Namba Oriental Hotel Review

Namba Oriental Hotel
  • Location
  • Rooms
  • Services & Facilities
  • Clean/Comfort
  • Value
4

Summary

I love Namba, so I really enjoyed this super convenient location! The hotel is a great base from which you can easily explore Namba and the surrounding areas. The room size was nice, and I really enjoyed the garden patio. I also liked the wide variety of the breakfast buffet, and the fish and chips at Hub! However, the services and facilities at the hotel felt a little lacking for the price I paid. While the location makes up for a lot of the hotel’s shortcomings, I felt it was a little expensive for the experience I received.

Can’t get enough of Namba’s electric atmosphere? Stay there in comfort at the Namba Oriental Hotel, a mid-range hotel positioned right in the heart of Namba’s shopping, dining, and entertainment area.

Though mere minutes away from both Namba Station, a busy transportation hub, and Dotonbori, one of Osaka’s highlights, the hotel retains a peaceful ambiance.

Soak up the natural light in the courtyard while watching the fountain, and you’ll never believe you’re right in the middle of Osaka’s busiest shopping district!

While the hotel is a little faded, and the lobby can often smell of cigarette smoke, the rooms are clean. The hotel has a number of modern features guests will appreciate. There is free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and LAN cables in each room, not to mention a Nespresso machine.

When you’re out and about in Osaka, the hotel offers guests Handy, a free phone available for guests to use. If you’ve never been to Osaka before, this is a huge help navigating the city!

Hotel Overview


Namba Oriental Hotel is a mid-range hotel with 258 rooms and is located within the Minami Sennichi-Mae Shopping Arcade.

The hotel has a number of amenities, including currency exchange (foreign currency to yen, not the other way round), and a selection of restaurants.

It’s within a 5-minute walk from Namba Station, which connects guests with JR trains, the Osaka Municipal Subway System, highway buses, and the limousine buses to Osaka’s airports.

Namba is a lively district, and there are countless shopping and dining options within easy walking distance from the hotel. The Namba Oriental Hotel makes a great base from which to explore Osaka and beyond.

The front desk is open 24 hours. Check-in is from 3:00pm and check-out is at 11:00am. The staff at the front desk speaks English, Mandarin, and Korean (and, of course, Japanese).

Although there is no safe deposit box in the guest rooms, you can leave your valuables in a safe at reception.

The hotel offers both smoking and non-smoking rooms. I highly recommend asking for a non-smoking room. The pervasive smell of cigarette smoke in the lobby and the elevator was quite off-putting.

The courtyard, however, with its open space, potted palms, and fountain was really lovely. It was the perfect place to relax after the hustle and bustle of Namba.

If you want to check for deals on the best rates, Booking.com is a good place to start:   Namba Oriential Hotel.  Another good option would be Agoda.com:  Namba Oriential Hotel.

Pros vs. Cons

Pros

  • Amazing location in the heart of Namba
  • Despite the busy area surrounding the hotel, it’s quiet and restful
  • Rooms are spacious by Japanese hotel standards
  • “Handy” phone provided for guests to use while navigating Osaka
  • Guests have the option of breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and there is a wealth of dining options, both in and out of the hotel

Cons

  • You have to take two elevators, the first to reach the hotel reception, the second to reach your room
  • Hotel is faded and not looking its best
  • Strong cigarette smell in lobby and elevator
  • Hotel parking is located in a separate building, a 5-minute walk from the hotel
  • The Wi-Fi quality is poor

 

Location

Food vendor at the outdoor Kuromon Market in Osaka. They are grilling slices of melon with a blowtorch.

Namba is a lively area, jam-packed with the shopping that Osaka is famous for. You’ll find everything from international brands to quirky niche stores catering to one of Osaka’s flashy fashion trends.

Wander down the long, covered shopping arcades, enjoying people-watching, or duck down the side streets and alleys to find bars and restaurants frequented by Osaka locals.

The Namba Oriental Hotel is within walking distance from Osaka’s most famous market: Kuromon Market. Kuromon is known as “Osaka’s kitchen” due to its many stalls that sell everything needed in traditional Japanese cooking.

In addition to fresh fish and vegetables, there are stalls catering to tourists, selling everything from Osakan delicacies like takoyaki to fresh oysters.

It’s also a short walk to Dotonbori, home to restaurants and theaters since the Edo-period. Today, Dotonbori is known for its position at the forefront of fashion trends and its colorful advertisements. Dotonbori comes to life after dark, when the gaudy neon signs are at their best and brightest. If you’ve ever wanted to see a human-sized mechanical crab, Dotonbori is the place to go.

How to Get There

Arriving by air (Kansai International Airport)

Take the Airport Limousine bound for Namba OCAT. Board the bus at stop 11 at the Arrival Hall Level, right outside the passenger terminal building. The trip costs 1,000 yen (500 yen for children aged 6 to 12), and takes roughly 50 minutes.

At Namba (OCAT), get off the bus and head towards the Nankai line Namba Station.

Take the North Exit, riding the long escalator down. Turn right at the bottom of the escalator, walking past the Namba Information Center, and turn left.

Exit the building and continue walking with the Takashimaya Department Store on your right, in the direction of Shinsaibashi-Suji and Dotonbori. You’ll reach a large pedestrian crossing that leads into a covered shopping arcade.

Keep going straight down the shopping arcade until you see a store on the corner called Jumbo. Turn left there, and continue until you see the entrance to the Namba Oriental Hotel on your right (just after Terry’s Coffee). Enter, and take the elevator to the 3rd floor where reception is located.

Another option is to take the Nankai Limited Express Train from Kansai International Airport to Namba Station. The trip costs 1,390 yen and takes roughly 40 minutes. Upon arrival at Nankai Namba station, exit the ticket gates and simply follow the directions above.

Arriving by Air (Osaka International Airport)

Take the Airport Limousine bus for Namba OCAT. Board the bus at stop 12 at the South Terminal, bus stop 2 at the North Terminal. The trip takes approximately 40 minutes and costs 640 yen for an adult, 320 yen for a child.

At Namba (OCAT), get off the bus and head towards the Nankai Line at Namba Station.

Take the North Exit, riding the long escalator down. Turn right at the bottom of the escalator, walking past the Namba Information Center, and turn left.

Exit the building and continue walking with the Takashimaya Department Store on your right in the direction of Shinsaibashi-Suji and Dotonbori.

You’ll reach a large pedestrian crossing that leads into the covered shopping arcade.

Keep going straight down the shopping arcade until you see a store on the corner called Jumbo. Turn left there, and continue until you see the entrance to the Namba Oriental Hotel on your right.

Enter, and take the elevator to the 3rd floor where reception is located.

By Shinkansen/Bullet Train (from Shin-Osaka Station via the Subway)

Exit the JR station and transfer to the Osaka City subway lines. Take the Midosuji Line in the direction of Tennoji, getting off at Namba Station. The trip costs 280 yen and takes 15 minutes. After getting off the train, exit via the northeast ticket gates and turn right.

Follow the signs towards Namba Walk, passing a store called Kitto on your left.

Take exit B21, riding the escalator to street level. Enter the covered shopping arcade Sennichi-Mae on your right.

The entrance to Namba Oriental Hotel is on your left, next to a Lawson convenience store.

Enter, and take the elevator to the 3rdfloor where reception is located.

By JR Line (from Osaka Station)

From Osaka Station, transfer to the Umeda Subway Station, a 5-minute walk. Take the Midosuji Line in the direction of Tennoji, getting off at Namba. The trip costs 230 yen and takes 9 minutes. After getting off the train, exit via the northeast ticket gates and turn right.

Follow the signs towards Namba Walk, passing a store called Kitto on your left. Take exit B-21, riding the escalator to street level.

Enter the covered shopping arcade Sennichi-Mae on your right. The entrance to Namba Oriental Hotel is on your left, next to a Lawson convenience store.

Enter, and take the elevator to the 3rd floor where reception is located.

Rooms


The Namba Oriental Hotel offers guest rooms with a choice of king, double, or twin beds. Guests have the option of staying on the Oriental Floors (4th and 5th floors), or the Oriental Quality Floors (on floors 6 – 9).

All rooms are equipped with a combination air-conditioner/heating unit and a purifier/humidifier, which help to keep the rooms fresh and comfortable. Buy a ticket from reception to access video on demand through the TV in your room. Toiletries, tea, and coffee-making facilities, a refrigerator, and yukata(a kimono used for sleeping) are provided in each room.

Price


Prices are taken from the hotel’s official site and were correct at the time this article was written. Check the prices before you make a reservation. Prices are in the format Non-refundable (save 15%)/Room only/Room and Breakfast:

Oriental Floor

  • Queen (23m²): 17,000 yen/20,000 yen/21,500 yen
  • Twin (23m²): 17,000 yen/20,000 yen/21,500 yen
  • Deluxe Triple (32m²): 28,050 yen/33,000 yen/37,500 yen

Oriental Quality Floor

  • King (23m²): 19,500 yen/23,000 yen/24,500 yen
  • Twin (23m²): 19,500 yen/23,000 yen/24,500 yen
  • Deluxe Triple (32m²): 38,250 yen/45,000 yen/49,500 yen
  • Executive Premier Triple (56m²): n.a /49,980 yen/54,480 yen

Hotel Facilities


Namba Oriental Hotel incorporates four restaurants.

The Japanese-style restaurant on the second floor serves a breakfast buffet between 7:00am – 10:00am for 1,944 yen. The breakfast food is skewed towards Japanese items, with rice-porridge, steamed sushi, and skewers of meat and vegetables, but you’ll still find Western staples like sausage, bacon, and eggs. Lunch is served between 11:00am – 2:30pm (last order 2:00pm), and dinner is served between 5:00pm – 10:00pm (last entry 8:30pm).

There’s also the Hub, a British-style pub on the third floor, perfect for expatriates craving fish and chips. Italian, Korean, and yakiniku restaurants can be found on the 1st floor. Of course, there are even more food options within walking distance from the hotel.

Within reception is a touchscreen information panel that allows guests to look up local attractions and print out maps.

There is a restful patio with a fountain, potted palm trees, and benches on the 4th floor.

If you have clothes to wash, you have the choice of taking advantage of the hotel’s laundry and dry cleaning services or washing your clothes yourself courtesy of the self-service machines on the 4th and 5th floors.

Access for Guests with Disabilities

There is elevator access throughout the hotel.

Booking/Reservations

Make reservations on Agoda here:  Namba Oriential Hotel

Insider’s Tips

If you book directly through the hotel website and you’ll be treated to your choice of a special Japanese sweet or souvenir on arrival.  However, make sure you get the best price.  Sometimes, sites like Booking.com or Agoda.com have better prices or more availability.

The elevators can get busy, and you can end up spending a lot of time waiting for them, so if staying in Osaka during peak season, consider booking a room on a lower floor.

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Photo of author

Louise

Louise first arrived in Japan in 2003 as a JET Programme participant, intending to stay for just one year. She had no idea she would end up spending eleven years exploring the country that has become her second home. Although able to navigate the big metropolises of Tokyo and Osaka with ease, Louise's real love is rural life, spending six years in beautiful Shimane prefecture. Now back in her native New Zealand, Louise is exploring her passion for writing.

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