KITTE Osaka opens on July 31! A new landmark in the Nishi-Umeda area. Introducing all floors
Category: Sightseeing
In anticipation of the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, new stations and commercial facilities are opening one after another in the Umeda area of Osaka. In this issue, we would like to introduce KITTE Osaka, a new commercial facility to be built in Nishi-Umeda!
Kodawari Times went to a media preview ahead of the July 31 opening. Please check out the gourmet food, souvenirs, and much more!
The site of the first Osaka Station and the former Osaka Central Post Office will be reborn as “KITTE Osaka”
KITTE Osaka is a commercial facility located from the first basement to the sixth floor of JP Tower Osaka, a 39-story building with three basement levels built on the north side of Osaka Station, and is directly connected to the west exit of JR Osaka Station, which was newly constructed in 2023. It is nice to be able to go there immediately when using Osaka Station for business, travel, etc!
The JP Tower KITTE Osaka was built on the site of the first Osaka Station, which opened in 1874, and the former Osaka Central Post Office from 1939 to 2012. 150 years of history and memories have been inherited, and the building has been reborn as JP Tower KITTE Osaka. You can feel the modern architecture in the atrium of KITTE Osaka. Please take a look at the building design, which is a fusion of the old and new.
From gourmet food to merchandise, popular Osaka stores and first-time stores in the Kansai region will be lined up!
Now, let’s take a look at the details of the commercial area you are interested in!
The area is full of rare stores, including new business models of popular Osaka staples and stores opening for the first time in the Kansai region. Here are the themes for each floor and the stores to look out for.
B1F: “Adult Hangout”
The underground bar zone “Umeyoko” is a yokocho area with 17 restaurants offering a wide variety of Japanese, Western, and Chinese cuisine, where you can enjoy a quick drink after work or between trips.
Kaku-uchi Ono no Hanare, a standing drinking style bar where you can enjoy mainly Kyushu’s sake and ingredients.
“Sushi Bar Sashisu” opened mainly in Osaka, where people stand in line every day.
Other cafes and side dish stores that are easy to use include “Milk & Parfait Yotsuba White Cosy,” a café directly operated by Hokkaido’s Yotsuba Milk Products, which opened its first store in the Kansai region, and “Po-Tama,” a pork and egg onigiri specialty restaurant.
Milk & Parfait Yotsuba White Cosy
Po-Tama (pork tamago onigiri)
1F: The symbolic floor that serves as the face of Nishi-Umeda
On the first floor, restaurants and cafes are clustered around a four-story atrium. Sweets stores, such as “Cacaotier Gokan,” a chocolate specialty store from Koraibashi, Osaka, which opened its first store in the Umeda area, and “La Patisserie TEISHABA,” whose signature product is a red brick cheesecake inspired by the first Osaka Station station building, make perfect gifts or souvenirs.
Cacaotier Gokan, the first chocolate specialty store to open in the Umeda area
La Patisserie TEISHABA
My recommendation is the post box in front of the post office! It is also a good place for a photo spot with very cute Osaka designs such as okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and a lady dressed in leopard print clothing.
2F: “Feel JAPAN Journey” Emon Nippon Meguri
This is the most unique floor in KITTE Osaka. As the name “Feel JAPAN Journey (Emon Nippon Meguri)” suggests, visitors can enjoy products and sightseeing from all over Japan. Visitors can enjoy the feeling of traveling to various places from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south.
“SUPER LOCAL SHOP TOSATOSA” transmits food and culture of Kochi Prefecture.
At the pre-opening event, I had the opportunity to sample the bonito tataki (raw bonito cut into sashimi by aburiating the surface and then chilling it)! It was eaten with salt and was very tasty with no smell at all. It is sold frozen, so check it out.
“Hiroshima IPPIN” with the torii of Itsukushima Shrine, a National Treasure and World Heritage Site
“Miyazakikan KONNE” stands out for its orange color, which is reminiscent of the Japanese hinata (place where the sun shines).
3F: Local specialties for daily life
This is a floor where you will find a variety of lifestyle-related products such as towels, bags, glasses, T-shirts, and other household goods and apparel. These carefully selected made-in-Japan products are sure to enrich your daily life.
“Imabari Yokkin” deals in high quality, safe and secure towels and pajamas
Toyooka Kaban(bag), a local brand of high-quality bags, opens its first store in the Kansai region.
Amano Pearl, one of the best jewelry stores in Iseshima
4F: Our city’s most popular restaurants
A total of 15 restaurants, including popular Osaka gourmet restaurants such as takoyaki and kushikatsu, as well as proud local gourmet restaurants from all over Japan, are gathered here. It can be used for a wide range of lunches and dinners with family, friends, colleagues, and couples.
Takonotetsu, the original self-serve takoyaki restaurant
Western-style restaurant in Nihonbashi, Tokyo opens first store in Kansai “Nihonbashi 3daime Taimeiken”
First Kansai branch of “Warayaki Katsuo-Tataki Myojinmaru” draws lines in Kochi
Kyushu Sake Bar Tsukushi, featuring sake and snacks from all over Kyushu
5F: Famous restaurants in various locations for special occasions
The restaurant has 10 restaurants (3 additional restaurants are scheduled to open in the future), mainly based on the theme of “Japanese OMOTENASHI(hospitality)”. Japanese cuisine, Italian cuisine, sushi, yakiniku, and more are available for entertaining and special occasions. You can also enjoy famous restaurants not only in Japan but also overseas.
Gourmet conveyor-belt sushi restaurant Kantaro offers the freshest seafood from Hakodate, Hokkaido
Sukiyaki Shabu-Shabu Tsukada, where you can enjoy Kansai-style sukiyaki grilled with crystal sugar
The finest! Gorgeous Dinner Course (Sukiyaki) 15,000 yen
DONG BAO, Singapore’s first Chinese restaurant in Japan
6F: Theaters and “experience” floors
The last floor is the 6th floor. In addition to the “Sky Theater MBS,” a theater for plays and musicals, there are also anime and character concept cafes, amusement and bars, a state-of-the-art horse riding simulator, and other “experience” facilities. There is also a “Starbucks” café where you can take a break before or after your visit to the theater.
GIGO Arcade Café Osaka, a new type of amusement where you can enjoy games while eating
UFO catchers are also available
Horse Club Ginza, Japan’s first studio-style riding club where visitors can experience horseback riding while staying indoors
Let’s visit KITTE Osaka, a new landmark in Umeda!
Last but not least, the concept of KITTE Osaka, “UNKNOWN,” is said to reflect the desire to create a place where people can discover and rediscover the best of Japan, and we are certain that visitors to KITTE Osaka will discover new attractions that they have not yet known or experienced!
Of the 107 stores that opened on July 31, the ones introduced here are just a few. There are still many more wonderful stores to be discovered, so please be sure to visit them in person!
Kodawari Times will continue to explore the charms of KITTE Osaka! Please look forward to our next article!
