How to navigate the Osaka subway and train system
Osaka is a “walking city.” While the subway is excellent, the distance between Namba, Shinsaibashi, and Shinsekai is manageable on foot and allows you to find tiny, ancient shrines hidden between modern skyscrapers. In the case of places like Japan, the journey is as important as the destination, as you will find yourself exploring all the interesting places you didn’t even know existed as you move between the highlights!
If you’re planning on visiting Osaka Castle, we recommend you take the train. The grounds of the castle are already so massive you will be wearing out your legs, so save yourself the sizable walk from Umeda or Dontonbori and catch a train for this one.
A quirky tip for visitors, in Osaka, people generally stand on the right side of the escalator and walk on the left. This is the opposite of Tokyo. If you stand on the left here, you’ll likely get a loud throat clear or be gently brushed past by a local trying to make it to work in time.
Taxis are fine to use if necessary, but the traffic is a nightmare and the subway is foolproof. Just grab an ICOCA or Suica card at the airport when you arrive in Japan, this will work across all of Japan and you can fill it up easily with cash. An alternative to the transport cards exists for Apple Pay users, you can simply have it on your phone and save yourself the trouble of topping it up, no such alternative exists for Android users as of today.
We recommend you get familiar with using Google Maps on your phone to help you navigate the subway. Simply put in where you want to go, and it will suggest the fastest train-route for you to take. For example, if I was standing in the middle of Dontonobori, and I wanted to go to Osaka Castle, I would search for Osaka Castle on Google Maps and select directions. This will pull up some options, including walking, biking, public transport and by car. If you select public transport (the train or bus icon typically) it will list various options.
