Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [303]
Imperial Hotel Osaka (Map; 6881-1111; 8-50, Temmabashi 1-chōme, Kita-ku; s/d/tw from ¥32,340/38,115/53,130; ; JR Osaka Loop line to Sakuranomiya) Within easy walking distance of Osaka-jō, this classic hotel has fairly spacious and well-appointed rooms. There is a fitness club and 25m pool. The standard of service is very high here and all staff speaks English. The location is not particularly convenient, unless you plan to concentrate on Osaka-jō, but there is a shuttle bus to JR Osaka Station. There is cable LAN internet in rooms.
Return to beginning of chapter
EATING
Kita
JAPANESE
Umeda Hagakure (Map; 6341-1409; 1-1-3 Umeda; noodles ¥500-600; lunch & dinner, lunch only Sat & Sun; JR line to Osaka) Locals line up outside this place for the fantastic udon noodles. It’s on the B2 floor of the Ekimae Daisan building. Take the central escalator to the B2 floor, take a right, walk 25m and take another right. It is on the left with a small English sign. There are pictures outside to help with ordering. Our pick here is tenzaru (udon served on a plate with tempura; ¥1100). Whatever you do, don’t go on a weekday between noon and 1pm (this is when the white-collar workers line up for lunch).
Ganko Umeda Honten (Map; 6376-2001; 1-5-11 Shibata; lunch meals from ¥780; 11.30am-4am; Hankyū line to Umeda) Big is the operative word at this giant dining hall alongside Hankyū Umeda Station that serves a wide variety of Japanese dishes starting with sushi (if you want just sushi, you can sit at the counter and order à la carte). It’s very approachable and has an English picture menu. Look for the picture of the guy with the headband; it’s just south of the DD House complex.
Dōjima Hana (Map; 6345-0141; 2-1-31 Dōjima, Kita-ku; meals from ¥819; 11am-11pm; JR line to Osaka) If you crave something a little kotteri (rich and fatty), we recommend the tasty tonkatsu at this approachable restaurant a stone’s throw from the excellent Junkudō bookstore. We recommend the rōsukatsu teishoku (pork cutlet roast teishoku, regular/large; ¥924/1134). There is a limited picture menu and an English sign.
Isaribi (Map; 6373-2969; 1-5-12 Shibata; dinner average per person ¥2000-3000; 5-11pm Mon-Fri, 4.30-11pm Sat, Sun & holidays; Hankyū line to Umeda) This is a great robatayaki (a restaurant where the food is arrayed in front of diners and cooked in front of them; literally ‘hearthside cooking’), down a flight of white-tile stairs outside Hankyū Umeda Station. Like yakitori, this is drinking food, and nama beeru (draught beer) really flows at this place. It’s a little tricky to spot; it’s just south of Ganko Umeda Honten (see above).
A great place for a cheap lunch or dinner while in Kita is the Shin-Umeda Shokudō-Gai (Map), which is located down the escalators and to the right of the main exit of Hankyū Umeda Station (just past the McDonald’s). There are heaps of good restaurants here that vie for the lunch/dinner custom with cheap set meals, many of which are displayed outside, making ordering easy.
One excellent place here is Okonomiyaki Sakura (Map; 6364-7521; 9-10 Kakuda-chō; okonomiyaki under ¥1000; 11am-11pm; Hankyū line to Umeda), a foreigner-friendly okonomiyaki (Japanese savoury pancake) specialist with an English menu. There is a map in the middle of the food court, and Okonomiyaki Sakura is No 10 on the map. Look for the glass sliding doors and the counter.
Another good food court in Kita is the Kappa Yokochō Arcade (marked ‘Kappa Plaza’ in English) just north of Hankyū Umeda Station. Here you’ll find Gataro (Map; 6373-1484; 1-7-2 Shibata; dinner per person around ¥3500-4000;4-11pm; Hankyū line to Umeda), a cosy little spot that does creative twists on standard izakaya themes.