If you enjoy food and cooking, there is one place in Osaka that I definitely recommend visiting: Hankyu Umeda Main Store.
Located right next to Osaka-Umeda Station, Hankyu is one of the most iconic department stores in the Kansai region. For people in Osaka, it is much more than a place to shop for fashion. It is also a wonderful place to discover Japanese food, seasonal specialties, beautiful tableware, and kitchen tools.
Start with the amazing food floors
My first recommendation is the basement food hall, or “depachika.”
“Depachika” literally means “department store basement,” but Japanese department-store food halls are something quite special. Hankyu’s food floors are huge, and you can find beautifully prepared bento boxes, sushi, Japanese side dishes, bread, sweets, wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionery), and many seasonal foods.
Even if you are not planning to buy much, it is worth simply walking around and looking.
Japanese department stores put a lot of care into the presentation of food, so the depachika is also a great place to see how Japanese people think about seasonality, gift-giving, packaging, and food quality.
If you are looking for something to eat back at your hotel, this is also a very good place to pick up dinner or dessert.
And don’t miss Hanshin next door
There is actually another major department store just next to Hankyu: Hanshin Department Store.
Hanshin has traditionally been particularly famous in Osaka for food — you will sometimes hear the expression “Food means Hanshin” (食の阪神).
Its B1 food floor has fresh food, prepared dishes, sweets, bread and more, while the famous Snack Park is a fun place to try casual Osaka food. Hanshin also has restaurants and food areas on other floors.
So, if you love food, I recommend visiting both Hankyu and Hanshin. They are very close to each other, but the atmosphere is a little different.
For cooks: head to the 7th floor
This is another section I particularly recommend.
On the 7th floor of Hankyu, you will find kitchenware, diningware and Japanese tableware.
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For anyone who enjoys cooking, this floor can be surprisingly dangerous — in a good way!
You can find beautifully made Japanese products alongside international brands. Look out for Japanese names such as Nousaku, known for metalware; Hyozaemon, known for chopsticks; Sghr Sugahara, known for handmade glassware; and Arita Porcelain Lab, which creates contemporary pieces based on the tradition of Arita porcelain. There is also a good selection of Japanese tableware and general kitchenware.
It is a great place to look for a practical souvenir that you can actually use at home.
After taking a cooking class in Osaka, you might even find yourself looking at chopsticks, bowls and kitchen tools in a completely different way!
Tax-free shopping is available
Hankyu is also very convenient for international visitors.
Eligible overseas visitors can use the tax refund service. At Hankyu Umeda Main Store, tax-refund procedures are available at the Foreign Customer Services Counter on B1, and there is also a self-service tax-refund machine on the 1st floor during designated hours. Conditions and service fees apply, so it is a good idea to check the latest information before shopping.
My recommendation
If you have an hour or two around Umeda, try this little food-and-cooking route:
Hankyu depachika → Hankyu 7F kitchenware → Hanshin food floor
You will see three different sides of Japanese food culture: what we eat, how beautifully we present it, and the tools we use to cook and serve it.
And if you have joined us for a cooking class at Osaka Cooking Base, it is also a fun place to continue exploring some of the ingredients, tableware and food culture we talked about during the class.
Happy exploring — and try not to go to the depachika when you’re hungry!
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