Explore Osaka With Kids: Your Complete Family-Friendly Travel Guide

FAMILY-FRIENDLY HOTELS *Family Travel Guide To Visiting Osaka With Kids

To accommodate the whole family, book a Suite at The Boly Osaka. You can choose either a city view or river view, depending on your preference. The hotel is pretty modern, and the suite is also spacious enough for the entire family and all the luggages you'll be bringing to Japan! It's important to have a good rest after sightseeing in the day, and with the homely vibes at The Boly Osaka you'll be able to relax and rejuvenate.

For more luxurious accommodation, stay at Conrad Osaka. This pretty high-end hotel features grand interiors and wonderful hotel rooms, with wonderful service from the hotel staff to boot. All your needs will undoubtedly be taken care of by the team at Conrad, so you can spend your energy on your holiday and spending time with the kiddos instead. The rooms are also very spacious and come equipped with a long list of amenities.

Another pretty luxurious hotel you can stay at is the Mitsui Garden Hotel Osaka Premier. It has even been featured in the Michelin guide for three years, and features rooms with chic interiors and even public baths on the top floors. The main tourist areas like Namba and Dotonbori is only a 5-minute subway ride away.

For a more unique experience, stay at Waqoo Shitaderamachi. It has a more traditional vibe, featuring minimal interiors. It's a hotel meant for tourists to feel a little more zen, and they even have activities (even a morning Buddhist prayer service) like calligraphy and sitting mediation sessions. Buddhist vegetarian cuisine is also provided at the hotel.

If you're more interested in staying at an apartment while in Osaka, Airbnb has plenty of suitable choices for families. For example, this homely apartment comfortably fits a family of four, including the luggages that you'll bring along. There's even a kitchen, living room and dining area for the family to cook and relax in. The apartment is also located in a residential area, and is perfect if you prefer staying in a quieter neighbourhood compared to your conventional touristy areas.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES *Family Travel Guide To Visiting Osaka With Kids

One of the must-visit places in Osaka is Dotonbori, a bustling area with lots to eat and shop. It's literally the heart of Osaka, and visiting at night is best because of the beautiful way the area is colourfully lit. You can also check out the famous Glico sign while you're there! Street food can be found at every corner of Dotonbori, so the family can try different snacks and finger food while exploring the streets nearby.

Something that'll definitely be fun for the kids is Universal Studios Japan. There, they'll be able to go on different rides and meet different character mascots. It's a magical place that's perfect for some family fun, and the best part is that it's a full-day activity so you can simply stay in that one place the whole day and soak in the exciting atmosphere of the theme park. At night, they've also got parades with gorgeous floats, and you can sit on the sidewalks with the kids to admire these floats together as they drive by.

Another attraction you can enjoy as a family is the Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN. The kids can learn about different marine animals, including sea lions, capybaras and penguins, amongst others. You can also take note of the feeding times for the different animals so that the kiddos get to watch. What's interesting is the aquarium's interactive exhibits, where you get to feel the actual temperatures of the environment and also experience the noises and smells up close. The exhibit features the Arctic Region, Falkland Islands and Maldives Islands.

Just outside the aquarium is the Tempozan Ferris Wheel, and it's really gigantic! You could go for a ride in the Ferris wheel as a family, and let the kids marvel over the bird's eye view of the city from the top. It also provides a short respite after a day of sightseeing as you'll be seated and can rest your legs for around fifteen minutes. While enjoying the view, you can chit chat and ask the kids how they feel about the experiences on the trip so far. At night, the Ferris wheel lights up and looks really captivating.

To learn more about the culture and history of Osaka, visit Osaka Castle. The exterior of the castle itself is really beautiful, and when you step inside there are lots of exhibits and artefacts that you can check out and learn more about. If you're visiting during the Cherry Blossom season, you can expect the surrounding courtyard to be filled with gorgeous blooming Cherry Blossom trees so we'd recommend bringing a picnic mat and having lunch under the beautiful trees!

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS *Family Travel Guide To Visiting Osaka With Kids

Treat yourselves to an excellent meal at Osaka Cuisine Asai, a Michelin-starred restaurant that offers ala carte and Omakase menus. The ingredients that make up your meal is also freshly selected by the chef himself on the day itself, so you can expect a really delicious meal full of flavor. If the kids want to watch the chefs cook, there is an option to request counter seats for the whole family!

If you're a family of seafood lovers, you must visit the iconic crab restaurant, Kani Doraku. They have a branch at Dotonbori itself, so it's pretty convenient if you want to have a meal here. But we do recommend making a reservation beforehand as this restaurant is rather popular! They do have a list of ala carte dishes that you can order, but if you don't feel like selecting your dishes on by one, the restaurant also has several set meals available to choose from. Whichever option you pick, one thing is guaranteed: the dishes are really scrumptious and flavorful.

Another restaurant located in Dotonbori, Kamukura is a famous franchised ramen shop. They serve a special type of Osaka ramen that's a hybrid of French cuisine and Japanese ramen. Their ramen is light but aromatic, and it comes at a pretty wallet-friendly price as well. To complete the meal, you can order some gyoza as a side dish for the family to share as well.

When in Japan, you have to eat Okonomiyaki! There are so many amazing Okonomiyaki restaurants around Osaka, including the reliable Chibo. The flavor and taste of their Okonomiyaki will definitely not fail you, and they have a wide variety of choices on the menu. You can also try Ajinoya, a restaurant that has been around for at least seven decades, and makes Okonomiyaki with batter that's tasty but lighter than your usual Okonomiyaki. If you can, make reservations here as it's popular among locals and tourists.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY CAFES *Family Travel Guide To Visiting Osaka With Kids

Now that you've got your meals settled, what about dessert? For starters, we'd recommend Wad Omotenashi Cafe, a modern Japanese tea house that serves a variety of tasty desserts and drinks. They have Matcha Kakigori, Matcha Latte, Houjicha, and even Grilled Mochi accompanied by sweet soy sauce. It's a lovely cafe to drop by after lunch, so the family can relax and munch on some sweets.

For something a little more fun, visit the Family Owl Cafe. There, the whole family gets to make friends with friendly and gentle owls. The kids will likely be fascinated, and some of them maybe a little scared, but fret not because there is a list of do's and don'ts that the staff will brief everyone about so that the experience with the owls remains a pleasant one. You can also order desserts and a cup of tea or coffee to eat and sip on as you slowly befriend the different owls (there are around a dozen!) there.

Owls aren't the only animals you can get acquainted with during your trip! You can also bring the family to Cat Cafe Mocha, a quaint little space for animal lovers to make friends with cats. They're gentle and friendly, and can be interacted with. It's another lovely cafe that the children will probably enjoy spending time at, and it gives the adults a chance to rest their legs and recharge with drinks and desserts as the kiddos go around petting the different cat friends at the cafe.

Bread lovers, you must visit LeBRESSO for sure! They serve a lovely selection of open-faced toast, filled with different toppings like honey and butter, pistachio and sour cream with apple. The end product even looks too pretty to eat, and the kids will surely ooh and ahh upon seeing their toast being served. You can also purchase their soft loaves whole, as well as their milkjam.