2017 Japan Trip – AirBnb in Osaka

When looked for an AirBnb in Osaka, I was not sure where to begin with. Unlike for Kyoto where I already knew I wanted to stay close to Kyoto station for easy access to everywhere. However, in Osaka I didn’t think we’d like to stay in Umeda area closer to Shin-Osaka. The other option would be Namba area which is arguably the liveliest part of Osaka. And finally, we just decided to be close to Dotombori for one and only reason: the street food! And it is in walking distance to Namba station as well, which is within the Osaka Loop line.

The main confusion for me to decide which AirBnb to go with was there are three Namba stations in the map: Nankai Namba, JR Namba, and Namba subway. And being first time visitor, I just could not get my mind around how it works and which would be the most useful one. As it turned out the AirBnb we stayed at was closest to Nippombashi subway station and also in walking distance to both Nankai Namba and JR Namba. So, our AirBnb in Osaka actually turned out to be in a great location.

My first communication with the host was to ask about the pocket WiFi and washing machine availability. The host, Taka, responded promptly and confirmed both are provided in the apartment; even unlimited data on the pocket WiFi. Communication with Taka had been easy and we found no issues with that. He even let us dropped our luggage before check in time (3 pm). He also provided a document with instructions to get to the apartment from various stations. Also in the instructions is how to get the apartment keys from mail box. I printed out the instructions and found it to be very useful as they are detailed with actual photos of buildings/streets.

The apartment building is located very close to Dotombori, but not that close that the noise would bother your sleep. It’s actually very quiet inside considering there are few bars and restaurants close by. Once we got back to the apartment after got lost in Umeda, we found it had been nicely cleaned. Taka even left us a bag of croissant with few packs of instant coffee, it was very kind of him. We found everything we needed in the apartment, there was even facial wash in the sink/vanity area.

The Apartment

The apartment is actually a really good size, with two single beds plus another sofa bed. It is definitely bigger than the AirBnb we stayed at in Kyoto. I find the mattress to be softer than my liking, but fortunately it had not given me backache. We had good night sleeps here and wake up refreshed every morning.

The bathroom is typical Japanese bathroom, a separate room for toilet and bath. We love the bath tub and had a good hot bath every night after all day walk was a bliss. The water pressure and hot water worked fine, we had no issues during our stay.

Generally, the apartment is very clean and in good condition. Under the bed was a little dusty, but it had not bothered us much, can be easily wiped off with the floor wipes provided in the cupboard. That would be the only complain we had if we had to be picky. Apart from that, everything else worked well, all the other amenities provided was more than enough during our stay (soap, shampoo, hair conditioner, washing detergent). Taka even provided shoes/clothes deodorizer as well as umbrellas (which we should have taken with us to USJ). Oh more importantly, the building has a lift! Such a relief we did not need to drag the luggage through stairs 🙂

I would definitely recommend Taka’s apartment if you like to stay close to Dotombori or if you are first time visitor to Osaka. This apartment is in walking distance to many markets and easy access to various stations as well. On top of that, the host had been really easy to deal with and answered to queries promptly. We were grateful for his hospitality during our stay in Osaka.

And here is the link to our AirBnb in Osaka.

If you are new to AirBnb, get AUD50 off your first booking by registering using this link.