Navigating Namba Station
Dotonbori, Osaka
©richard-tao, unsplash
Different stations all locate at the same place
Namba Station is a large group of stations in the center of Osaka, including Kintetsu, Nankai, JR and subway lines, department stores and Namba entertainment. Read more about which trains go where here!
Namba is one of Osaka’s most famous neighborhoods. Located right in the heart of the city, Namba is pulsing with life day and night and is one of the great places to stay in Osaka.
However, the nearby train stations can be a little confusing, because there are so many! There are, in fact, three station buildings at Namba in south central Osaka.
Namba Nankai Station, JR Namba Station, and Kintetsu Namba Station as well as the Osaka Municipal Subway Station.
Here’s a brief run-down of all the transportation you have from this area.
Subway: Namba station
Namba Station has Midōsuji and Sennichimae, Yotsubashi subway lines. In the subway, all lines are connected, so you can transfer subway lines without purchasing a new ticket.These subway lines are very useful.
You can go to Osaka Station and Honmachi, Nippombashi and Tsuruhashi (Koreatown).
Osaka subway trains on the Midosuji, Sennichimae and Yotsubashi lines connect with this station complex
Namba/Shinbaishi
©Scarper Montgomery on flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
Nankai Railway
Nankai Namba Station has its station building taken up by the Takashimaya department store and close to Namba City shopping mall and the recent Namba Parks development. Nankai Namba Station is a few minutes’ walk from the subway station. It connects Osaka with Sakai, Kishiwada, and Wakayama Prefecture, including Mt. Koya, throught Gokurakubashi.
It also is the best place to go from Kansai International Airport to Osaka city center.
Nankai rapid train, Namba Station, Osaka
©Japan Visitor
Kintetsu Hanshin Railways
Osaka Namba Station is the station shared by the Kintetsu and Hanshin Railways, also in the vicinity of the other Namba stations.
With Kintetsu, you can go all the way to Nagoya Tsuruhashi (which connects to the JR Osaka Loop Line) or Ise Shrine in Ise and other destinations in Mie Prefecture including Toba, Matsusaka, Tsu and Yokkaichi. The Kintetsu Nara Express will take you from Namba to Nara in just 40 minutes ! And to Ikoma, Yamato-Saidaiji and Kintetsu Nara Station. The Kintetsu also goes to Kyoto, but please note that it is not possible to go directly from Namba to Kyoto on the Kintetsu Line, you have to change in Nara! The Hanshin Railways goes in the opposite direction, towards Kobe and the Hanshin Tigers baseball stadium.
In 2009 the Hanshin Namba Line started to run into this station and the station name changed to Osaka Namba Station. The Hanshin Namba Line connects Amagasaki in Hyogo Prefecture with Namba in Osaka.
Namba HIPS Building, near Kintetsu Station, Osaka
©Japan Visitor
JR Namba station
JR Namba Station in the OCAT building is the terminal station of the Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line) which runs to Takada in Nara Prefecture via Tennoji Station, Oji, and JR Nara Station.
It’s a little separated from the other Namba Stations, so please note that if you are transferring, you will need to walk about 10 minutes. This JR Line connects southern Osaka with Nara. From JR Namba Station, there are also limousine buses to take you to Kansai Airport and Itami Airports.
If you are staying in Namba and would like to make the best use of your Japan Rail Pass, you can take the JR from Namba Station for one stop and change to the Osaka Loop Line at the next station, Imamiya. This is a great way to get around greater Osaka while you’re sightseeing!
JR Namba
©Wei-Te Wong on Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
Points of interest nearby Namba Station
Namba (Nanba) is a major shopping and entertainment area in Osaka. Just north of the stations is the Dotonbori Canal, the neon of Ebisu-bashi and a warren of closely packed streets full of shops, bars and restaurants in the Amerika Mura and Shinsaibashi districts.
The Namba Parks development is a mixed zone of commercial and office space with an urban garden connecting the different floors. The complex was designed by American architect and shopping mall specialist Jon Jerde.
Namba has a number of good cinemas, including the Namba Parks Cinema, Toho Cinemas Namba (in the Marui Building), Shikishima Cine Pop and Sennichimae Kokusai Gekijo.
Namba Hips Building and Bic Camera electronics mall are also in the area. Namba Hips is an entertainment, shopping and restaurant plaza with a freefall ride built into the figure-eight design in the front of the building.
