Osaka
Japan · East Asia
Western Japan's big city: the museums of Nakanoshima, new luxury hotels, the legacy of Expo 2025 and a serious appetite.
Why visit
Why visit Osaka
Go for a Japanese city with less ceremony than Kyoto and more appetite. The Michelin Guide Kyoto Osaka covers both cities, and Osaka's own tradition runs from counter restaurants to street food.
Go also for new buildings. The Nakanoshima Museum of Art, a black cube opened in 2022, holds more than 6,000 works from Modigliani to the Osaka avant-garde of the Gutai group.
Explore
What to see
Nakanoshima. A long, narrow island between two rivers in the middle of the city, with the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, the National Museum of Art, the Museum of Oriental Ceramics and a children's library by Tadao Ando.
The Expo site. For what remains of the world exposition of 2025, see our piece on the Grand Ring.
Day trips. Zenbo Seinei, Shigeru Ban's meditation retreat on Awaji Island, is little more than an hour away. The temple lodgings of Mount Koya lie to the south.
Hotels
Where to stay in Osaka
The Four Seasons Hotel Osaka is in Dojima, just across the river from Nakanoshima. The Waldorf Astoria Osaka is at Umeda, beside the main railway station.
Four Seasons · Dojima, Kita-kuFour Seasons Hotel Osaka175 rooms high in the One Dojima tower, including Gensui, a 21-room floor run as a contemporary ryokan.Explore →
Umekita (Grand Green Osaka)Waldorf Astoria OsakaHilton's top brand in Japan: 252 large rooms by André Fu above Umekita Park, north of Osaka station.Explore →Experiences
Experiences in Osaka
Before you go
Practical information
Best time to visit
Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons. Summer is hot and humid.
Getting around
Osaka is on the Tokaido Shinkansen and is the rail hub of western Japan. Kyoto, Kobe and Nara are each within about half an hour. The city's metro covers the centre.
Practical notes
Two days suit the city itself. It also works as a base for Kyoto and Nara for travellers who prefer a livelier evening. Most museums close one day a week; opening days should be checked.
Continue exploring
More from Japan
JapanKanazawaA feudal castle town that was never bombed: Kenrokuen garden, teahouse districts, gold leaf workshops and SANAA's 21st Century Museum, two and a half hours from Tokyo by shinkansen.Explore Kanazawa →
JapanKumanoThe sacred mountain heart of the Kii Peninsula, reached by a thousand-year-old network of pilgrimage trails.Explore Kumano →
JapanKyotoJapan's former imperial capital, a city of temples, gardens, craft workshops and kaiseki cuisine, and now home to some of the country's finest hotels.Explore Kyoto →