS

The official currency in Japan is the yen. It is recommended you keep extra change on hand to purchase snacks, pay for a taxi ride, or hop on a bus if needed. In Osaka, ATMs are commonly available, and credit cards like Mastercard and Visa are widely accepted. Many ATMs in Japan will only accept credit cards issued by a Japanese bank, so plan ahead on currency exchange before leaving the cruise terminal. Though strange to Western cultures, tipping isn’t really a thing in Japan, so tipping a restaurant server, bartender, or taxi driver is out of the ordinary for Japanese workers. Culturally, tipping tends to be rejected.