Osaka, day two: Nakanoshima, Shinsaibashi, Umeda Sky at sunset and a rooftop bar

The north of Osaka, which most Israelis skip: the museum island in the river, the Shinsaibashi shopping arcade, the building with the floating garden on floor 40 at sunset, and to finish, Kitashinchi, the bar district of the business crowd.

A second day in Osaka, from the island in the middle of the city south and then north to Umeda in the evening. You start at the museum on the western tip of Nakanoshima, cross the island on foot to lunch facing the river, and ride south to the Shinsaibashi arcade and Minami-Horie. Toward sunset you head north to the floating garden of Umeda Sky, go down to the Hankyu food basement, and finish in Kitashinchi and at the HEP FIVE wheel, next to the station you head back from. Most of the way is on foot, about 8 km, with two short Metro rides. The Metro day pass, ¥820 on weekdays and ¥620 on weekends and holidays, pays off if you are staying in Namba or Shinsaibashi, because your rides on this day come to about ¥860. If you are staying in Umeda, your rides come to ¥430 to ¥620, and you pay per ride. The museum is closed on Mondays.

This day is part of: Two weeks in Japan: Tokyo, Nikko, Hakone, the Alps, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka

Verified online, October 20268 stops · 10:00 to 21:15¥13,500 · ≈ $86 per personWalking between stops: 96 min · Transport: ¥430Rain-friendlyShoppingNight

The day on a map

8 stops, in order

Stops: 8
Walking minutes: 64

Stop number on the timelineWalkingTrain, metro or busBase map: © OpenStreetMap

Open this day in Google Maps

The same stops with the same numbers, and the way from stop to stop. On a phone it opens in the app, and that is what you navigate with in Japan. Pin names on the map are in Hebrew.

Getting there: Start at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, at opening time, 10:00. From Namba: the Yotsubashi Line to Higobashi, 5 minutes, ¥190. From Shinsaibashi: the same line from Yotsubashi Station, ¥190. From Umeda: the same line from Nishi-Umeda, one station, ¥190. From Higobashi Station (exit 4) it is about 10 minutes on foot west, and from Watanabebashi Station on the Keihan Nakanoshima Line about 5 minutes.

10:0011:30
Stop 1MuseumIf there is time
Nakanoshima Museum of Art: the black cube
You start at the black cube. The museum opened in 2022: Modigliani, modern Japanese art, and Osaka design. ¥1,500 to ¥2,000 depending on the exhibition. Open 10:00 to 17:00, closed on Mondays. Its neighbors, to choose from: the National Museum of Art, which is underground, or the Museum of Oriental Ceramics. If you skip museums, start with the walk on the island.
¥1,800 · ≈ $11Open in Maps
Cross the island to the east
- Walk · 20 minFrom the black cube east along the island, under the Midosuji bridge and past City Hall, to the rose garden at the eastern tip. About 1.6 km, with the river on both sides.
11:5012:50
Stop 2LunchRecommended
Lunch break in Nakanoshima
Nakanoshima is a long island between two rivers, with a rose garden that blooms in May and October, the neoclassical library building from 1904, and the red-brick Central Public Hall from 1918. You eat facing the river, and in the rain you go down to the bistro in the basement of the Public Hall. The options:
- Drawing House of Nakanoshima¥1,450 to ¥1,700
  A bistro in the basement of the Public Hall, which opened on 20 February 2026, for example omurice with beef stew at ¥1,600. 11:00 to 22:00, lunch until 15:00, closed on the fourth Tuesday of the month.
- Kitahama Terrace
  17 restaurants and cafes on the bank of the Tosabori River, opposite the Public Hall, with terraces over the water. You enter through the restaurant itself.
- Kitahama Retro
  A British tea room in a brick building from 1912, about five minutes from the garden, which served as a club for stock exchange members and is now registered as a cultural property. Tea, cakes and British sweets. Weekdays 11:00 to 19:00, weekends and holidays from 10:30.
- Kosher or vegan? Every kosher and vegan place in this city
FreeOpen in Maps About this place
Ride to Shinsaibashi
- Metro · 20 min · ¥190About 9 minutes on foot west to Yodoyabashi Station, the Midosuji Line south, two stations, 4 minutes, to Shinsaibashi, and from there a few minutes east to the arcade.
13:1014:45
Stop 3ShoppingRecommended
Shinsaibashi-suji: 580 meters of arcade and brands
Walk along the covered arcade, about 580 meters from Shinsaibashi Station to Dotonbori: Uniqlo, Daiso, sweet shops and drugstores. Tax-free above ¥5,000 in one shop on one day, and from 1 November 2026 you pay full price and get the tax back. The luxury brands are on the parallel street, Midosuji.
FreeOpen in Maps About this place
14:4516:00
Break
A rest at the hotel, if you are staying in Shinsaibashi, Namba or Umeda
The day starts at 10:00 and ends at 21:15, and that is long. If you are staying in Shinsaibashi, you are already near the hotel. If you are staying in Namba, walk south from the arcade, about 10 minutes. At 16:00 you ride to Umeda Sky: the Midosuji Line from Namba to Umeda, 8 minutes, or from Shinsaibashi, 6 minutes, ¥240, and from Umeda Station about 15 minutes on foot. If you are staying in Umeda, go back now: from Shinsaibashi Station on the Midosuji Line to Umeda, 6 minutes, ¥240, and from the hotel walk to Umeda Sky, which is on the way anyway. If you are staying farther away, or do not want to go back, continue to Orange Street, and the coffee there is your rest.
On to Orange Street
- Walk · 10 minFrom the arcade west through Amerikamura, cross Midosuji and Yotsubashi-suji, and enter Tachibana Street in Minami-Horie. About 650 meters.
On the way you can stop at:
Kogaryu, opposite Triangle Park: A takoyaki stand from 1974 with a net of mayonnaise over the balls, and you eat in the square opposite. 10:30 to 20:30, on Saturdays and the eves of holidays until 21:30. The takoyaki has octopus in it.
15:0016:00
Stop 4DistrictIf there is time
Orange Street and Minami-Horie: the hipster side
A street of Japanese streetwear brands, cafes and design shops, in what was once a furniture district. This is the quiet side of Minami, a few minutes from the busy arcade. LiLo's coffee is in nearby Amerikamura, and if you did not go back to the hotel, it is your afternoon rest.
¥700 · ≈ $4Open in Maps
Ride to Umeda Sky
- Metro · 27 min · ¥240About 4 minutes on foot north to Yotsubashi Station, the Yotsubashi Line north, three stations, 6 minutes, to Nishi-Umeda, and from there about 15 minutes on foot northwest, through Osaka Station and the tunnel under the tracks. About 1.2 km.
- or: Metro · 25 min · ¥240From a hotel in Namba or Shinsaibashi, after the break: the Midosuji Line to Umeda, 8 or 6 minutes, and from Umeda Station about 15 minutes on foot, through a tunnel under the tracks.
16:3017:45
Stop 5ViewpointMust
Umeda Sky Building: the floating garden at 173 meters
You go up to two towers joined by a round open rooftop, on escalators that cross the open space between them. From October to February the sun sets in Osaka between 16:45 and 17:45, and here you see the sunset and the city lighting up. ¥2,000, open until 22:30, last entry 22:00. In the basement is Takimi-koji, a recreation of Osaka of the '20s with restaurants.
¥2,000 · ≈ $13Open in Maps About this place
Walk to the Hankyu department store
- Walk · 15 minFrom the building head east through Umekita Park and Grand Front, cross Osaka Station from north to south, and cross over to the Hankyu department store. About 1.2 km.
On the way you can stop at:
Umekita Park: A new park between the building and Osaka Station, with a big lawn and seating steps, always open and free. The northern part, with a waterfall 10 meters wide, is planned to open on 20 November 2026.
18:0018:45
Stop 6ShoppingRecommended
Grand Front and the Hankyu food floor: Osaka's depachika
Go down to the food basement of the Hankyu department store, open until 20:00: cakes, bento, sushi, and sweet brands found only in Kansai. Osaka's 'kuidaore', eating until you drop, starts here. Next door, in Grand Front, there are restaurants.
¥1,500 · ≈ $10Open in Maps
Down to dinner
- Walk · 9 minFrom the department store south along Midosuji Avenue, and turn west into the lanes of Kitashinchi. About 700 meters.
19:0020:30
Stop 7DinnerRecommended
Dinner in Kitashinchi
Kitashinchi is a district of restaurants and bars in the lanes south of Osaka Station, more expensive than Dotonbori and without tourists. For the good restaurants, book through your hotel. The options:
- A counter restaurant in the lanesAbout ¥5,000
  Upscale kushikatsu, teppanyaki or counter sushi. Look for a place with a price menu outside, and skip the 'snack' clubs with seating charges.
- Kiji, on Takimi-koji¥2,000 to ¥3,000
  The cheap alternative: okonomiyaki on the restaurant street in the basement of the Umeda Sky Building. If you get hungry early, eat here after the observatory, instead of in Kitashinchi. Closed on Thursdays.
- Kushikatsu Daruma, Cross Chayamachi
  A Daruma branch about five minutes from HEP FIVE, that is, near the next stop. Every diner orders at least one drink. 11:00 to 23:00, every day.
- Kosher or vegan? Every kosher and vegan place in this city
¥5,000 · ≈ $32For the good restaurants, book through your hotelOpen in Maps
Walk to HEP FIVE
- Walk · 10 minFrom Kitashinchi north through Sonezaki, to HEP FIVE next to the Hankyu station. About 850 meters.
On the way you can stop at:
Ohatsu Tenjin Shrine: A detour of a few minutes into the lanes of Sonezaki: here a pair of lovers took their own lives in 1703, and Chikamatsu Monzaemon wrote a play about it. Open until midnight.
20:4521:15
Stop 8NightIf there is time
The red HEP FIVE Ferris wheel, and a bar with a view
You finish at the red Ferris wheel on the roof of a mall in the heart of Umeda: ¥1,000, a 15-minute ride, last boarding at 22:45, and one turn is enough to see the north lit up. On 19 November 2026 all of HEP FIVE is closed, the wheel too. Afterwards, if you like, a bar with a view in one of Umeda's tall hotels. Head back from Umeda Station on the Midosuji Line, about 5 minutes on foot: 6 minutes to Shinsaibashi and 8 minutes to Namba, ¥240.
¥2,500 · ≈ $16Open in Maps About this place

Osaka, day two: Nakanoshima, Shinsaibashi, Umeda Sky at sunset and a rooftop bar

8 stops, in order

Nakanoshima Museum of Art: the black cube

Lunch break in Nakanoshima

Shinsaibashi-suji: 580 meters of arcade and brands

A rest at the hotel, if you are staying in Shinsaibashi, Namba or Umeda

Orange Street and Minami-Horie: the hipster side

Umeda Sky Building: the floating garden at 173 meters

Grand Front and the Hankyu food floor: Osaka's depachika

Dinner in Kitashinchi

The red HEP FIVE Ferris wheel, and a bar with a view

Universal Studios Japan: Nintendo World, Harry Potter and the Minions, in the right order

Osaka in one day: the castle, Kuromon Market, Shinsekai and Dotonbori at night

Kobe: the herb garden by ropeway, the foreigners' houses of Kitano, Chinatown and Kobe beef

Kumano Kodo: the Daimon-zaka steps, Nachi shrine and Japan's tallest waterfall

Day trip to Himeji: Mount Shosha, the Koko-en gardens and the White Heron Castle

Day trip to Mount Koya: Okunoin cemetery, Kongobu-ji and the red pagoda