What is Osaka Bay Area?
The Osaka Bay Area is a term that refers to the area facing Osaka Bay, centered around Minato Ward, Osaka City, where Osaka Port is located, as well as Konohana Ward, Suminoe Ward, and Taisho Ward, Osaka City.
The Osaka Bay Area is full of commercial complexes with large event facilities, conference halls, hotels, restaurants, and shopping. There are also many amusement facilities, making it an area where you can have fun all day long. This time, we will introduce tourist spots and facilities in the Osaka Bay Area, in the Hokko, Maishima, Universal City, Tempozan, and Nanko areas of Osaka City.
Tourist spots in Osaka Bay Area
The bay area, which is the exit of Osaka, the “City of Water,” has a larger area of land compared to the city center. In addition, during the Heisei era, administrative functions such as the Sakishima Government Building (WTC) were provided as part of the “Technoport Osaka” plan formulated in 1988.
The following are representative tourist spots and facilities in the Osaka Bay Area.
Tourist spots and facilities in Osaka Bay Area
- ATC
- Intex Osaka
- Grand Prince Hotel Osaka Bay
- Kaiyukan
- Tourist boat Santa Maria
- Universal Studios Japan
- Osaka Bay Tower
ATC (Asia Pacific Trade Center)
ATC Hall is a multipurpose hall with a total area of approximately 7,000 square meters, consisting of five large and small venues. It features restaurants, shops, a venue for events and exhibitions, and a housing and lifestyle-related showroom. There are two convention rooms and 10 conference rooms adjacent to the upper floor of the hall, which together with the hall can accommodate approximately 4,000 people. ATC also has the ATC Gallery, an event space that is perfect for disseminating a variety of information, including exhibitions of famous domestic and international artists, original art exhibitions, and cultural property exhibitions.
Intex Osaka
INTEX Osaka is an international exhibition center located in Sakishima, Suminoe Ward, Osaka City, and its official name is “Osaka International Exhibition Center.” It is nicknamed “Intex”, which is an abbreviation for “International Exhibition” in English. INTEX Osaka is the largest convention center in the Kansai region, relocated and opened from Asashiobashi, Minato Ward, in 1985. With a total exhibition area of 70,000 m2 and a site area of 120,000 m2, it is the third largest facility after Tokyo Big Sight and Makuhari Messe. INTEX Osaka holds a variety of events in a wide range of fields, from hobbies to daily life and business. Exhibitions, trade fairs, sales events, international conferences, exams, seminars, parties, concerts, etc. are held here.
Grand Prince Hotel Osaka Bay
Grand Prince Hotel Osaka Bay is a luxury hotel located in Nanko, Suminoe Ward, Osaka City. You can see the sunset over Osaka Bay and the night view of Osaka city, and it has a variety of dining, relaxation, and pool facilities.
Located in the bay area, located within Osaka city but away from the hustle and bustle of the city, you can enjoy views of Osaka city and the bay area from the guest rooms. It takes about 25 minutes from Osaka Station, and a free shuttle bus is also available.
There are a total of 480 rooms, and facilities include a restaurant, sky lounge, bar lounge, banquet hall, conference room, wedding hall, convenience store, coffee shop, and flower shop.
Kaiyukan
Kaiyukan is one of the world’s largest aquariums, located in Minato Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture. It opened in July 1990 and is themed around the Pacific Rim.
At Kaiyukan, each area of the Pacific Rim of Volcano that surrounds the Pacific Ocean is selected and recreated in a large aquarium. The aquarium’s aquariums are arranged to correspond to actual geographic locations in the Pacific Ocean.
Approximately 620 species and 30,000 plants and animals can be observed inside the museum, and whale sharks, large rays, and migratory fish swim in the huge aquarium, which is 9 meters deep and 34 meters long.
A major feature of Kaiyukan is that it focuses on exhibits that faithfully reproduce the natural environment. A total of 14 situations are laid out, depicting the oceans of various regions facing the Pacific Ocean, the coasts of the continents and islands, and other areas using actual plants, rock formations, and delicate lighting.
Kaiyukan is adjacent to the Tenpozan Marketplace complex, so you can enjoy not only Kaiyukan but also shopping, gourmet food, and leisure all in one place.
Tourist boat Santa Maria
The sightseeing cruise ship Santa Maria is a sightseeing cruise ship built approximately twice the size of the ship that Columbus used to reach the Americas. You can cruise around Osaka Port in about 45 minutes and enjoy the sunset view on the twilight cruise.
Santa Maria departs from Tempozan Harbor Village and Kaiyukan Nishi-Hatoba and travels around the famous spots in the Osaka Bay Area.
Universal Studios Japan
Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is a large movie-themed theme park. It opened in Konohana-ku, Osaka on March 31, 2001, making it the first Universal Studios to expand overseas.
USJ is made up of nine areas where you can enjoy attractions and shows themed after movies and characters. For example, there are areas themed around “Harry Potter,” “Minions,” and “Jurassic Park,” an area with a 1930s New York skyline, and areas you can enjoy with small children. You can also experience fun things you won’t find at other parks, such as “Super Nintendo World,” where you can experience the world of Nintendo games that Japan is proud of.
There are five Universal Studios in the world, including USJ, and you can enjoy each unique attraction and show.
Osaka Bay Tower
Osaka Bay Tower (OSAKA BAY TOWER) is a redevelopment facility and skyscraper located in Benten, Minato Ward, Osaka City. It opened in March 1993 and its name until March 26, 2018 was ORC 200.
The highest point is 200m high, and it is a commercial complex that includes a hotel, offices, and residences, and is directly connected to Bentencho Station. It is a large complex that combines hotels, restaurants, shopping, hot spring facilities, and offices, and is like a landmark in the Osaka Bay Area.
Art Hotel Osaka Bay Tower, a 51-story high-rise hotel, opened in March 2018. In addition to being able to experience the super view that can only be had at 200 meters above ground, it has been rated as a city hotel with a high level of total satisfaction.
The Osaka Expo will also be held in 2025, which is attracting more and more attention.
In addition, the Osaka Expo is scheduled to be held in 2025, making the area increasingly attracting attention.
Tickets for the Osaka Expo have been on sale since December last month. Details on how to purchase tickets can be found here.
In conjunction with the Expo, Osaka Metro stations are also being renovated and plans are being made to extend the line.
In the Minami area, you can get there in 20 to 30 minutes by transferring from Shinsaibashi/Namba Station to Honmachi Station and boarding the Chuo Line.
summary
In addition to Kaiyukan, which is already a representative tourist spot in Osaka, it is also famous for its Ferris wheel and sunsets, but why not visit other tourist spots in the Osaka Bay Area as well?
