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Osaka for first-time visitors: 5 hotels near Namba and Dotonbori
Approximate, at the rate on 2026-10-02. You pay in yen.
- Where to stay in Osaka first time: Minami, with the food streets on your doorstep
- For Universal Studios Japan, Hotel Universal Port is four minutes from the gate
- Osaka Station Hotel suits day trips; Superhotel Premier Honmachi has a hot spring
The five
| Best for | Where to book | Score | Weeknight (per person) | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for Dotonbori, 20 seconds away — if you can’t decide | Holiday Inn Osaka Namba by IHG Check price |
83/100 | ¥12,000–22,000 | ¥15,000–25,000 |
| Best for Universal Studios Japan, four minutes from the gate | Hotel Universal Port Check price |
80/100 | ¥12,000–29,000 | ¥16,000–40,000 |
| Best for the shinkansen, the airport and day trips | Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection Check price |
75/100 | ¥39,000–57,000 | ¥46,000–61,000 |
| Best for shopping and Shinsaibashi, straight off the subway | Hotel Nikko Osaka Check price |
75/100 | ¥11,000–22,000 | ¥13,000–62,000 |
| Best value, with a natural hot spring in the middle of the city | Super Hotel Premier Osaka Honmachi Ekimae Check price |
75/100 | ¥7,000–13,000 | ¥11,000–23,000 |
Prices are the cheapest per person found on Rakuten Travel for Wednesdays and Saturdays between 2026-11-11 – 2027-01-02, for 2 adults in one room (checked 2026-11-04). They move daily — the link shows live prices.
The booking links go to Agoda, which shows today’s price and lets you pay in your own currency. Its price can differ from the Rakuten Travel figures above.
Best for Dotonbori, 20 seconds away
Holiday Inn Osaka Namba by IHG
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.78/5 (2,137) · Google Maps 4.00/5 (2,561) · Tripadvisor 4.00/5 (1,123) · Booking.com 4.10/5 (1,437) · Agoda 8.7/10 (9,403) · 16,661 in total
- In Soemoncho, on the north bank of the Dotonbori canal
- Takoyaki stalls, okonomiyaki counters and the neon at night are a few steps from the door
Why it made the five
- Dotonbori is a 20-second walk, so you are in the middle of the Minami food streets
- Namba Station is six minutes on foot, or three minutes from exit B20 of the Namba Walk underground mall
- About 40 minutes from Kansai Airport by train, and about 15 minutes from Shin-Osaka to Namba on the Midosuji subway line
- Breakfast is a buffet mixing Japanese and Western dishes
- Over 2,000 Rakuten reviews at an average of 4.78, with breakfast rated 5.0
Getting there: Six minutes on foot from Namba Station, or three minutes from exit B20 of the Namba Walk underground mall; about 40 minutes by train from Kansai Airport and about 15 minutes from Shin-Osaka.
Language and payment: Staff handle everyday conversational English, and a few speak near-native Korean. The walk from the station is six or seven minutes and goes through an underground mall, which is easy with a suitcase but confusing the first time, so save the exit number. The cheapest rate is a prepaid early-booking plan that cannot be changed or refunded. Luggage storage and laundry facilities were not confirmed, and there is no shared bathhouse and no car park.
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Right for: The closest of all to Dotonbori, and the best-rated of the properties here with over 1,000 reviews
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Not for: Six or seven minutes from the station via an underground mall; no shared bathhouse and no car park
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Worth knowing: The cheapest rate is prepaid and non-refundable. Luggage storage and coin laundry are unconfirmed, and Rakuten does not publish room or bath sub-scores, so the quality star is our own judgement.
Score breakdown — 83/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★☆ | 4 stars. Rakuten’s published sub-scores are breakfast 5.0 and cleanliness 4.67 (room and bath are not shown). |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | 5 stars. 77 per cent of the median price of the hotels compared here, with breakfast. |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | 5 stars. Checkout 11:00; Dotonbori 20 seconds away; six minutes from Namba Station or three from exit B20 of Namba Walk; about 40 minutes from Kansai Airport and 15 from Shin-Osaka; Japanese and Western breakfast buffet; conversational English and near-native Korean at the desk. |
| Trust | ★★☆☆☆ | 2 stars. Reviews average 4.25 across 7,258 of them: Rakuten Travel 2,137, Google Maps 2,561, Tripadvisor 1,123, Booking.com 1,437. |
| Only here | ★★★★★ | 5 stars. In Soemoncho, 20 seconds from Dotonbori, so you can walk the night streets and be back in your room in a moment. |
Best for Universal Studios Japan, four minutes from the gate
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.62/5 (13,592) · Ikyu 4.53/5 (202) · Jalan 4.70/5 (15,124) · Google Maps 4.50/5 (6,170) · Tripadvisor 4.50/5 (2,333) · Booking.com 4.50/5 (6,332) · Agoda 9.2/10 (16,425) · 60,178 in total
- An official USJ hotel
- Airport limousine buses stop outside
- More than 10,000 Rakuten reviews at 4.62, the most of the five
Why it made the five
- About four minutes on foot from the USJ gate and three from JR Universal City Station
- About 12 minutes by train from JR Osaka Station
- Limousine buses take about 70 minutes from Kansai Airport and 40 from Itami
- Free coin lockers, a coin laundry and a currency exchange machine for guests
- A shuttle boat to the Kaiyukan aquarium leaves from in front of the hotel, about ten minutes
Getting there: Three minutes on foot from JR Universal City Station and about four from the USJ gate; about 12 minutes by train from JR Osaka Station, or roughly 70 minutes by limousine bus from Kansai Airport and 40 from Itami.
Language and payment: Practically, this is the easiest of the nine for an overseas traveller: coin lockers and a coin laundry are free for guests, and there is a currency exchange machine on site, which is useful because Japan still runs on more cash than most visitors expect. The limousine bus from Kansai Airport arrives at the door, so no changes with luggage. There is no shared bathhouse, and getting to Dotonbori or Shinsaibashi for dinner means a train with a change.
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Right for: The easiest of the nine for USJ, and the most reviewed by a wide margin, with a steady rating
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Not for: Reaching the city-centre food streets of Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi means a train with a change; no shared bathhouse
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Worth knowing: The cheapest rate is a sale plan with a booking deadline, and prices climb steeply on park holidays and long weekends
Score breakdown — 80/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | 2 stars. Rakuten’s room, bath and dinner sub-scores average 4.46. |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | 5 stars. 72 per cent of the median price of the hotels compared here, with breakfast. |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | 5 stars. Checkout 11:00; three minutes from JR Universal City Station and four from the USJ gate; about 12 minutes from JR Osaka Station; limousine buses about 70 minutes from Kansai Airport and 40 from Itami; free coin lockers, coin laundry and a currency exchange machine for guests; a shuttle boat to the Kaiyukan in about ten minutes. |
| Trust | ★★★★☆ | 4 stars. Reviews average 4.61 across 43,753 of them: Rakuten Travel 13,592, Ikyu 202, Jalan 15,124, Google Maps 6,170, Tripadvisor 2,333, Booking.com 6,332. |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | 4 stars. An official USJ hotel about four minutes on foot from the park gate. |
Best for the shinkansen, the airport and day trips
Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.85/5 (166) · Ikyu 4.52/5 (62) · Jalan 4.60/5 (12) · Google Maps 4.50/5 (844) · Tripadvisor 4.70/5 (136) · Booking.com 4.65/5 (349) · Agoda 9.5/10 (130) · 1,699 in total
- USJ, Kyoto and Kobe are all on JR lines from the same station
- The Umeda skyline comes with the upper floors
Why it made the five
- Connected directly to the west ticket gate of JR Osaka Station and to the Umekita underground gate
- About five minutes from Shin-Osaka, where the shinkansen stops
- About 50 minutes from Kansai Airport on the JR Haruka, or about 60 by limousine bus, which stops a two-minute walk away at Herbis Osaka
- About 12 minutes by train to Universal City Station for USJ
- Every room is above the 30th floor; checkout at 12:00; Rakuten rates it 4.85, with breakfast at 4.87
Getting there: Directly connected to the west gate of JR Osaka Station and the Umekita underground gate; about five minutes from Shin-Osaka, about 50 minutes from Kansai Airport by JR Haruka, and about 12 minutes to Universal City Station.
Language and payment: The practical advantage is that you barely touch a pavement with your suitcase: the ticket gate opens into the hotel, from the shinkansen, the airport train or the USJ line. Checkout is at 12:00, the most generous here alongside two others. There is no car park of its own and no shared bathhouse, and Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi are a subway ride rather than a walk.
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Right for: Connected to JR Osaka Station, so arrivals and day trips cost you almost no effort, with high marks for reviews and breakfast
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Not for: The priciest of the nine; Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi need a subway ride; no shared bathhouse
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Worth knowing: Only 166 Rakuten reviews so far, and there is no car park of its own
Score breakdown — 75/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★★★★ | 5 stars. The published Rakuten sub-scores (room and others) average 4.86. |
| Value for money | ★☆☆☆☆ | 1 star. 269 per cent of the median price of the hotels compared here, with breakfast. |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | 5 stars. Checkout 12:00; connected to the west gate of JR Osaka Station and the Umekita underground gate; about five minutes from Shin-Osaka; about 50 minutes from Kansai Airport on the Haruka or 60 by limousine bus; about 12 minutes to Universal City Station; every room above the 30th floor. |
| Trust | ★★★☆☆ | 3 stars. Reviews average 4.59 across 1,569 of them: Rakuten Travel 166, Ikyu 62, Jalan 12, Google Maps 844, Tripadvisor 136, Booking.com 349. |
| Only here | ★★★★☆ | 4 stars. A tower joined to the JR Osaka Station gates, from which the shinkansen, Kansai Airport and USJ are all straightforward. |
Best for shopping and Shinsaibashi, straight off the subway
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.51/5 (5,678) · Agoda 9.1/10 (19,515) · 25,193 in total
- From Shin-Osaka or Umeda on the Midosuji line, no change of trains
- Shop the arcade in the afternoon, eat along the canal in the evening
Why it made the five
- Connected directly to exit 8 of Shinsaibashi Station on the Midosuji and Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi lines
- Dotonbori is about a nine-minute walk
- About 13 minutes from Shin-Osaka, with underground passages to the Shinsaibashi-suji arcade and the department stores
- A takkyubin counter for forwarding luggage
- Over 5,000 Rakuten reviews at 4.51, with location rated 4.6
Getting there: Connected to exit 8 of Shinsaibashi Station (Midosuji and Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi subway lines); about 13 minutes from Shin-Osaka, with Dotonbori about nine minutes on foot.
Language and payment: One quirk worth knowing: outside the premium floors, the air conditioning is centrally controlled, so you cannot switch a room between heating and cooling yourself. There is a takkyubin counter for sending luggage on, but no coin laundry and no shared bathhouse, and we could not confirm luggage storage or which languages are spoken. Being joined to the station means you stay dry in the rain and avoid stairs with a suitcase.
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Right for: Joined to the station, so wet days are easy, and it sits in the middle of the Minami shopping district
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Not for: No shared bathhouse and no coin laundry; room air conditioning is centrally controlled outside the premium floors
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Worth knowing: The cheapest rate is a sale plan. Luggage storage and language support are not confirmed.
Score breakdown — 75/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | 2 stars. The published Rakuten sub-scores (room and others) average 4.46. |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | 5 stars. 55 per cent of the median price of the hotels compared here, with breakfast. |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | 5 stars. Checkout 11:00; connected to exit 8 of Shinsaibashi Station on the Midosuji and Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi lines; about nine minutes on foot to Dotonbori; about 13 minutes from Shin-Osaka, with underground links to the Shinsaibashi arcade and the department stores; a takkyubin counter. |
| Trust | ★★★☆☆ | 3 stars. Reviews average 4.51 across 5,678 of them, all on Rakuten Travel. |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | 3 stars. Directly above Shinsaibashi Station on Midosuji, within walking distance of both the shopping and the street food. |
Best value, with a natural hot spring in the middle of the city
Super Hotel Premier Osaka Honmachi Ekimae
Reviews: Rakuten Travel 4.44/5 (1,708) · Agoda 7.6/10 (5) · 1,713 in total
- Halfway between Minami and Kita, a base for seeing all of Osaka
Why it made the five
- Almost directly connected to exit 24 of Honmachi Station on the Yotsubashi and Midosuji subway lines
- Two stops to Namba and two to Nishi-Umeda on the Yotsubashi line
- A natural hot-spring bath, separated by gender, open 15:00 to 09:40 the next morning
- A coin laundry, and luggage held on the day of check-in
- A welcome bar with free drinks
Getting there: Almost directly connected to exit 24 of Honmachi Station (Yotsubashi and Midosuji subway lines); two stops from Namba and two from Nishi-Umeda on the Yotsubashi line.
Language and payment: For a long trip this is the practical one: a coin laundry, a natural hot spring open from 15:00 until 09:40 the next morning, free drinks at the welcome bar, and luggage held on the day you check in. Storage after checkout has to be arranged with the hotel, so ask if you have a late flight. The cheapest rate gives you whichever room type is free rather than one you choose, and rooms are business-hotel sized, so a big suitcase will take up floor space.
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Right for: The most affordable of the nine, with a natural hot spring, and easy access to both Namba and Umeda
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Not for: Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi normally mean a subway ride, and rooms are business-hotel sized
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Worth knowing: The cheapest rate is an assigned room type, and storage after checkout has to be arranged with the hotel
Score breakdown — 75/100
| Criterion | Stars | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | ★★☆☆☆ | 2 stars. Rakuten’s room, bath and dinner sub-scores average 4.43. |
| Value for money | ★★★★★ | 5 stars. 45 per cent of the median price of the hotels compared here, with breakfast. |
| Easy to stay | ★★★★★ | 5 stars. Checkout 11:00; almost directly connected to exit 24 of Honmachi Station on the Yotsubashi and Midosuji lines; two stops to Namba and Nishi-Umeda; a gender-separated natural hot spring open 15:00 to 09:40; a coin laundry and luggage held on the day of check-in; a welcome bar with free drinks. |
| Trust | ★★★☆☆ | 3 stars. Reviews average 4.44 across 1,708 of them, all on Rakuten Travel. |
| Only here | ★★★☆☆ | 3 stars. A station-front hotel halfway between Minami and Kita where a natural hot spring comes at a modest price. |
Know before you book
- Dotonbori, the Shinsaibashi-suji arcade and Kuromon Market are all in Minami. Namba, Shinsaibashi and Nippombashi stations put you a few minutes’ walk from the street food.
- From Kansai Airport, the Nankai Rapi:t limited express reaches Namba in about 35 minutes, and the JR Haruka reaches Tennoji in about 30.
- From Shin-Osaka, where the shinkansen stops, the Midosuji subway line reaches Namba in about 15 minutes and JR reaches Osaka Station in about 5. If you arrive by bullet train, the Umeda side is the easier landing.
- Universal Studios Japan is about 12 minutes from JR Osaka Station to Universal City Station. Stay by the gate and you can walk in before opening.
- For Osaka Castle, use Osakajokoen Station on the JR Loop Line; there are rooms with a castle view about three minutes from it.
- Hotels with a daiyokujo, the shared Japanese bathhouse, or a natural hot spring are scarce even in Minami, so book early if your itinerary is heavy on walking.
How we chose: theme, conditions, scoring
How we chose
- Candidates: every property in Osaka (Namba and around) listed on Rakuten Travel — 1842
- Passed the review filter (counts and averages on Rakuten Travel, the one site that lists every property in the area): 178
- Met every condition below: 149
- Kept: five, each the best at something different
Where the facts come from
- Facts: Rakuten Travel property information (in some articles, each hotel’s own site too)
- Prices: Rakuten Travel live availability, Wednesdays and Saturdays over eight weeks
- Reviews: counts and averages from Rakuten Travel, Jalan, Ikyu, Google Maps, Tripadvisor and Booking.com, added up in each hotel’s Trust row. Agoda’s reviews are shown under each hotel name for reference only and do not count towards the score
Conditions (all of them, not most of them)
- Within a five-minute walk of a railway station, including hotels built onto the station, or within a five-minute walk of a major sight such as Dotonbori or USJ
- A room for two with breakfast can actually be booked on Rakuten Travel
- Reviews hold up: at least 100 reviews averaging 4.3 or better on Rakuten Travel, the one site that lists every property in the area. Shortlisted properties were then checked against Jalan, Ikyu, Google Maps, TripAdvisor and Booking.com as well — the Trust row for each place shows the breakdown.
Scoring
Five criteria, one to five stars each, weighted to one hundred points. Every star says where the number came from.
- Quality25 pts
- The average of the Rakuten Travel sub-scores published for the property (room, bath, dinner). 4.80 or above scores 5 stars, 4.65 or above 4, 4.50 or above 3. One extra star if every room has its own open-air bath.
- Value for money20 pts
- The price as a share of the median for the hotels compared here. 80 per cent or less scores 5 stars, 95 per cent or less 4, 110 per cent or less 3, 130 per cent or less 2.
- Easy to stay30 pts
- Starts at 1 star. One more for each of: checkout at 11:00 or later, a shuttle, meals served in your room, a private dining room, and anything else that makes this particular trip easier.
- Trust20 pts
- Guest reviews gathered across booking sites, as a count-weighted average plus the total number of reviews. 4.75 or above with 100+ reviews scores 5 stars, 4.60 with 50+ scores 4, 4.40 with 30+ scores 3.
- Only here5 pts
- Something you can only get at that one property. Our own judgement, with the reason stated.
What we dropped
| Property | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel New Otani Osaka | Runner-up (74/100) | It finished one point behind the five. Superb for Osaka Castle, but Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi need a train with a change, and on price it lands exactly at the median, so the Minami properties made more sense for a sightseeing trip on foot. |
| Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel | Runner-up (71/100) | The view and the airport link are both excellent, but at roughly twice the median price it scores only one star on value, and Minami is still a subway ride away, so it fell behind the five. |
| Swissotel Nankai Osaka | Runner-up (60/100) | The airport link is the best here and English support is strong, but at about one and a half times the median price it scores only one star on value, which left it last of the nine on total points. |
| Onyado Nono Namba | Runner-up (56/100) | The hot spring and the free laundry are genuinely useful, but its Rakuten average of 4.33 is the lowest here and the review count is the smallest of the Minami properties, so it scored below the five. |
| Hotel Hankyu International | Runner-up | Rated 4.64 across 5,761 Rakuten reviews with every room above the 26th floor, but it is about ten minutes on foot from the Midosuji exit of JR Osaka Station. For Umeda we preferred Osaka Station Hotel, which is joined to the station and makes the shinkansen, Kansai Airport and USJ all easy. |
| FORZA Hotel Forza Osaka Namba Dotonbori | Runner-up | About two minutes from the Glico sign and rated 4.75 across 450 reviews, so the location is outstanding, but across the dates we checked, rooms with breakfast were available only on a handful of Saturdays. For the Dotonbori area we preferred Holiday Inn Osaka Namba, with more than 2,000 reviews. |
| Liber Hotel at Universal Studios Japan | Runner-up | Rated 4.71 across 6,861 reviews and it even has a natural hot spring, but the nearest station is Sakurajima and the park is about a 13-minute walk. For USJ we preferred Hotel Universal Port, three minutes from Universal City Station and four from the gate. |
| InterContinental Osaka by IHG | Runner-up | Inside Grand Front Osaka, about five minutes from JR Osaka Station, with a pool, baths and a sauna free for guests. Its Rakuten review count is only 337, and for Umeda we preferred Osaka Station Hotel, which is joined to the station. |
Questions visitors ask
For a first trip to Osaka, which area should I stay in?
If you want street food and evening walks, stay in Minami, at Namba, Shinsaibashi or Nippombashi, where Dotonbori, the Shinsaibashi-suji arcade and Kuromon Market are all within walking distance. If you will be taking the shinkansen often or making day trips to Kyoto and Kobe, base yourself at JR Osaka Station in Umeda, about five minutes from Shin-Osaka. If you are going to USJ early in the day, staying near Universal City Station saves you the journey.
Which of these can I reach from Kansai Airport without changing trains?
Swissotel Nankai Osaka sits directly above Nankai Namba Station, about 35 minutes from the airport on the Rapi:t limited express. Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel is about 30 minutes away on the JR Haruka to Tennoji, and Osaka Station Hotel about 50 minutes on the same train to JR Osaka Station; both are a very short walk from the platform. Hotel Universal Port takes a limousine bus instead, about 70 minutes from Kansai Airport or 40 from Itami, arriving at the hotel itself.
Which one is best for Universal Studios Japan?
Hotel Universal Port is about three minutes on foot from Universal City Station and about four from the park gate, so you can be at the entrance before opening. If you would rather stay in the city, JR Osaka Station is about 12 minutes by train from Universal City Station, which makes Osaka Station Hotel the easiest of the rest for going back and forth.
I want a large communal bath after a day of walking. Which have one?
Two of them. Onyado Nono Namba has a natural hot spring with an indoor bath, an open-air bath and a sauna, and Super Hotel Premier Osaka Honmachi Ekimae has a gender-separated natural hot spring open from 15:00 until 09:40 the next morning. Both have a coin laundry as well, and the one at Onyado Nono Namba is free. We could not confirm either hotel’s tattoo policy from the sources we used, so ask at the desk if that affects you.
How much English is spoken, and can I pay by card?
Swissotel Nankai Osaka has several staff who speak near-fluent English; Hotel New Otani Osaka reports everyday English from most of its staff, plus some Chinese and Korean; Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel supports English, Korean and Chinese; and Holiday Inn Osaka Namba has conversational English along with near-native Korean speakers. For the others we could not confirm the language support. Japan still runs on more cash than most visitors expect, so it helps that Hotel Universal Port has a currency exchange machine on site for guests.
Where can I leave luggage or do laundry?
Hotel Universal Port gives guests free coin lockers and a free coin laundry. Super Hotel Premier Osaka Honmachi Ekimae holds luggage on the day you check in and has a coin laundry, though storage after checkout has to be arranged with them. Swissotel Nankai Osaka will hold luggage you have sent ahead at the bell desk if you tell them in advance, and Hotel Nikko Osaka has a takkyubin counter for sending suitcases on to your next hotel. Onyado Nono Namba’s self-service laundry is free.
Changes
- 2026-11-04 First published. Scored from 1842 candidates.