Japan (2008): Staying in Osaka

Cat at the front or Osaka Station

OSAKA

I finally managed to snag a reasonably-priced place to stay in this city where Yakuzas are found. Although it was terribly daunting to me at first thought. This would be my first train transfer in both JR station and local/subway, and the inn I was to stay at was a bit difficult to get to...plus my luggage suddenly got heavier due to some cakes I got at Nagasaki plus other pabaon from Benjie.

I chose this inn because Frommer's had listed it under "Inexpensive".(Between you and me I would think this term would apply for 4K Yen and below but it was more in this case).

My first choice, which was Hotel Il Monte had mistakenly said in another site that it was fully booked already, so when I tried the hotel's main site and they replied they had a room, it was already too late since I had booked elsewhere in my zeal to have a roof over my head.

The site for this in case you are interested is http://www.ilmonte.co.jp. There is an English translation page there somewhere. Its near to the Osaka station too.


The name of the hotel I ended up in was Family Inn Fifty's Edobori.
The address is 2-6-18 Edobori, Nishi-ku, Osaka 550-0002.

The con is that there was no closet (but there are hooks on the wall). But it was quite clean, had the usual bath and large containers for shampoos, rinses and body washes, had a double bed, wall-mounted TV, and air-conditioning. Toothbrush, toothpaste and slippers were provided.

Photo of my bathroom during my stay

To reach this place: you have two choices, take the bus from Osaka station or try the subway by changing subway lines in Osaka station.

I think Osaka has one of the more user-friendly train stations as it was easy for me to follow the color-coding to transfer from the Midosuji Line to the Honmachi Station, then transfer to the subway Chuo Line, getting off at Azawa Station.

I seriously doubt the 7 minute walk though, as I think it would be 10 minutes or more...plus since there is more than one exit, you have to be careful to orient yourself. It's location, though a bit far for some first timers is okay though, especially if you want to be nearer Universal Studios Japan and the Osaka Aquarium as it is near the bay area.

Another plus is there is an eat all-you-can continental breakfast (knowing me, can you doubt the deciding factor, regardless of whether it was difficult to travel to this place?) with all the pastries, breads, coffee, milk, juice, tea, jam, butter, eggs you can carry in your stomach. Sorry, but I have no pictures during my breakfast since I was all focused on stuffing myself for the long trek ahead.

Amenities include free use of computers in the lobby, and these have internet access. Be careful, you might end up with the one with Japanese characters keyboard hehehe!

Visit http://www.fiftys.com where they have undoubtedly better marketing material than what I have posted here. Aside from picking up this inn's name from the travel book, I also used http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/en/ to book my reservation for this hotel since it is Japan's largest online hotel reservation company for those on the lookout for budget and moderately-priced accommodations.

I did lose about 15 minutes of walking around before I could find this hotel. Armed with a map, I was able to navigate transferring from the JR line to the subway line running near this inn's vicinity...and I really thought I could make it with enough time to check in and go back to see a bunraku which was extended due to public demand and which had its last show at 4:30 pm.

Alas, by 4 pm I was still walking around the streets looking for this as the tall, fair and handsome policeman I came across could not speak English and could only point to the park which thankfully was on the map I had. Hmph...gwapo sana, walang English word naman.

Since I couldn't read the kanji for the high school building, hence my miss, but luckily with a look at the compass and a question to a lady passing by, I figured enough to find this..lucky too as it was starting to sprinkle little raindrops on my head. And with my extra bag slung over my already drooping shoulders I thankfully recognized the building by the picture I saw of it.

I finally managed to check in without too much difficulty (clerk again had not much English on hand), and they just had to take a photocopy of my passport, and off to my room I went.

I unpacked, washed, took a cat-nap and with darkening skies still ventured out to try my luck again.
Arrived in Osaka May 5, 2008 at 2:45 pm, left for Kyoto on May 6 at 1:30 pm.


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Directions & Transportation:

*From JR Osaka station
Take the bus No.88 to Tosabori-2choume (about 10 mins). 1 min. walk from the bus stop.

*From Higobashi station (subway Yotsuhashi-line)
10 mins. walk from the station

*From Awaza Station (subway Chuo Line)
7 mins. walk from the station.

*From JR Shin-Osaka station
Take the subway Midosuji Line to Honmachi Station.
Change to the subway Chuo Line and get off at Awaza Station. 7 mins. walk from the station.

*From Kansai Int'l Airport 
Take the Nankai Rapid Express Train to the last stop, Namba Station. Change to the subway Sennnichimae Line and get off at Awaza Station. 7 mins. walk from the station. The total travel time will be 65 mins.

*From Osaka Int'l Airport
Take the Airport bus to Osaka station. From the station, follow the direction above. The total travel time will be about 50 mins.


-May 17, '08 2:40 AM

Japan-Hop: KIX Arrival

OSAKA, Japan, 2nd of November 2010 - After a somewhat teeth-gritting afternoon (from the long queue at check-in,  to leaving my favorite hand-carried umbrella behind, to work-related stuff), I finally left on time for my flight from Manila, Philippines to Osaka, Japan. I would be landing at KIX.

Note: Kansai International Airport (KIX)  is situated approximately 50 km from the center of Osaka City.


After going through immigration and getting my luggage, there were a few things I had to attend to according to my mental checklist.

Rent a cellphone vs. Buy a phone card

Unless your situation demands that you be reached 24/7 (having your own cellphone with you at all times is a must), I recommend you go for a phone card. 

It is -

1) way cheaper than renting a cellphone;  

2) public phones which accept coins or phone cards are plentiful in Japan, even in towns up in the mountains, as long as you are not in a cave under the earth.

I asked a few cellphone rental companies at the KIX airport and compared prices. And boy was I glad I didn't buy another cellphone compatible with Japan's system. It would have been quite expensive all around if I sum up all that I would have shelled out.

You have the option of renting - 

a mobile unit which has a Japanese number or;

just the SIM card (with Japan number) which you plug into your CDMA cellphone or;

just a phone unit where you can use your own SIM card which has international roaming. 

Lastly, operating the public pay phones is not that difficult.  You have instructions both in the phone cards and on signs on the machines themselves. 

It is good to buy the phone card at the airport itself since its already there and does not cost more than the usual phone card. Tthere is even a card dispenser upon walking from the plane to the train which takes you to the arrival area. You can ask for help from the Information Counter if you aren't sure about the prefix to use with the number you must call.

A useful public pay phone

Contact Amanto Village (the place I would be staying at)

Amanto Village is ideal if you are a backpacker, you don't have much luggage or you are on a budget. 

You can walk to/from JR's Osaka Station in about 20 minutes.It is also near other local train lines in Osaka and is priced at JPY 2000 per night (as of this writing). It is a bargain for its location and your proximity to knowledgeable folks you can ask about the artsy scene in Osaka. For example,  I got help for my Bunraku and other trips from the helfpul people here.

As of the moment though, its a bit difficult to go there unless you've already visited the place. Hence you need someone to meet you at a drop-off point in Osaka City - preferably near Shin Hankyu Hotel.  From there, your contact can take you to the guest house.  Currently, their website does not have a very detailed map you can use if you want to do this part yourself. 

Some photos of the place and people I met there can be seen if you click on this link.

Get the JR Pass activated and have as many JR train reservations confirmed for the town hopping

Unless it is quite late and the JR Ticket office is closed, the first thing you do if you are on a tight schedule is to get this done as soon as possible. ASAP, you hear? 

Proceed to the JR Ticket Office gate (it is up the escalators and near the train terminal). They usually close their KIX JR office around 9 or 9:30 pm so get your voucher changed, then have your train and seat reservations (if applicable) ironed out. 

It took almost an hour to get everything finalized for my whole trip since I would be making more than a dozen train hops in this particular adventurous journey. 

Do check out the schedules on their website for the opening and closing hours of their offices which do JR Pass exchanges.

Lining up for the JR Pass Exchange

Hop on the limousine bus from Kansai International Airport (KIX) to Osaka City

Since the JR Pass is in increments of 7 days validity, I chose not to use it for my first night but to try instead the limousine bus which would take about an hour's drive from KIX to Osaka City. I would be in Japan for about 15 days, while my pass was for 14 days, hence this decision.

Once you leave the International arrivals floor of KIX's Passenger Terminal Building (1st floor) and go out the doors, the bus stops are located on the same level. 

The ticket vending machines (vending machines are so ubiquitous in Japan!) are located very near the bus stops and its easy to get your ticket as you just choose a destination and pop the necessary bill for payment. There is also a ticket counter where you can use if you want to pay using your credit card. This is manned but I think they close at a certain time.

Considering the distance, unless you are rolling in money you want to burn, don't take a taxi if you are going to Central Osaka. The taxi fare will probably be around JPY 18000 for that 1 hour ride. If your JR Pass allows it, of course I recommend to use the pass and try to hop off on the train terminal nearest your lodgings.

** Note: 

The author may not keep this post updated for prices or changes in the situation. What is described here are the circumstances at the time of the trip. 

- Dec 28, '10 10:49 PM 

for Everyone

GUEST HOUSE Yougendo

http://yougendo.com/
Recommended by Hana-chan from her previous trip to Osaka