If you’re more of a spontaneous traveler than a meticulous planner, remember one thing for Osaka: the Kansai Joy Pass.
I used the Kansai Joy Pass on our 2023 Osaka trip and again in April 2024. This time it came bundled with a Universal Studios Japan ticket, which made planning even easier. The pass covers Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, Shiga and Okayama.
It’s worth checking the participating facilities in advance.
The Kansai Joy Pass lets you choose three facilities across the Kansai region, so you can go wherever you like: Umeda Sky Building’s Floating Garden, the Osaka Wonder Cruise, the Kyoto Railway Museum, Umeda shopping malls and restaurants. Pick three, show your pass at the information desk, and you’ll get a ticket or go straight in. As of 2024, you had three months from purchase to start using it, and it was valid for seven days. Here are the three places we used it, followed by a few more recommendations.
1. Three Places We Used the Kansai Joy Pass
- Umeda Sky Building Floating Garden admission
- LUCUA mall 1,000-yen coupon
- Eki Marche 1,000-yen coupon
I missed the Floating Garden on our last Osaka trip, so this time we went with the Kansai Joy Pass. It’s one of Osaka’s top attractions and really feels like you’re floating in the sky, especially at sunset.
2. Umeda Sky Building Floating Garden
Umeda is full of skyscrapers, a bit like Yeouido or Gangnam in Seoul, and it has a different vibe from Dotonbori and Namba.
- Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., open daily
- Admission: as of 2024, 1,500 yen for adults and 700 yen for children
With some other passes, free entry only applies before 4 p.m., but the Kansai Joy Pass works at any time.
There seemed to be an event the day we visited, with food trucks and big crowds. In 2023 there was a baseball victory festival, and this time another festival, so Yans grabbed a food-truck snack on the way.
The Floating Garden is in the Umeda Sky Building, about 12 minutes on foot from Umeda Station. With traffic lights, it took us about 15 minutes, a little longer because of construction nearby.
How to Get to the Floating Garden
Take the escalator from the first floor to the third, then the Floating Garden elevator to the 39th floor. There are only two elevators, so there was a short wait. It isn’t a high-speed elevator, but the glass walls kept Yans entertained.
At the ticket counter, we showed our Kansai Joy Pass and received tickets right away.
Another escalator takes you up to a space with panoramic glass windows.
We’d been to Harukas 300 the day before, and this skyscraper had a charm all its own.
Mirrors on the ceiling make the view feel even grander, and a gallery tells the story of how the Floating Garden was built.
We ordered drinks at the cafe and took a break. Sit at the bar-style counter by the window for the best photo spot.
Then we took the stairs to the rooftop, the Floating Garden itself. Looking down was dizzying.
The real reason we came was to enjoy a clear blue sky, something we don’t always get at home.
Go after 4:30 p.m. to catch the sunset. Watching the sun go down right in front of you is breathtaking.
If you’re in Osaka, don’t miss it. After sightseeing, it was time to shop, so we headed back to Umeda Station.
3. LUCUA Mall 1,000-Yen Coupon
We headed to LUCUA, a mall full of popular Japanese brands. With the Kansai Joy Pass, you get a 1,000-yen discount coupon, and with two passes we got 2,000 yen off.
How to Get the LUCUA Coupon
Show your Kansai Joy Pass at the first-floor information desk in LUCUA 1100 to receive a 1,000-yen coupon.
Coupons work at both LUCUA 1100 and LUCUA.
Some shops don’t accept them, so you get a guide sheet; McDonald’s is excluded. Otherwise you can use them for shopping or food anywhere in the mall.
LUCUA 1100 and LUCUA are linked on each floor. We crossed over on the seventh floor and went up to the eighth for the character goods.
The eighth floor is a shopping paradise, with 3COINS+plus, the Ghibli shop, a Moomin shop and Muji. Yans came to see Kiki’s Delivery Service and Ponyo, his current favorites.
A giant sleeping Totoro greets you on the eighth floor, and the shop sells Ghibli goods and figures.
There are plush toys, Catbus hats, figures and gorgeous character tableware; I wanted everything.
There’s even the bakery from Kiki’s Delivery Service and Jiji. Yans bought two Kiki figures and Ponyo on a boat.
With the coupons, we paid just 100 yen extra.
LUCUA has so much variety that shopping there is a blast.
4. Eki Marche: Two 500-Yen Coupons
After shopping we were hungry, so we went to Eki Marche beneath Umeda Station, also covered by the Kansai Joy Pass.
Go to the information desk and show your pass for two 500-yen coupons. With two passes, we got four, 2,000 yen in total.
Eki Marche is packed with restaurants, so choosing was hard. Yans wanted ramen, so we went to a Hakata ramen shop inside.
The line was huge, but it moved quickly. Normally you order at the kiosk outside, but when we said we had coupons, they let us in to order, hand over the coupons and pay the difference.
The Hakata ramen was delicious, an unexpected treat in Osaka and the perfect reward after a busy day. Yans loved it too.
5. Other Places You Can Use the Kansai Joy Pass
We used ours for shopping, food and the Floating Garden, but here are a few other options.
At the Takoyaki Market, you can spend 1,000 yen per pass.
You can also ride the Osaka Wonder Cruise in Dotonbori, which we did in 2023.
At the Dotonbori Riverside Under Pub, you can eat by the river or take food to go. That’s how we made the most of our Kansai Joy Pass, and I recommend it for any Osaka trip.
This time we combined it with a Universal Studios Japan ticket, and it truly felt like an essential travel companion. It’s all you need for a great Osaka trip.
This post was written with travel support from WAUG.
Prices, hours and details in this post are from our visit in May 2024 and may have changed, so check the latest information before you go.