Umeda

This post is the starter’s guide for what the Umeda area of Osaka, Japan’s second largest city, has to offer. I will be sharing with you guys where I would go for shopping, what I would check out along the way, and most important, I will share with you one of my all time favorite places to eat in Osaka.

Do you just happen to be like me, who spent a good chuck of childhood watching and/or playing pokemon? If you’ve seen pokemon on tv, I’m sure you’ve come across the pokemon games on the game boy at one point. I know just the place for you in Osaka, Japan!

Be Welcome to the Pokemon Center!

There is a Pokemon Center located on the 13th floor of Daimaru Umera, the city’s biggest shopping complex. Let me first brief you on where this place is. There is the famous Umeda station is which right in the middle of the city. If you’re coming from other parts of the city, make sure you speak with the train master of your station for the easiest route to Osaka Umeda or Daimaru Umeda. Once you’re here on level 13, you will either see Uniqlo or the Pokemon Center directly.

This is not just another small shop or souvenir stores with a few items. This is actually the opposite. It’s a massive store that has everything pokemon, from slippers to lunch boxes, to stuffed animals to pencil cases! Posters and other collector’s items are also available here. If you’re passionate about pokemon, or just simply admire how cute Pikachu looks and sounds, be sure to make a stop at the Pokemon Center Osaka.

Let's go shopping

Overall, Daimaru Umeda is a fantastic place to get your shopping on. I should be saying the same for the whole Umeda area, which has an unbelievable amount of shops and specialty stores. If you’re not too pressed with time, I would recommend that you spare one full day in the Umeda area. Start off around here at Umeda Station and walk up and down its shopping center of Daimaru and Isetan, then cross over to the back side, into Yodobashi Camera Osaka. At this particular shopping mall, you can find anything and everything related to electronics. Everything from cellphones to microwaves, vacuum cleaners to computers, watches to hard drive memories, this is your go-to place. They’re very tourist friendly here with staffs that could speak foreign languages, as well as the lovely tax refund service for when you get to the airport. There are also countless fashion stores here in the building, with something for everyone from suits to bags to casual wear.

If you have a bit more time and energy, walk towards another massive shopping mall called HEP 5 and HEP NAVIO. Most people will recognise this place by the red ferris wheelon top of the building. There are more stores here for your shopping needs and wants. Furthermore, this is also the place to get some luxury brand name products from. If you’re hungry though, I would recommend stepping into the little walking street just on the side of the building. If you walk at the street I am referring to, you will see a Subway restaurant. But since you’re in Japan, do not ever settle for a meal at Subway, because there’s always something better a few steps away, literally. One of my top three places to eat in Osaka is a small place just opposite the entrance of the movie cinema, with the name being completely unknown to be for the six years I was there.

A nice place to have a meal

At this amazing eating spot, you can get good food for cheap. For under 1, 000 yen, you could get a few different options, but the two that I would highly recommend are, fried chicken with mayo or rice covered with salmon bits. I’m unsure of the official names that they go by at the place, but the replicas of the dishes at the front display window of the restaurant will help you break the language barrier. The chicken dish is absolutely divine. You get so many pieces of chicken that you will forget that you’re in Japan - a country famous for its small, elegant portions. They are fried fresh by orders and are juicy on the inside. The mayo that’s drizzled on top is as good as it gets here in Japan. If the mayo is not enough for you, they spoon a good chunk of the sauce on the side for those that crave for more. To balance out the meat, there is a salad on the side, topped with unknown yet amazing house orange dressing. With the meat and veg, you also get a bowl of rice and a bowl of miso soup. There really is nothing else one could ask for.

The second one is the salmon rice, which is essentially a big bowl of rice topped with salmon pieces. I say that they use salmon pieces since they’re broken from a real piece of salmon, and not just those fake salmon flakes. The salmon pieces are then topped with nori (seaweed) bits, and a spoon full of avocado. And just to bring everything together, more of the delicious mayonnaise and chopped spring onions. This dish could either be consumed on its own, or as a part of their set, with the fried chicken, salad and miso soup. I have no other words to describe how good everything is here. One flaw of this place is that it’s not the cleanest, and is actually quite bad for Japanese standards. But if you’re like me, don’t judge the book by its cover, and when you’re there, be there for the good food!

The red ferris wheel

After your meal, you may wish to go up to the red ferris wheel and check out what all the fuss is about. Although I lived there for six years, I never once set foot on it. My friends have and the picture opportunity you could get of the view is amazing. On a good day, you will get a five-star view of the city, even as far as the mountain and the harbor. Unless you’re staying or dining in a five-star hotel in the area, a good view of the city and its surroundings is hard to come by. Oh, do I need to mention that it’s part of the perfect date? Or at least someone that’s not scared of height!

For those who love soccer

Strictly for football lovers, there’s a store called Kamo Soccer Shop a quick walk from HEP 5. Continue to walk along the street basically following the railway station, and you will come across a massive football store. Kamo has stores in many other cities throughout Japan and the range of products they have here is really something to admire. You can find almost everything here, from kits and training wears of J-League teams, to national and international teams, to boots, to magnets, to so many more!

And there we have it, a detailed guide of where to go, what to eat, and what to do in Osaka’s Umeda area! I hope that this post will help you if you’re ever in Osaka, and as always, feel free to contact me should you have any questions.

Some useful links

Since the website is in Japanese, you will need our good friend Google to do a translating job for us!

• Pokémon Center Osaka
• Daimaru Umeda
• Yodobashi Camera Osaka
• HEP 5
• Kamo Soccer Shop Umeda

If you like the content of this post, or just want to check out some pictures that I take on my adventure, feel free to like and/or follow me on instagram at oat93, cheers!