My parents used to tell me never to come here when I was a kid,” says the driver as we approach the buzzing, neon-lit district of Shinsekai. Its name translates to “new world” but it’s known for its distinctively retro feel, and it is hard to believe that it could be remotely dangerous, given the animated crowds of locals and foreigners alike.

Downtown Osaka is a heady mix of historic trading zones that date back to feudal times and bustling entertainment and hospitality areas that have achieved a degree of notoriety across Japan. Because these neighbourhoods are crunched so close together in this port city, they are bound to intermix. And, as the city prepares to host Expo 2025 (running from April to October), the improvements across the city – from infrastructure to hospitality and entertainment – have turned Osaka back into the thriving metropolis of international repute that it was a century ago.

Back in 1925, Osaka was Japan’s largest city and welcomed a steady stream of visitors coming in through the port. These days, visitors are more likely to come by air or rail, but there is no shortage of top-notch accommodation, led by the newly opened Four Seasons Hotel Osaka, which features stunning city views from all sides and boasts an entire floor inspired by the contemporary ryokan experience, complete with rush-grass tatami mats and soaking tubs. Another newcomer, a stone’s throw away, is The Osaka Station Hotel, Autograph Collection.

The Four Seasons Hotel Osaka (Photo: Ken Seet)The Four Seasons Hotel Osaka (Photo: Ken Seet)

A larger affair with 418 rooms, the 37th-floor presidential suite, known simply as “The Suite”, is the crown jewel, spread across 159 square metres. There are classics here, too: The St Regis Osaka, which opened in 2010 as the city’s first true modern luxury hotel, still retains its magic; and Conrad Osaka is a chic, moody spot with contemporary art peppered across its walls.

The latter is set on the ribbon-like island of Nakanoshima, which finds itself between the Dōjima and Tosabori rivers in the centre of the city. Home to some of the most impressive architecture from the city’s early-20th-century heyday – including the Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library and the Osaka City Central Public Hall – the three-kilometre-long islet is also now the site of César Pelli’s striking National Museum of Art, Osaka, the Katsuhiko Endo-designed Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka and the Nakanoshima Children’s Book Forest by Osaka native Tadao Ando.

opened in 2022, the Nakanoshima Museum of Art holds more 6,000 works from the mid-19th century onwards (Photo © Nakanoshima Museum of Art)

Another of the city’s architectural landmarks awaits a grand reopening early next year. The Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, known for its collection of some 13,500 items, has undergone a two-and-a-half-year-long renovation. The building is a historical treasure in its own right: abutting Keitakuen, a traditional-style garden in Tennoji Park, it was donated by the Sumitomo clan, the shapers of modern Japan and one of the foremost Kansai merchants.

the 1936-opened Museum of Fine Arts is one of Osaka’s oldest museums (Photo: Kosuke Sasaki)

For a more personal perspective on the city, try the 11-key Cuvée J2 Hôtel Osaka, a Shinichi Ogawa-designed, 14-floor hotel near Tennoji Park. Collaborating with 11 champagne maisons, each of the property’s guest rooms (there’s just one per storey) spotlights a different champagne maker, unfolding its unique vision through the decor and the brand’s signatory bottle. And even if you’re not overnighting here, head for Awa Sushi (“bubbles” in Japanese), a 10-seat sushi counter helmed by chef Ayumi Abe, who offers carefully curated edomae-style sushi that pairs perfectly with the heady champagne list.

outside the champagne-themed Cuvée J2 hotel (Photo © Cuvée J2 Hôtel Osaka by Onko Chishin)

Another design-conscious spot not to be missed nearby is Issey Miyake Semba. Full of fascinating insights into the creations of the legendary Japanese design powerhouse, this flagship store offers the full lineup of Issey Mikaye’s coveted wares and boasts a spacious gallery in the basement.

Issey Misake Semba (© ISSEY MIYAKE INC. Photo: Masaya Yoshimura)

Heading southwest towards Kitakagaya, the urban scenery shifts, and the former warehouses and factories once crucial to the local shipbuilding industry have been repurposed into more culture-focused spaces. The area is now home to around 50 art venues as well as numerous public murals, making it one of the best areas in the city to wander. Among the key projects here is MASK (Mega Art Storage Kitakagaya), offering “storage” facilities for artists to keep their large-scale installations. This sense of imperfection and transience is the essence of Osaka’s charm: be sure to stop by the Morimura@Museum, where the controversial, genre-defying works of internationally celebrated, Osaka-born artist Yasumasa Morimura take centre stage.

inside the atmospheric Morimura@Museum (Photo: Kazuo Fukunaga)

“There is no Daikanyama or Shibuya here,” says the driver, referring to Tokyo’s hippest neighbourhoods. “A cool cafe will pop up in the least-expected part of town and trendy visitors stream into places we locals would have never thought interesting. But that seems like my Osaka now,” he concludes with a shrug.

a mural by Ella & Pitr in Kitakagaya (Photo © Chishima Foundation)

 Header image: The Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts (Photo: Kosuke Sasaki)