Enjoy Osaka in a Short Time: 5 Popular Sightseeing Spots Near Shin-Osaka Station

Spring is the best time to visit, since the nationally famous cherry blossom spot “Sakura no Torinuke (Cherry Blossom Passage)” is located near Shin-Osaka Station.
Osaka also has many other great cherry blossom spots, so why not enjoy them along with Osaka’s food scene?

From Tokyo Station to Shin-Osaka Station, it takes 2.5 to 3 hours by Shinkansen.
From Nagoya, you can get there in under 1 hour by Shinkansen.
Access is excellent from cities served by the Shinkansen.
It’s also under 1 hour from Kansai International Airport, making it easy to reach from overseas.

Many major commercial facilities and sightseeing spots near Shin-Osaka Station are clustered close together, so you can reach plenty of places on foot.
For spots a bit farther away, the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line will usually get you there without transfers.

Completed in 1993, this massive twin-tower skyscraper has 40 floors, with the two buildings connected at the top. Selected in the UK as one of the “Top 20 Buildings in the World” as a “thrilling skyscraper,” its striking design is part of its appeal.
On the 3rd floor, you’ll find the entrance gate leading up to the 35th floor, where an elevator takes you up in one go. From the 35th to the 39th floors, you move via an escalator through a see-through tunnel.
The rooftop is the Kuchu Teien Observatory at 173 meters (568 ft) above ground. With 360-degree views, you can take in sights such as the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Awaji Island, Mt. Rokko, the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel, and the cluster of skyscrapers rising across the Umeda area.

Completed in 1918 on Nakanoshima, this public assembly hall was made possible by a donation from Osaka citizen Eisuke Iwamoto, a former stockbroker. The elegant red-brick building—Neo-Renaissance in style with Baroque elements—has become a Nakanoshima landmark.
Part of the basement level is open for self-guided visits. The Exhibition Room displays items related to Eisuke Iwamoto, as well as the hall’s history from its founding through preservation and restoration work, with valuable materials and photos. In the self-guided area, chairs preserved in their original condition still have hat-hook fittings on the underside of the seat boards, showing the attention to detail throughout.

An urban park developed around the nationally designated Special Historic Site “Osaka Castle Ruins.” Spanning 105.6 hectares, the expansive grounds include Osaka Castle’s main keep, along with 13 Important Cultural Properties such as turrets and gates built from the early to late Edo period.
At the center is Osaka Castle’s main keep, now a museum showcasing Toyotomi Hideyoshi—who built Osaka Castle and achieved national unification—through related artifacts and valuable historical materials. From the observation deck on the 8th floor, 50 meters (164 ft) above ground, you can look out over the park and across Osaka.

Osaka Castle’s main keep was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who unified Japan during the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1568–1600). Construction began in 1583 and was completed in 1585. The castle later fell during the Summer Siege of Osaka in 1615, but was rebuilt by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1626. In 1665, lightning struck and the main keep burned down. For many years, the castle stood without a keep, until it was reconstructed in 1931 through donations from Osaka residents, recreating the Toyotomi-era keep. In 1955, the Osaka Castle grounds were designated a Special Historic Site, and after major Heisei-era renovations from 1995 to 1997, it was designated a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

Originally built in 1911 as a thermal power plant, this building was renovated into the Mint Museum while preserving its original brick exterior. In 1969, it opened as a facility to exhibit valuable coins and other items held by the Japan Mint to the public.
Around mid-April each year, the Mint holds the “Sakura no Torinuke (Cherry Blossom Passage)” for Approx. one week. A Approx. 560-meter (1,837 ft) path along the river inside the Mint grounds is opened to the public, where Approx. 336 cherry trees across Approx. 137 varieties bloom in full. Many people come to enjoy hanami (cherry blossom viewing), and the surrounding area becomes lively with festival food stalls. It’s one of Osaka’s signature cherry blossom spots and is included in Japan’s Top 100 Cherry Blossom Sites.

A popular spot where you can cook and eat Osaka’s famous takoyaki yourself. When you order from the takoyaki menu, you’ll be brought a runny batter made by mixing dashi broth and flour, along with various ingredients. Grease the hot plate at your table, pour in the batter, add the fillings, and flip each piece at just the right moment.

Opened in 2017 inside LUCUA 1100 (LUCUA IRE), a commercial complex directly connected to JR Osaka Station, bills Osaka is the eighth Japan location of the all-day dining brand “bills,” created by Sydney-born restaurateur Bill Granger. It’s widely loved for its health-conscious menu, featuring fresh ingredients prepared with simple cooking methods.

On the south side of Hankyu Higashidori Shopping Street—one of Umeda’s busiest areas—this spot stays open daily until 5:00 am.
The first floor has counter seating, while the second floor offers table seating for both small and large groups. Each seat comes with its own teppan griddle, so you can enjoy your okonomiyaki piping hot down to the last bite.

Right outside the JR Shin-Osaka Station Shinkansen Central Gate.
Conveniently located for a quick stop just before boarding or during transfers, it boasts the largest sales floor among the station’s multiple souvenir shops.
Inside you’ll find Western and Japanese sweets and all kinds of desserts, plus Osaka-themed character goods like Kuidaore Taro and Billiken, Kansai-only and JR West-only items, and other unique local souvenirs packed wall to wall.

Set on the former Umeda Freight Station site, this large-scale mixed-use complex is just a short walk from JR Osaka Station.
It includes the South Building, North Building, and Umekita Park; part of the complex opened in early September 2024, with the grand opening on March 21, 2025.
The full town opening is scheduled for fiscal 2027.

Inside JP Tower Osaka—a mixed-use building with a hotel, theater, offices, and more—KITTE Osaka sits on the former sites of the first Osaka Station and the old Osaka Central Post Office.
With over 100 shops from basement level 1 through the 6th floor, it brings together a wide variety of stores that help you discover—and rediscover—the appeal of Japan.

A hotel located on the top floors (33rd–40th) of Nakanoshima Festival Tower West, directly connected to the Osaka Metro. With easy access to both Kita (Osaka Station) and Minami (Namba Station), it’s a convenient base for both business and leisure.
True to its concept, “Your Address in the Sky - Soar Through the Clouds –,” the panoramic views over Osaka from 200 meters (656 ft) above ground are breathtaking. You can enjoy this scenery from anywhere in the hotel, including guest rooms, restaurants, the spa, and meeting rooms.

Since 1935, when its predecessor, the New Osaka Hotel, opened, this flagship of the RIHGA Royal Hotel Group has built a legacy of history and tradition on Nakanoshima’s riverside in the heart of central Osaka.
With an elegant atmosphere, modern facilities, and exceptional hospitality, it’s one of Japan’s leading hotels—often called “Osaka’s State Guest House.” It offers 1,041 guest rooms designed around five concepts to create a relaxing stay.

With its distinctive triangular structure, this high-rise is gaining attention as a new landmark in Umeda’s Chayamachi area. Harmonie Embrassee Osaka occupies the tower’s upper levels, with guest rooms on floors 12 through 21.
Each floor offers four room types, with different design concepts such as classic modern and sophisticated glamour. The rooms are furnished with refined pieces from brands including Cassina, and from the spacious balconies you can enjoy sweeping urban views of Osaka, as well as distant vistas toward the Ikoma Mountains.

Since it first went on sale in 1984, Rikuro-Ojisan’s Freshly Baked Cheesecake has been a local favorite thanks to its fluffy texture and delicious taste.
Its reputation later spread nationwide, and today it’s known as a signature Osaka sweet.
Made with carefully selected ingredients—like richly flavored cream cheese imported directly from a historic factory in Denmark, strictly quality-controlled eggs, and freshly shipped milk—it creates its uniquely airy texture.

A new classic Osaka souvenir produced by Yoshimoto Kogyo, adding a playful, chuckle-worthy twist inspired by a famous Hokkaido confection.
Kansai-born gaufrette wafers, sandwiched with a Kansai-style mitarashi cream.
The crisp wafers paired with the rich, fragrant mitarashi cream create a comforting, nostalgic flavor.

Amidanoike Daikoku is well known for classic Osaka treats like Iwa Okoshi and Awa Okoshi, loved for many years as local specialties.
Now, there’s also a completely new kind of Osaka souvenir from this long-established confectionery maker.
Inspired by delicately blooming flowers, Osaka Hana Lang is a charming gift that delivers not only great flavor, but a happy moment too.