AnimeTrails
The Dotonbori canal in Osaka at night, KansaiPhoto: Oilstreet / CC BY 2.5

Osaka & Kobe in 2 Days: Official Stores, Tsutenkaku & Tetsujin 28-go

  • 2 days
  • Osaka (Umeda) round trip

At a glance

Fares & tickets (adult)
From about ¥6,200
A 1-day Osaka Amazing Pass (about ¥3,500), which covers Osaka transport and the Tsutenkaku deck, the Anpanman museum (about ¥2,000–2,500 by date) and the Tezuka museum (about ¥700). Every shop on day 1 is free to enter. JR, Hankyu and Hanshin publish Osaka–Kobe fares only through their own search tools, so those are not included.
Best time to go
Spring and autumn. If you want the Tezuka museum in Takarazuka, avoid December 1, 2026 to March 4, 2027, when it is closed for renovation.
Closing days
Daimaru Shinsaibashi closes only on January 1 and 2. The Anpanman museum closes on October 22, November 12 and December 31, 2026 and sells timed tickets from 28 days ahead. Shinsaibashi PARCO has irregular closing days.
Walking (our estimate)
Heavy: roughly 8–11 km on day 1 between Umeda, Shinsaibashi, Den-Den Town and Shinsekai. Day 2 is lighter.

First time in Japan? Read our first-timer's guide

Osaka is where the publishers and the game makers put their own shops, and almost all of them sit on two subway stops of one line. Kobe, half an hour west, has something Osaka does not: a 15 m steel robot standing in a public park, put there by the city and the local shopping streets as a symbol of recovery from the 1995 earthquake. This route does the Osaka stores and Shinsekai on day 1 and crosses to Kobe on day 2, with the option of ending at Osamu Tezuka's museum in Takarazuka.

Your booking checklist

Four things to book before you go.

Some links here are partner links: we get a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you. How we choose

The route

  1. 1Mugiwara Store Umeda, LUCUA SOUTH · Osaka, Osaka Directions
  2. 2Pokémon Center Osaka DX, Daimaru Shinsaibashi · Osaka, Osaka Directions
  3. 3Tetsujin 28-go Monument, Wakamatsu Park · Kobe, Hyogo Directions
  4. 4KOBE Anpanman Children's Museum & Mall · Kobe, Hyogo Directions
  5. 5Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum · Takarazuka, Hyogo Directions

Day by day

Times, fares and opening hours are approximate. Check the official pages under Sources before you go (last checked September 20, 2026).

Day 1

Osaka: Umeda, Shinsaibashi, Den-Den Town, Shinsekai

Four official stores on one floor at Umeda, three more at Shinsaibashi, then the hobby streets and the tower.

  1. Morning

    LUCUA SOUTH 13F, Umeda

    Start at Osaka/Umeda Station, about five minutes on foot from the central exit. The 13th floor of LUCUA SOUTH, which opened in April 2026, is a single floor of manufacturer-run shops: the ONE PIECE Mugiwara Store, Pokémon Center Osaka, Nintendo OSAKA, a Capcom store and café and a Tomica & Plarail shop, all open roughly 10:00–20:00. On busy days Nintendo OSAKA hands out numbered entry tickets, at the 1F South Gate Plaza before opening and outside the shop after. Older guides call this building Daimaru Umeda: the address is now LUCUA SOUTH.

    Spot guide: Mugiwara Store Umeda, LUCUA SOUTH

  2. Late morning

    Jump Shop at HEP FIVE

    About four minutes' walk from LUCUA. Shueisha's official Jump Shop is on the 6th floor of HEP FIVE, open roughly 11:00–21:00 on the building's hours. There are two more Jump Shops in Osaka, at Daimaru Shinsaibashi and at Tennoji Mio.

  3. Midday

    Umeda → Shinsaibashi

    One straight ride south on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line. Exit 4 at Shinsaibashi connects to Daimaru by an underground passage, which is worth knowing on a wet day.

  4. Early afternoon

    Pokémon Center Osaka DX and the 9th floor

    The 9th floor of the Daimaru Shinsaibashi main building holds three official shops side by side: Pokémon Center Osaka DX, the reservation-only Pokémon Café and a Jump Shop, all roughly 10:00–20:00. The store closes only on January 1 and 2. Capcom's own Capcom Store Osaka is two minutes north on the 6th floor of Shinsaibashi PARCO, with irregular closing days.

    Spot guide: Pokémon Center Osaka DX, Daimaru Shinsaibashi

  5. Afternoon

    Nipponbashi Den-Den Town and Ota Road

    About 15 min on foot south, or one stop on the subway to Nipponbashi. Osaka's tourism bureau describes this as the city's hobby quarter, with anime shops and maid cafés concentrated on Ota Road on the west side. animate Nipponbashi is open 11:00–20:00 on weekdays and 10:00–20:00 at weekends, year-round. The shopping streets themselves are public and free.

  6. Evening

    Tsutenkaku and Shinsekai

    A 15-min walk or one more subway stop. The tower's basement, Tsutenkaku Waku Waku Land, is free and open 9:00–21:30, with maker-run character shops. The observation deck runs 9:00–21:45 with last entry at 21:15 and costs about ¥1,500 for adults and ¥800 for children aged 5–14; entry is by timed reservation, and it is included in the Osaka Amazing Pass. Tsutenkaku is currently a stop on two licensed anime stamp rallies, both free to join: Blue Archive's fifth-anniversary rally to October 12, 2026, and the Osaka tourism bureau's Nippon Sangoku rally to December 31, 2026.

Overnight in OsakaSome links here are partner links: we get a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you.Check pass prices: Osaka Amazing Pass Tonight: hotels in Osaka
Day 2

Kobe: Shin-Nagata and Harborland

The Tetsujin 28-go monument in the morning, Harborland after lunch, Takarazuka if you have the evening.

  1. Morning

    Osaka → Shin-Nagata

    JR Osaka to JR Kobe takes about 25 min on the JR Kobe Line, per Kobe Harborland's own access page; from Osaka-Umeda the Hankyu and Hanshin lines reach Kobe-Sannomiya in about 32–36 min. Carry on west to Shin-Nagata on the JR Kobe Line or the city subway. We could not find published fares for these legs on an official page: check the operator's fare search before you go.

  2. Late morning

    Tetsujin 28-go Monument, Wakamatsu Park

    A few minutes' walk from Shin-Nagata Station. The City of Kobe gives the figure as about 18 m if it stood upright, 15.3 m as posed, and about 50 tons, completed in October 2009. It is outdoors in a public park, free, with no fixed hours, so morning light is your only constraint. Fans say bronze Three Kingdoms figures by the same creator are dotted around the surrounding shopping streets; we could not confirm that with the city or the rights holder.

    Spot guide: Tetsujin 28-go Monument, Wakamatsu Park

  3. Midday

    Shin-Nagata → Kobe Harborland

    Back east to JR Kobe Station, then about 8 min on foot, or the Kaigan Line subway to Harborland Station. Eat at the harbor: the waterfront restaurants look across to the Port Tower.

  4. Afternoon

    KOBE Anpanman Children's Museum & Mall

    The 1st-floor mall is free; the 2nd-floor museum is ticketed, and tickets are for a set date and time, on sale from 10:00 twenty-eight days ahead. Admission runs about ¥2,000–2,500 depending on the date, and everyone aged one and over pays. From November 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027 both museum and mall run 10:00–17:00. Closing days in late 2026 are October 22, November 12 and December 31. It is aimed at small children: treat it as a family stop, not a fan pilgrimage.

    Spot guide: KOBE Anpanman Children's Museum & Mall

  5. Late afternoon

    Optional: Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum, Takarazuka

    About half an hour north-east of Sannomiya by Hankyu. The museum is run by Takarazuka City, which Tezuka called home, and is open 9:30–17:00 with last entry at 16:30, closed on Mondays outside school holidays. Adults are about ¥700 now, rising to about ¥900 on March 1, 2027. It closes completely from December 1, 2026 to March 4, 2027 for lift replacement and renovation, so check the date before you plan around it.

    Spot guide: Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum

  6. Evening

    Back to Osaka

    Hankyu runs back to Osaka-Umeda from both Takarazuka and Kobe-Sannomiya, so the day closes where it started. Allow an hour if you are catching a Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka.

Where to stay

Hotel links go straight to the booking site. We get nothing from them.

The Umeda station district in Osaka, Osaka, Osaka

Stay in

Osaka

Night 1. Staying around Umeda or Namba puts every stop on day 1 within a few subway stops and keeps the Kobe trains close.

Prices change by season. Compare live rates.

See hotels in Osaka
Kobe Harborland on the waterfront, Kobe, Hyogo

Stay in

Kobe

If you would rather split the nights, Sannomiya is the hub for Shin-Nagata, Harborland and the Hankyu line to Takarazuka.

Prices change by season. Compare live rates.

See hotels in Kobe

Getting around

Osaka Amazing Pass

About ¥3,500 (1 day) or ¥5,000 (2 days); an Itami Airport version costs a little more

Unlimited trains and buses inside Osaka plus free entry to about forty facilities, including the Tsutenkaku observation deck. It does not reach Kobe, so it fits day 1 only. Beware older pages still showing the previous price of ¥2,500.

Check pass prices Official infoSome links here are partner links: we get a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you.

JR-WEST Rail Pass (Kansai Area Pass)

About ¥2,800 (1 day), ¥4,800 (2 days), ¥5,800 (3 days), ¥7,000 (4 days); child fares about half

Covers JR around Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara and Himeji and the HARUKA express from Kansai Airport, which makes day 2 simple. The Shinkansen is explicitly excluded. For foreign passport holders entering Japan on temporary visitor status only, valid on consecutive days.

Check pass prices Official infoSome links here are partner links: we get a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you.

Hankyu 1day Pass

One day on every Hankyu line, which covers Osaka-Umeda, Kobe-Sannomiya and Takarazuka: exactly the shape of day 2 if you add the Tezuka museum. Bought on a smartphone. Hankyu's English page did not state a price when we checked, so confirm it before you buy.

Official info

Visiting with respect

  • The shops on these floors are busy and the aisles are narrow. Wear a backpack on your front, and leave big luggage in a station locker.
  • Most of the stores limit photography inside. Look for the signs, or ask staff first.
  • The Tetsujin monument stands in a neighborhood park that local people use every day. Keep the paths clear, don't climb the base, and don't photograph residents.
  • Don't photograph people in costume on Ota Road, or staff outside the maid cafés, without asking.
  • Shinsekai's restaurants have a firm no-double-dipping rule on the communal sauce. Look for the sign before you reach for the pot.

FAQ

Is there anything anime at Universal Studios Japan?

Nothing permanent. SUPER NINTENDO WORLD and DONKEY KONG COUNTRY are year-round but they are game properties. The anime attractions are limited runs: a Frieren: Beyond Journey's End story walk from May 30, 2026 to January 11, 2027, and One Piece Premier Summer 2026 from July 30 to November 19, 2026. We could not confirm whether either needs a paid add-on, and USJ prices tickets by date through an app, so check the official site for your dates.

Where exactly is Pokémon Center Osaka?

There are two. Pokémon Center Osaka is on the 13th floor of LUCUA SOUTH at Umeda; Pokémon Center Osaka DX, the larger deluxe format with the café next door, is on the 9th floor of Daimaru Shinsaibashi. Guides that put either one in Daimaru Umeda are out of date.

Can I see the Nipponbashi Street Festa?

Only in spring. The 19th Street Festa was held on May 17, 2026, and no 2027 date had been announced when we checked. The shopping streets themselves are there all year.

What happened to the KOBE Sangokushi Garden?

It closed in 2016, and the City of Kobe's own list of Nagata sights no longer mentions any Three Kingdoms museum. The Tetsujin 28-go monument is the one thing in Shin-Nagata the city still publishes, and it is free and outdoors.

Which pass should I buy?

An Osaka Amazing Pass for day 1 if you want the Tsutenkaku deck included, and either a JR-WEST Kansai Area Pass or a Hankyu 1day Pass for day 2. Add up your actual rides first: two days of separate single fares is often cheaper than a pass in Kansai.

Is the Kansai Railway Pass an option?

Not for a late-2026 trip. The 2026 edition had to be activated by September 30, 2026, so check for a successor product before you count on it.

Combine with nearby routes

Have more days? These routes start or end close to this one.

Your booking checklist

Everything to book for this route, in the order most people book it.

Some links here are partner links: we get a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you. How we choose

Sources26 official pages, checked September 20, 2026

Photo credits

Photos of the real places, from Wikimedia Commons. Resized and compressed by us; some are cropped by the layout. No other changes.