1-Day Osaka Itinerary
with Enjoy Eco Card Train Pass & Osaka e-Pass

● Intro: The Combined Power of Enjoy Eco Card & Osaka e-Pass

Train passes and sightseeing discount tickets are great for travelers, but figuring out how to best utilize them and get your money worth can be tricky. I’m here to help.
Born and raised in Osaka by a Japanese mum and an Aussi dad, I know my way around the city of Osaka where I’ve spent nineteen years of my life. Today, I’m going to show you a model travel itinerary using not just one but two passes that will help you save money while seeing the best of Osaka.
I’ll be using Osaka Metro’s Enjoy Eco Card train pass and Osaka e-Pass. Together, they make a powerful—and budget friendly—travel companion.

You can purchase the Osaka e-Pass online in advance. Enjoy Eco Card on the other hand can be simply purchased at Osaka Metro’s ticketing machines, so you can just pick it up on the day of your travel, before hopping on the train!

Ready to see how much of Osaka you can see with Enjoy Eco Card and Osaka e-Pass in one day? Let’s go!

■Related Articles
Station Entrances, Ticketing & Ticket Gates

How to use the sightseeing Osaka e-Pass and the Enjoy Eco Card

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● Spot 1: Conquering Osaka Castle

First stop, Osaka Castle, about 10-minute walk from Morinomiya Station on Osaka Metro’s Chuo Line or Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line.
It’s been years since I was last here. In fact, the last time I was here, I might have been on a school field trip.
Those who conquer Osaka Castle master Osaka sightseeing, they say. It’s definitely a must-see attraction for all visitors.

At Osaka Castle, I first went to get the tickets for Osaka Castle Gozabune Boat, which are free with Osaka e-Pass.
The Osaka Castle Gozabune Boat is a replica of a golden boat that belonged to Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the Samurai warlord who built Osaka Castle, who’s also known for favoring a lavish lifestyle. You can experience the high life as this popular cruise takes you around the Osaka Castle inner moat and admire the Ishigaki stone walls up-close or the beautiful castle keep from afar♪

Schedules change depending on the season, but the boat typically operates every 15 to 30 minutes between 10am and 4:30pm. Tickets can sell out quickly on some days, so go early and secure your tickets first! The ticket usually costs 1,500 yen (tax included) but is FREE with Osaka e-Pass!

I got my Gozabune ticket early and had time to kill before the cruise. As an Osakan, I wasn’t going to waste this time but to use it to get my money worth! So, I headed to the Osaka Castle Tower.

Osaka Castle Tower is one of the top destinations in Osaka. I saw a crowd of people around the Ticket Office. Admission to the Castle Tower is not included in Osaka e-Pass but, I used my Enjoy Eco Card to get a 10% discount off the 600-yen admission (tax included).

Inside of the Castle Tower includes a museum and I especially enjoyed the exhibit on the Sengoku period (the Age of the Warring States) on the 5th floor. I could see eye to eye with samurai warriors in the miniature model of the summer campaign of the siege of Osaka! This museum is a treasure for those who have interests in Samurai and Japan’s Warring Period.

Here’s a view of Osaka, from the observatory at the top of Osaka Castle Tower. I wonder if Hideyoshi also stood here to overlook his town back then.

Oh, it’s almost time for my cruise. Gotta go!

There’s my Gozabune Boat! The golden boat is not made with gold but is covered in gold leaf.
Ahem. I am Hideyoshi! lol
I enjoyed my 20-minute cruise as a Kampaku (a regent)♪

The Osaka Castle Tower looks very different from the moat. And the Ishigaki stone walls are impressive! How did they build this with the technology they had back then?

It’d been a long time since I’d visited Osaka Castle, but I had a great time learning from the exhibits and cruising in the golden boat♪

● Spot 2: Shinsekai, Osaka’s Old Town

After I left Osaka Castle, I hopped on Osaka Metro Chuo Line at Tanimachi 4-chome Station—the closest station from Osaka Castle—and transferred to the Sakaisuji Line at Sakaisuji-Hommachi Station to get to Ebisucho Station in Shinsekai.

The Shinsekai neighborhood is what you might call shitamachi, the old town, of Osaka. It’s famous for a popular Osakan dish called Kushikatsu as well as the Tsutenkaku Tower, one of Osaka’s landmarks.
As you come out of Ebisucho Station, you walk right into a retro shotengai shopping street and the Tsutenkaku Tower looks over the neighborhood just ahead of you.

I walked straight South from the station to get to the tower. There, I simply showed my Osaka e-Pass and got free entry to both Tsutenkaku Tower’s Observation Deck and the Tower Slider—which generally costs, respectively, 900 yen and 1,000 yen (tax included)!!

※Free entry to Tower Slider is available on weekdays only. Separate admission is required for the Special Outdoors Observation Platform.

Needless to say, I had to try the Tower Slider, a 60m long tube slide that wraps around the Tsutenkaku Tower.
I was given a helmet and a padding on my way to the start of the slide as I kept hearing the screams of the people going down the tube… I was getting a bit tense and a bit sweaty in my hands💦

Woooooooooooooooooooooow!!!!!!!!!!
Bwahahahaha! I LOVED it! It was so much fun. So much so that I couldn’t help but scream. It was over in no time, but it’s worth it even if you have to wait in line!

The view from the Tsutenkaku Tower Observation Deck was great. “Abeno Harukas”, the tallest building in the Kansai region stood tall under the blue sky.

Around the Tsutenkaku Tower is a gourmet town of Shinsekai with flashy, colorful signage. The most famous food here is Kushikatsu, deep-fried skewered meats and vegetables. An array of Kushikatsu shops, from mom-and-pop kushikatsu stalls to large establishments with a long history to new and modern kushikatsu joints, crowd the streets of Shinsekai.

Kushikatsu for lunch. What a brilliant idea.

I went to the famous “Kushikatsu Daruma”. Kushikatsu Daruma is a well-known Kushikatu restaurant that has 4 locations in the Shinsekai neighborhood alone. Their restaurants are always bustling with customers and very welcoming to even Kushikatsu beginners.

Kushikatsu Daruma is also known for the doll in the storefront. He holds Kushikatsu skewers in his hand and has a sign hanging from his neck that reads: NO DOUBLE DIPPING.
Look at this great selection of Kushikatsu in the picture★ You can’t go wrong here.
Yokozuna Shinsekai Honten is another famous Kushikatsu restaurant nearby. Read an article to learn about the restaurant and its colorful Nebuta signage here ↓
●Shinsekai & Tsutenkaku Tower☆Part II: Fun Spots Around Tsutenkaku

● Spot 3: Travel Back in Time at the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living

After a fulfilling lunch, I was ready to return to my day with Enjoy Eco Card and Osaka e-Pass.
Next stop is the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living! It’s a quick subway ride from here to Tenjimbashisuji 6-chome on Osaka Metro’s Sakaisuji Line. And the 600-yen admission (tax included) will be waived with Osaka e-Pass♪

The biggest attraction of the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living is, hands down, Osakamachi 3-chome, a life size reproduction of the 19th century (Edo period) Osaka. Even the attics, out of sight, are faithfully recreated in this exhibit.

A fun service offered alongside this exhibit is Kimino rental. For and additional 1,000 yen (tax included), you can rent Kimono and blend into the streets of the 19th century Osaka! They even made wearing Kimono easy here—you can wear it over your clothes♪

Voila! What do you think?

There’s plenty of opportunities to rent Kimono around Osaka but the timing can be off sometimes—too hot in summer, too cold in winter, etc. Here, though, you don’t need to worry about the season or the weather because you’re inside! And your outfit perfectly matches the streets you walk on!

Look at these pictures of me in Kimono in Osakamachi. They almost look like a scene from a historical drama… As if I travelled back in time to Edo Period?

At the Modern Osaka Exhibit that cover Meiji, Taisho, and Showa Eras, miniature models of evolving City of Osaka and the exhibits of tools and furniture pieces show how life in Osaka has changed.

Read this to learn more about the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living↓
●Osaka Museum of Housing and Living –Time Travel to Edo-period Osaka

●Spot 4: The Umeda Sky Building Floating Garden Observatory

It was getting late, time to catch Osaka Metro’s Tanimachi Line at Tenjimbashisuji 6-chome Station and head to Higashi-Umeda Station where the Umeda Sky Building Floating Garden Observatory is located. It’s a quick 15-minute walk from the station but I wanted to get there before the sunset.

I like going up on Umeda Sky Building’s famous glass tunnel escalator♪ With Osaka e-Pass, admission to the Floating Garden Observetory (aka Kuchu Teien Observatory) is waived until 4pm. If you’re there after 4pm, you get 30% off the admission, which is still a nice discount.

I managed to arrive here before 4pm, so I didn’t have to pay the 1,500-yen admission (tax included)! Yay!
Here’s my victory pose at the Sky Walk. It felt great to take in all of Osaka at the top of Umeda Sky Building.

It was unfortunately too cloudy to see a beautiful sunset, but I stood in there and thought about all the people living their lives in the city below.

Above is how gorgeous the view of the sunset can be at the Umeda Sky Building on a clear day.

●Conclusion: Okonomiyaki Dinner at Shin Umeda Shokudogai♪

I was hungry after a day of exploring. Shin Umeda Shokudogai is a good area in Umeda for finding a place to eat. The place is bustling with many restaurants and lots of local business people come here to enjoy the evening.

Sushi, Izakaya pubs, Oden, Takoyaki…anything and everything is at the tip of your fingers here. I decided on Okonomiyaki to finish up the day of Osaka sightseeing because flour dishes like Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki are a perfect food to represent this city♪

Lately, I see more and more travelers in the streets of Osaka. Everyone seems excited to be here. I’ve lived here my whole life, but I also had an exciting time touring some of the best places in my hometown today♪

Normally, today’s trip riding the Osaka Gozabune Boat and visiting the Tsutenkaku Tower, the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living, and the Umeda Sky Building would cost a total of 5,500 yen. But, with Osaka e-Pass, I paid only 2,000 yen. That’s a saving of 3,500 yen, enough to cover my dinner! (Smile!)

If you prefer to take more time to enjoy each attraction, I recommend the Osaka e-Pass 2-day pass. It costs only 500 yen more than the 1-day pass and you can visit more places.
Other great Osaka sights you can visit for free with Osaka e-Pass include the Legoland, the Dotonbori cruise, a Ferris wheel ride, and hot springs. Check out the list of facilities you can get free admission to and plan your time wisely in Osaka.

Finally, there is an option to purchase Enjoy Eco Card and Osaka e-Pass together as a set if interested↓
https://www.e-pass.osaka-info.jp/en/collaboration/metro.html

I hope my itinerary gives you useful ideas and help you plan your day in Osaka with Osaka e-Pass and Enjoy Eco Card!

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