Osaka Amazing Pass: Your handy guide to the city of Osaka
While researching for things to do during my first ever trip to Osaka, I stumbled upon the Osaka Amazing Pass. The pass covers unlimited rides on trains and buses, free admission to more than 40 tourist attractions, and discounted prices at numerous restaurants and shops. What better way than to visit as many of the popular sightseeing spots as possible, and get to save some money at the same time? My family and I decided on the 2-day passes, and off we went exploring the city with the Osaka Amazing Pass in hand.
Osaka Castle Museum and Gozabune Boat
(Image credit: Tomi Cheung)
One of the first few places we visited was the Osaka Castle Museum (大阪城 Osaka-jō). After alighting at Tanimachi 4-chome Station (谷町四丁目駅), we passed by the Osaka Museum of History and the NHK Broadcasting Centre, with the vast grounds of the Osaka Castle Park gradually coming into view. It was quite a walk from the Otemon Gate to the Main Tower, which is the Osaka Castle Museum itself, but we were treated to various scenery and interesting structures along the way.
Upon reaching the ticket office, we showed the staff our Osaka Amazing Pass and entered the Museum almost immediately, and for free! There are a total of eight floors in the museum, with the Information Counter and Tourist Shop on the 1st floor, and an observation deck on the 8th floor, which gave us a magnificent panoramic view of the city. The 2nd to 7th floors were filled with vivid pictures, videos, and artefacts describing the history of Osaka Castle, and I was intrigued by the intricate designs on the various paintings.
(Image credit: Tomi Cheung)
We also decided to go on the Gozabune boat ride (御座船), which is free with the Osaka Amazing Pass as well. The boat is a replica of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s golden boat, the Houou-maru (鳳凰丸), and it is a 20-minute cruise around the inner moat of Osaka Castle. It was a peaceful ride and we got to see the castle up close, along with succinct explanations of interesting features of the tower by the guide onboard.
Osaka Castle Museum (大阪城天守閣)
Address: 1-1 Osaka-jo, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 540-0002
Nearest station: Tanimachi 4-chome Station (谷町四丁目駅), Osakajo Koen Station (大阪城公園駅)
Opening hours: 9am–5pm (Daily, closed from 28 Dec–1 Jan)
Admission fee: ¥600 (Adults)
TEL: +81 6-6941-3044
Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel
(Image credit: Tomi Cheung)
We also visited the Tempozan Harbour Village, which is a 5-minute walk from Osakako Station (大阪港駅 Ōsakakō-eki). The shopping and entertainment complex is home to Kaiyukan, one of the largest public aquariums in the world, LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Osaka, and Santa Maria cruises. Due to a lack of time, we only managed to get a ride on the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel, which is free with the Osaka Amazing Pass. The colourful exterior and sheer size of the Ferris wheel makes it stand out no matter where you are standing in the bay area. The 15-minute ride showed us spectacular views of Osaka, from the Rokko mountain range (六甲山 Rokkosan) to the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (明石海峡大橋 Akashi Kaikyō Ōhashi).
Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel (天保山大観覧車)
Address: 1-1-10 Kaigandori, Minato-ku, Osaka 552-0022
Nearest station: Osakako Station (大阪港駅)
Opening hours: 10am–10pm (Closed from 13–14 Jan)
Admission fee: ¥800 (Adults)
TEL: +81 6-6576-6222
HARUKAS 300 (The Observatory)
(Image credit: Tomi Cheung)
One of the most memorable attractions we visited was the HARUKAS 300 Observatory. Standing at 300m above the ground, it is the tallest building in Japan, and offers a 360-degree view of Osaka, and even glimpses of neighbouring cities such as Kyoto and Kobe.
The observatory is directly connected to Tennoji Station (天王寺駅 Tennoji-eki) via the underpass, and the visual show began even before we arrived at the observation deck. Upon entering the lift on the 16th floor, we were treated to a light performance during the 50-second ride up to the 60th floor. The stunning view of the city entered our sight once the doors opened, and we found ourselves gravitating to the windows.
(Image credit: Tomi Cheung)
We took a break at the café on the 58th floor, which features an open wooden deck space. After refreshing ourselves with some coffee, we headed back up to the 60th floor to catch the sunset. The setting sun cast an orange glow over the city and was a sight to behold.
HARUKAS 300 (The Observatory) (ハルカス300(展望台))
Address: 1-1-43 Abenosuji, Abeno-ku, Osaka 545-0052
Nearest station: Tennoji Station (天王寺駅), Osaka Abenobashi Station (大阪阿部野橋駅)
Opening hours: 9am–10pm
Admission fee: ¥1,500 (Adults), ¥1,200 (Middle and high school students), ¥700 (Elementary school students), ¥500 (Children)
TEL: +81 6-6621-0300
The Osaka Amazing Pass can bring you to many more places than this article has covered. It is a steal and will definitely be a useful aid in your journey of exploring the bustling Osaka City!
Header image credit: Tomi Cheung
Writer’s Profile: Tomi is currently an undergraduate at NUS doing a double major in Political Science and Chinese Language. She loves J-pop and enjoys learning new Japanese dialects. She should probably work on improving her standard dialect first though.
