Best area to stay in Osaka

Hi! We will be visiting Japan with our two 7-yr old boys in late August. We were planning to stay in Osaka for a few days, using it as a base to visit Nara, Kobe, and Kyoto on day trips and then spending a night in Koya-san.

What neighborhood is the best place to stay in Osaka? We will be renting thru Airbnb, not hotels. We will mostly be in town during the evenings, so we have been looking near Dotonburi and Namba station seems best. Any other suggestions?

Thanks!
Erik

I like Tennoji. Quiet area with some department stalls. Though Namba is great too.

As for using Airbnb any reason why? There are perfectly good hotels in Japan.

As for using Airbnb any reason why? There are perfectly good hotels in Japan.

Perhaps you don't quite understand the niche that Airbnb fills...

You mean staying with the local people? Eating home cooked food? Possibly learning how to shop and eat like a Osaka person?

If so, I've seen AirBnb places that offer little in terms of cultural communication. Though, I suppose having a bed is better than couch surfing. Especially for the young.

I just like Ryokan. Spreading the love....?

I have never used Airbnb, but as far as I searched, Airbnb is quite different from couch-surfing: Airbnb is a fee-charging service while couch-surfing is voluntary service. In many cases, Airbnb supplies an apartment room or an isolated house in which the users stay by themselves. In Japan, hotel rooms which accommodate four persons are rare while you can find many on Airbnb.

As for the district, Namba should be best: you can go directly (with no transit) to Nara (by Kintetsu), Kobe (by Hanshin) and Koyasan (by Nankai) though you can not go directly to Kyoto. Umeda is also nice: Kobe by Hanshin, Hankyu or JR, Nara by JR (via Tennoji), Kyoto by Hankyu or JR. You must transit at Namba to go to Koyasan though. As for Tennoji, you can go to Kyoto directly using Haruka limited express. If you have a JR-Pass (nation wide, Kansai Area or Kansai Wide Area), Tennoji is a very good candidate. Based on Tennoji you will use JR's roop line which is an overhead railway so that you can enjoy Osaka's scenery though it is not so attractive even from the former Osakan's view :).

You mean staying with the local people? Eating home cooked food? Possibly learning how to shop and eat like a Osaka person?

That sounds more relateable to couch surfing to me, but I suppose they also apply to Airbnb presuming you aren't expecting the property owner to actually be hosting you.

For a family of four I would guess it's probably more the value associated with being able to get a relatively larger place for the money, and the possibility to live like a local (not necessarily with a local though).

Depends on what you are doing: with a JR Pass, and day trips on Shinkansen, then Umeda to Shin Osaka is key.
If in Osaka for Osaka itself, and eating, having fun and night shopping etc then Namba/Shinsaibashi does it.
For access to Koyasan, Wakayama, Nara etc then consider Tennoji/Shin Imamiya
Whatever, nowhere is far away in Osaka with a prepaid ICOCA/SUICA card....
Air BnB tend to NOT be near the major stations of Umeda/Namab/Tennoji: as long as you are near somewhere major then you will be fine.
Hotels are near major stations; AirBnB are often not: add in the travel time to and from your appartment to your day�fs commute.
oh, and avoid rush hour.....

Thank you for the helpful info!

To answer the many questions about airbnb. It's amazing. Hotels that can accommodate families are rare and extremely expensive in Japan. For less than half the price, you can get a proper one bedroom or even two bedroom apartment in a real neighborhood, with a kitchen that allows us to shop for groceries and eat breakfast at home (a bonus when traveling with kids). Plus, it is so much more rewarding to live outside a hotel and see a bit of less touristy japanese life. Did I mention it is less than half the price of a hotel?

There are loads of airbnb units near the main stations in Osaka. We booked one in Namba/DenDen that is 5 min walk to Namba station.

We will be doing day trips to Nara, Koyasan, and Kobe.

Thanks!
Erik

I think airbnb is a "legally gray " business in Japan.
hotels and ryokans are regulated by laws, especially they are requesting to have facilities to escape guests safely from each room when emergency (fire). airbnb rooms don't have such facilities, because those are for private use only.
if you use airbnb, you should not expect any kind of help in emergency.

I don't know what will happen.
when someone invades into your room, I don't think airbnb room owner has a responsibility. however, when you are in hotels, I think they are responsible for the result at least in some extent, because they are requesting to protect their guests.

We've stayed in airbnb units in other countries and have had amazing experiences that you just can't get in a hotel.

As far as emergencies go, the units are in residential buildings, so the typical emergency precautions apply. I agree that they can be in a bit of a grey area regulations-wise, but you need to be aware of that and willing to go for it.

A lot of the airbnb accommodations in Japan seem to be quasi-commercial operations that have strange requirements (ie, don't answer the door, don't talk to neighbors, etc). We won't rent units that are so clearly illegal.