This summer a brand new shopping mall opened in the JP Tower Osaka, a 39-story building which is directly connected to the West Gate of JR Osaka Station in Umeda.
A design image of the JP Tower Osaka entrance
Kitte Osaka
Kitte Osaka occupies the basement level to the 6th floor of JP Tower Osaka, and has a variety of shops and cafes on the first three floors and the basement level, restaurants on the 4th and 5th floors, and a large multi-purpose theater on the 6th floor with seating for almost 1,300 people.
A design image of Sky Theater-MBS on the 6th floor
Many of the stores in Kitte Osaka are new to Umeda, and on the 2nd floor there is a “Feel Japan” section that has shops promoting the specialty products of regions across Japan, all the way from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south.
A design image of Kitte Osaka’s interior
Dining facilities in Kitte Osaka serve a range of typical Japanese fare, such as sushi, sukiyaki, shabu shabu, ramen noodles, udon noodles, yakitori (grilled chicken), kushikatsu (deep fried skewered meat and vegetables), tempura, and high-end kaiseki gourmet course meals. There are also plenty of restaurants serving international cuisine, such as Indian, Thai, Chinese, Italian and French as well as an Irish pub!
Visitors from overseas can also enjoy duty-free shopping in several stores in Kitte Osaka that display the Tax-Free sign.
The atrium of Kitte Osaka reaches from the 1st to 4th floors
JP Tower Osaka has been built on the site of the old Osaka Central Post Office and some parts of the old post office building have been preserved and incorporated in Kitte Osaka’s atrium and in some of the businesses on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors, such as the 2nd floor @JP Cafe and the 3rd floor Kannonya Cafe. The new Osaka Central Post Office can be found on the ground floor.
Osaka Station Hotel
JP Tower Osaka is also home to The Osaka Station Hotel, which opened this summer and has 418 luxury guest rooms located between the building’s 30th and 38th floors.
A corner twin room in The Osaka Station Hotel
Inogate Osaka – Barchika 03
Just a 5 minute walk from JP Tower Osaka is another new building which is directly connected to JR Osaka Station’s West Exit.
Barchika 03 is new dining and drinking hotspot at JR Osaka Station!
Inogate Osaka is a 23-story building, largely devoted to office space but with a new dining and drinking facility between the 2nd and 5th floors called Barchika 03.
A design image of the 4th floor in Barchika 03
The main dining area in Barchika 03 is located between the 2nd and 4th floors, with the biggest concentration of restaurants on the 4th floor. This area is suitable for either lunch or dinner, and you can find here a range of izakaya-style taverns and casual Japanese eateries serving ramen, okonomiyaki pancakes, grilled beef tongue, soba noodles, tempura, yakiniku barbecued beef and sushi. There are also Spanish, Italian, French, Chinese, Korean, and Okinawan restaurants and a Belgian Beer specialty restaurant too.
A design image of the 5th floor in Barchika 03
The 5th floor also has some casual eateries but is mainly seen as a “drinking floor” where visitors can enjoy bar hopping. Some bars and restaurants in this area are members-only, but there are also a large number of cheap standing bars and casual eateries that are open to all visitors.
Casual Italian and Chinese counter restaurants on the 5th floor
The next time you visit the Umeda area, why not check out these new facilities for yourself?
Here is a map showing the location of Kitte Osaka. And here is a map for Barchika 03.
Article by Michael Lambe. Images courtesy of Kitte Osaka and Inogate Osaka. All rights reserved.
