Swissotel Nankai Osaka - Osaka Japan Hotels

The Swissotel Nankai Osaka is located , and it has also a direct train access to the airport (approx. 30 minutes).

Just 45 minutes away, are the ancient capital of Kyoto, old castle town of Nara and picturesque seaport town of Kobe. Local attractions include Universal Studios Japan, and Osaka Castle.

Hotel amenities include 24-hour room service, business center, spa, massages, indoor swimming pool, sauna, fitness center, and secretarial services. Dining options include six onsite restaurants, and a bar.

Guest rooms feature telephones, slippers, pajamas, Internet access, coffeemakers, cable TVs, movies on-demand, minibars, climate controls, and bath amenities.

Swissotel Nankai Osaka Property Information:

Rooms: 548
Floors: 21

Swissotel Nankai Osaka Service

Fitness facility
Car rental desk
Luxury
Data port
Nonsmoking
Meeting room
Dining
Business center
Wheel chair access

Swissotel Nankai Osaka Reservation Policies:

Check-In: 1400
Check-Out: 1200

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Osaka Events & Entertainment

January

January 1 - 3

The New Year’s holiday period.

People visit shrines and temples to pray for health and happiness in the new year. Shops, banks and public agencies are usually closed from December 28 through to January 3.

January 9 - 11

Toka Ebisu

(at Imamiya Ebisu Shrine (in Osaka City), Ibaraki Toka Ebisu (Ibaraki City) and at Fuse Ebisu Shrine (Higashi Osaka City))

This festival, characteristic of the merchant town flavor of Osaka, is held to pray for prosperity in business.

February

Around February 3

Setsubun Festival

(at Ishikiri Shrine (Higashi Osaka City), at Narita-san Fudoson Shrine (Neyagawa City), and at Mizumadera Temple (Kaizuka City))

The day falls on the eve of “Risshun”, the first day of spring or the New Year’s day in the traditional Japanese calendar. On this day, a bean-scattering ceremony is held to cast away the evils of the previous year.

Early February to early March

Plum blossoms

During this period, people enjoy strolling through fragrant groves of blossoming plum trees. The main spots for plum blossom viewing are Osaka Castle Park, Expo’70 Commemorative Park, Hiraoka Shrine, and Domyoji Temmangu.

March

The second Sunday to the fourth Sunday of March

The Spring Sumo Tournament

(venue: Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium)

April

Early April

Cherry Blossom Viewing

To celebrate the arrival of spring, people picnic outside, admiring the overhead cherry blossoms. The main spots for blossom viewing are Osaka Castle Park, Expo’70 Commemorative Park, and Satsukiyama Park.

Around April 29 to around May 5

This period is called Golden Week.

With several holidays occurring almost consecutively, some companies are closed for more than 10 days in a row. Because of the many tourists, accommodation charges and airfares are higher.

July

July 24 and 25

Tenjin Matsuri Festival

One of the big three Japanese festivals with a history of more than 1,000 years.

Late July to late August

The season for fireworks displays

Displays of fireworks, among them the one in Rinku Town, PL Fireworks Art, and Kurawanka Fireworks Festival, are held at various locations around Osaka.

August

Around August 13 to 16

The Bon Festival

This is the traditional festival for welcoming and then sending off the spirits of ancestors. Many companies are closed and a lot of people go traveling, so accommodations charges and airfares are higher.

September

September 14 and 15

Kishiwada Danjiri Festival

The festival is famous for its danjiri floats lugged around the city by highly spirited groups of people.

October

second Sunday of October

Midosuji Parade

One of the largest parades in the nation, it takes place down Osaka’s main street.

November

mid to late November

Colored Leaves of Autumn

People take excursions out to spots famous for their colorful leaves to enjoy looking at them. Main sites around are the Meiji-no-Mori Minoh Quasi-National Park, Settsu-kyo (Settsu Gorge), Amanosan Kongo-ji Temple, Mt. Inunaki, etc.

Arts and Entertainment

The National Bunraku Theater

1-12-10 Nipponbashi, Chuo-ku

located east of Namba and the Dotombori entertainment district, a 1-minute walk from exit 7 of Nipponbashi Station.

06/6212-2531 for information; 06/6212-1122 for reservations

was completed in 1984 as the only theater in Japan dedicated to Japanese traditional puppet theater.

Productions are staged five times a year, running for 2 to 3 weeks at a time and held daily at 11am for Part 1 and at 4pm for Part 2. When Bunraku is not being performed, other traditional performing arts are often shown, including classical Japanese music.

Headsets are available that provide translations into English. The acoustics are excellent. To find out whether a performance is being held, check Meet Osaka or contact one of the visitor information centers.

The Osaka Shochikuza

1-9-19 Dotombori, Chuo-ku

The theater is located on Dotombori, just west of the Ebisu-bashi Bridge.

06/6214-2211)

The theater was built more than 50 years ago and was remodeled in 1997 as part of a revival of interest in Kabuki. Traditional kabuki is performed in January, July, and some other months of the year (the schedule changes yearly), and performances start usually at 11am and 4:30pm.

Performance information is also listed in Meet Osaka.

Osaka Destination Overview

It is said that the standard greeting between Osakans is: moukarimakka?, "Are you making money?" Osaka is the second largest city in Japan and has always had the reputation as a center for financial success. Osaka is located in Kansai region on the main island of Honshu. It is Japan's second largest city and is a major industrial, port, and economic center. Osaka is famous in Japan for shopping . Midosuji Dori, a wide boulevard lined with gingko trees running north and south in the heart of the city, is the center for name-brand boutiques. Just to the east is Shinsaibashi-suji, a covered promenade with many shops, some dating back to the Edo Period. On the other side of Midosuji Dori is America-Mura, where young Japanese shop for T-shirts, Hawaiian shirts, ripped jeans, and other American fashions. Teens also patronize HEP FIVE, a huge shopping complex near Umeda with a Joypolis amusement arcade and a Ferris wheel on top.

Universal CityWalk, near Universal Studios, sells everything from Hello Kitty merchandise to Italian imports. Osaka has many underground shopping arcades. Enter in Umeda (where the JR, Hanshin, subway, and Hankyu train lines intersect) and you can shop for miles! Crysta Nagahori, connecting Nagahoribashi Station to Yotsubashi-suji, has a glass atrium ceiling, flowing streams of water, and 100 shops, making it one of the largest shopping malls in Japan. Nearby are Namba Walk, Nan-nan Town, and Namba City, all interconnected by underground passageways. The City of Osaka has two main areas: Kita (North) and Minami (South). Extensive building is also taking place in the Bay Area.

The Kita is the district around JR Osaka Station and Umeda Station on the subway, Hanshin and Hankyu Lines, with a concentration of department stores and commercial centers forming a huge underground shopping area. The Shin-Umeda City to the east features a “Floating Garden” Observatory, which commands panoramic views of Osaka. The Minami district is in the vicinity of Namba Station on the subway, Nankai and Kintetsu lines. While Kita has a sophisticated image, Minami is a bustling town of ordinary people. In this area, visitors will find the Shin Kabukiza Theater, the National Bunraku Theater, and the Museum of Kamigata Performing Arts displaying exhibits describing Osaka’s performing arts.

The Bay Area, is home to Universal Studios Japan, with its focus on Hollywood movies and TV programs. Also located in the area are the Kaiyukan (Osaka Aquarium), the WTC (World Trade Center), the tallest building in western Japan, and the Osaka Dome. The Dome combines a ball park and an amusement center. Of the other major landmarks in Osaka, Osaka Castle is best known. The park surrounding the castle is the site of cherry and plum blossom viewing in season. Also within the castle grounds are Peace Osaka (Osaka International Peace Center), and Osaka City Museum.

The castle stands in contrast to the high-rise buildings of the neighboring Osaka Business Park. Other highlights are the Tennoji area, with Shitennoji Temple-Japan’s oldest official temple, and Tennoji Zoo, along with Tsurumi Ryokuchi-an urban oasis; and Nagai Park. River cruises are a favorite way to enjoy Osaka, which is known as the “city of water”. Osaka is also known as the food capital of Japan. One of the most fascinating aspects of the city is Osaka has its food theme parks. These are elaborately designed and constructed. They contain numerous restaurants and food stalls that specialize in one kind of cooking, for example, noodles or dumplings. Persons wanting to try that food gravitate to these areas to sample the wide variety of different flavors and styles available.

Another type of food theme park in Osaka is the kind where a street or part of the city from the past is re-created, and all the restaurants serve dishes from that Period. An example is Naniwa Kuishimbo Yokocho. Located inside the Tempozan Marketplace, Naniwa Kuishimbo Yokocho is the first theme park of Osaka cuisine in Japan. Inside, it re-creates a sample of a Naniwa gastronomy alley near the railway station circa 1965, just before the city hosted Expo '70. Instead of focusing on a single food, Naniwa Kuishimbo Yokocho brings together 20 restaurants that are popular in and around Osaka and that serve special delicacies of the area. The result: inexpensive and tasty food in just the right ambience. The theme of Dotombori Gokuraku Shopping Street is an Osaka streetscape from the late Taisho Period to the early Showa Period.

Interesting buildings, shops, and unique eating places recapture the mood of those early days. Osaka is a friendly city offering an eclectic blend of the old and the new and a myriad of interesting activities throughout the year.