This is my ONE DAY OSAKA ITINERARY FOR 3-6 YEAR OLDS WHO CANNOT KEEP STILL
See here for my full list of things to do with kids of all ages in Osaka.
See here for my hotel recommendations for while staying in Osaka as a family.
This blog post contains some affiliate links. This means that I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase using my link – at no additional charge to you.
Start the morning at the Osaka Castle Playground
Osaka Castle is a great place to visit with kids – for the castle but also mainly for the playground in the castle grounds. This is also a great spot for cherry blossoms in the right season.
The playground is just 10 minutes walk from the castle is Osaka Castle Playground Equipment Square (known in Japanese as Kodomo Tenshukaku). The highlight for your kids will be the giant roller slide! Warning, this park gets quite busy from midday on weekends. If you are going for the park and not the park and castle it is 1 minute walk from Morinomiya subway station or 2 minutes walk from JR Morinomiya Station.
idday on weekends. If you are going for the park and not the park and castle it is 1 minute walk from Morinomiya subway station or 2 minutes walk from JR Morinomiya Station.
And you also might want to check out Taiyo-no-Hiroba ( Osaka Castle Park) just a few minutes walk away as food festivals are held here more often than not.
There is also a playcentre in this park called Playville by Bornelund. It is open 10am-6pm (last entry at 5pm.) They have an outdoor and indoor play area. Parents must stay with children at all times.
They also have a baby play area. This who facility is fabulous and so so clean. Children must be younger than 12 to use the facilities (personally, I think that a child over 7 will find it to be a bit boring though.) A one day pass is 2700 yen per child on weekdays or 3500 yen on weekends.
Click here if you would like to book kimono rental and a photo shoot for the whole family at Osaka Castle and other nearby landmarks.
Explore Osaka Castle as a family
*Please note that, if you pre-purchase Osaka Castle tickets, tickets are only valid for 30 days.
If you haven’t pre-purchased tickets for Osaka Castle and there is a long line at the ticket booth – buy them online and skip the queue (I have no idea why more people don’t do this.)
Much of the interior of Osaka Castle is a museum dedicated to the history of the castle and Japanese history in general. The 8th floor is an observation deck where you can see the city of Osaka and the castle park.
There is also a playcentre in this park called Playville by Bornelund. It is open 10am-6pm (last entry at 5pm.) They have an outdoor and indoor play area. Parents must stay with children at all times.
They also have a baby playarea. This who facility is fabulous and so so clean. Children must be younger than 12 to use the facilities (personally, I think that a child over 7 will find it to be a bit boring though.) A one day pass is 2700 yen per child on weekdays or 3500 yen on weekends.
After checking out the castle, I recommend eating at Blue Birds Rooftop Terrace.
It has the castle as the backdrop and makes for such a special Osaka moment.
The cafe serves burgers, mochi, skewered meat, soba, sushi.
Check before you go as they can sometimes be closed for weddings or private events.
The entire venue is non-smoking.
It has an amazing open air terrace which is the main feature. So I wouldn’t bother on a rainy day.
You can reserve a barbeque (yakiniku) lunch or dinner here via the website (it is quite pricey though) in the summer months OR you can just visit the rooftop with the lovely view for a coffee etc on a weekday between 11:30am-3pm.
BLUEBIRDS ROOFTOP TERRACE
大阪市中央区大阪城1大阪城1-1
1-1 OSAKA-JO, 1 OSAKA-JO, CHUO-KU, OSAKA-SHI
OPEN 11AM – 8PM
Alternative spots for a snack and a drink:
Starbucks, OBP Matsushita IMP Building branch is 8 mins walk from Osakajokoen Station (Osaka Castle Park Station) Open 7:30am-10pm (from 8am on weekends.)
Vegan options at Japanese Starbucks include:
(Always need to double check in case they have changed the recipe at all, of course)
-the Sugar Donut
-the Mushroom Keema Curry Hot Tortilla
-the Banana Rice Flour Muffin
-the Blueberry Bagel Sandwich
Mister Donut is also 7 mins walk from Osakajokoen Station (Osaka Castle Park Station) Open 9am-8pm.
This blog post contains some affiliate links. This means that I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase using my link – at no additional charge to you.
Next, take the train for 8 mins to Kids Plaza
*From Morinomiya Station to Tenma Station on the Osaka Loop Line (use google maps to check but it usually departs from Platform 1)
Kids Plaza is an indoor children’s museum meets playcentre. It is adorable and I’ve yet to meet a child who doesn’t absolutely love it here.
I recommend spending 2-3 hours here with kids.
This is a fabulous place for kids with lots of energy to burn- here they can be loud and literally climb the walls.
My little boy loved all the climbing and my little girl could not get enough of the pretend play supermarket, post office and the pretend tv reporter station.
The staff speak enough English to help with almost every single part of the museum so language isn’t an issue at all.
They will also store your stroller while you are in the museum – free of charge.
Lots of change tables everywhere.
The food here isn’t great so I recommend a meal before or straight after. There are vending machine snacks and some candy / bread options inside.
There is a park right next door to the Plaza too.
KIDS PLAZA OSAKA
大阪市北区荻町2-1-7
2-1-7 OGIMACHI, KITA-KU, OSAKA
OPEN 9:30AM-5PM
CHECK ONLINE FIRST IF YOU PLAN ON VISITING ON MONDAYS OR TUESDAY
AS THESE DAYS ARE SOMETIMES HOLIDAYS
ADMISSION: ADULTS 1400 YEN,
ELEMENTARY & JUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS 800 YEN
3 YEARS + 500 YEN
Take a taxi for 11 mins to Umeda (will cost approx 1500 yen)
Lunch option 1:
Egg dishes & Pancakes piled with whipped cream (8 mins walk from Umeda Station)
Eggs’n’Things is a Hawaiian restaurant built around the concept of “All Day Breakfast” ( a relatively new idea for Japan.) It is light and bright and there are several of these restaurants around Japan but this is branch my favourite – mainly because of the space and shorter lines. This restaurant is well-known for the mountain of whipped cream on their sweet pancakes. YUM! They also have savoury options and a kids menu (egg and hamburger steak plate or fruit and cream pancakes with a chocolate pen to decorate). They have high chairs and the staff are very welcoming when it comes to families. Some gluten free friends of mine have had luck eating here eating meat dishes but ordering rice instead of bread (and also showing a bilingual card explaining that they are gluten free.) However, please note that there is no official gluten free menu.
This restaurant accepts most major credit cards and the entire restaurant is non-smoking. Free colouring for kids too.
EGGS’N’THINGS UMEDA CHAYAMACHI
大阪市北区茶屋町1-45
1-45 CHAYAMACHI, KITA-KU, OSAKA
OPEN 9AM-8PM
Lunch option 2:
On the 29th floor of Hankyu 32 Bangai, is an okonomiyaki restaurant called Tsuruhashi Fugetsu. You cook your own okonomiyaki on a hot plate at your table (don’t worry – the staff will help you if you don’t know what to do.) You can also make yakisoba. This is a great option for kids as they can get involved AND they can decide exactly which ingredients go in their meal. See my tips here on how to order a vegetarian okonomiyaki. You can ask your hotel to make a reservation for you or you can just try for a walk-in. The restaurant seats 122 people so, hopefully, you won’t wait long if you just line up. This restaurant is non-smoking. They accept most major credit cards. See the full Tsuruhashi Fugetsu menu in English here. There is a really nice view of Osaka from this restaurant. They have space for you to enter with a stroller.
This restaurant is 3 mins walk from Umeda Station or 10 mins walk from JR Osaka Station.
TSURUHASHI FUGETSU, HANKYU 32 BANGAI BUILDING
大阪市北区角田町8-47 阪急グランドビル 29F
29TH FLOOR, HANKYU GRAND BUILDING, 8-47 KAKUTA-CHO, KITA-KU, OSAKA
OPEN 11AM-11PM
There is a baby change table in the toilets on this floor
Lunch option 3:
A hearty meal with all-you-can-eat bread and rice
A fabulous lunch or dinner option for kids (and parents) who want a really hearty meal,I recommend Bakery & Restaurant Saint Marc. This is a walk-in only restaurant
This is a restaurant where you order your meal and also enjoy all you can eat bread (or switch bread for rice if you prefer!)
This restaurant accepts most major credit cards. They have a place to store your stroller while you dine.
There is also a kid’s menu that includes options like a kid’s Japanese curry, macaroni gratin or children’s doria with potato wedges, broccoli and tomatoes, mini hamburgers served with wedges and salad and also a kid’s bento plate that has a piece of chicken, a burger patty, some broccoli, tomato and corn with wedges with some small jellies. Kids meals are all under 1000 yen.
The meals for adults are mostly steaks and hamburger steaks served on sizzling hot plates or pastas or salads and main dishes can come as an all you can eat bread or rice set. You can also pay a few hundred yen extra and make use of the all-you-can-drink soft drink and juice bar.
This restaurant is 4 mins walk from Umeda Station.
Here is the Bakery& Restaurant Saint Marc full allergen menu list.
An example of a kid’s meal at Bakery & Table Restaurant Saint Marc
BAKERY & RESTAURANT SAINT MARC, OSAKA STATION CITY
16TH FLOOR, OSAKA STATION CITY SOUTH GATE BUILDING, UMEDA, KITA-KU, OSAKA
OPEN 11AM-10PM
Lunch option 4:
“Australian” Steak and Seafood
Hate to break the hearts of Americans that love the Outback Steakhouse – but it isn’t even a little bit “Australian” to me. I am partial to a “bloomin’ onion” from here though. I really like it here – especially when dining with kids. The portions are generous and it’s very kid friendly. They even have high chairs. It is 10 mins walk from Umeda Station or 2 mins walk from Nishi-Umeda Station. They welcome children- they have a kids menu and space to store strollers while you dine. Please note that a 10% service charge is added to your bill when you dine here. They do accept most major credit cards. I recommend budgeting 2000 yen for an adult lunch meal and more like 4000 yen at dinner time. This restaurant is completely non-smoking. See the full Outback Steakhouse menu here. You can make a reservation on the Outback Steakhouse website here. The bread rolls here are good – and also good to put in a ziplock bag to heat up in the morning for breakfast too (yes I’m THAT lady.)
If it’s your birthday, these guys can do a dessert with a candle, sing you happy birthday and do a commemorative photo. See all the Outback Steakhouse birthday details here. They also have two birthday cakes available for purchase.
OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE
大阪市北区堂島1-6-20 堂島アバンザ B1F
B1F, DOJIMA AVANZA, 1-6-20 DOJIMA, KITA-KU, OSAKA
OPEN WEEKDAYS 5PM-10PM (LAST ORDERS 9PM)
OPEN WEEKENDS 11:30AM-10PM
Want to know more of our favourite kid-friendly restaurants in the Umeda / JR Osaka area? See here.
Walk for a few minutes to the Pokemon DX Store in Osaka for shopping
The Pokemon DX Store (on the 13th floor) is just above JR Osaka Station.
Walk for 11 mins to Umekita Green for some green and some outdoor time
Grab convenience store treats and enjoy them as a picnic on the grass here.
Here are all of our favourite convenience store treats.
There is a lovely green space just next to JR Osaka Station and close to Umeda Station. It is a big grassy area and kids can play in the fountains here in summer months too. It is called Umekita Green Place. It is a great place for kids to have a play or just for everyone to sit and have a little picnic.
Walk for 11 mins to Round 1 Umeda for bowling, claw machines & karaoke
See here if you’d like some tips on how to make the most out of karaoke with kids.
Next, take the train for 9 mins + 5 mins walk to Namba Parks (you can also take a cab for 13 mins)
Namba Parks is a massive shopping mall with shops and restaurants and a cinema etc.
There is a toddler toilet on the 5th floor in the Namba Parks complex and a rooftop free playspace. It is also possible to rent strollers for babies for use inside the Namba Parks complex.
Namba Parks also houses my favourite brand of 100 yen store, Seria.
Seria (my favourite brand of 100 yen shops!) It’s within the Namba Parks shopping mall complex and is open 11am-9pm.
Then, on the 6th floor go to Namco for Print Clubs
Print clubs are the photobooths that print your pictures as stickers. You will need to take some cash.
See the toys Japanese kids are loving at Toys’r’Us Japan (ground floor)
We have bought so many cool toys that we haven’t seen anywhere else. We particularly love the takara tomy range. For those with younger children – this toys r us also has a fab range of nappies / diapers and baby food etc.
Visit the Rooftop playspace on the 9th floor of the Namba Parks complex
It’s a free space. See pictures of the free play space here.
Have dinner at Namba Parks
Dinner option 1:
While in the Namba Parks Shopping Mall, we like to eat at casual Italian restaurant “To the Herbs.” They serve pasta and pizza and desserts. They also have high chairs. There are wax replicas of all meals outside the restaurant (makes it really easy for kids to choose what they would like to eat.)
I recommend budgeting for 2000 yen per adult for lunch to eat here and budget for more like 3500 yen per adult at dinner time. They accept most major credit cards. They have an English menu.
TO THE HERBS, NAMBA PARKS OSAKA
難波中2-10-70 なんばパークス 6F
6TH FLOOR, NAMBA PARKS, 2-10-70, NAMBA
OPEN 11AM-9PM
Dinner option 2:
Kua’aina for burgers, sandwiches and pancakes.
They have a kids menu and space for strollers too. See here for the Kua’aina menu.
KUA’AINA NAMBA PARKS
大阪市浪速区難波中2-10-70 なんばパークス 6F
6TH FLOOR OF NAMBA PARKS
OPEN 11AM-10PM
