Osaka, Shin-Osaka or Shinsaibashi

Hi all,

Im very confused on where should i be staying when im in Osaka.

I'm thinking to base in Osaka and be visiting Kobe,Nara,Kyoto and Osaka attractions(not visiting Themepark).

Thinking to visit Hikone.

Does anyone know is there any attractions in Maibara? I was in my local tourism fair and 1 of the staff was telling me to made a visit there but i forget what is it there that i should see.

May i know what is the estimate days i should stay in Osaka?

From "JR Osaka station", you can go to your destinations without any transfer.

Other options are
-Namba, Tsuruhashi or Nishikujo stations(one transfer to Kyoto)
-Shin-Osaka(one transfer to Nara)

Recommended time allocation
1 to 2 days for Osaka
2 or 3 days for Kyoto
1 day for Kobe
1 day for Nara

Maibara is just a transportation city and not very interesting to an average tourist. Maybe the staff meant Nagahama?
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/shiga/nagahama.html

Thanks ts

I suppose you advise me to stay in Osaka Station?

What should I select for the jr namba station?
I tried selecting both namba(nankai) and (subway) to Kyoto seems like I could see the route.

I see the jr subway lines namba will move to 1 of the in the Osaka loop and head to Osaka station? This will seems further?

Another question are the attractions ,fun and happenings located more to the south of Osaka?

Namba to Nara
Take Kintetsu Railway(faster & cheaper than JR)

Namba to Kobe
Take Hanshin Railway(faster & cheaper than JR)

How to travel from Kobe to Nara via Namba
http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi/en/search.html?dep_node=SANNOMIYA(HANKYU)&...

Namba to Kyoto
Take Subway Midosuji Line to Yodoyabashi(Keihan) or Umeda(Hankyu). Keian Railway is convenient to travel to Eastern Kyoto, while Hankyu is for travelling Western and Central Kyoto.
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4006.html

ICOCA Card or Surutto Kansai Prepaid Card covers all these rail operaters. :)

try to Google maps of Osaka subways and of the lines of the various rail companies in the Kansai to help you understand the transportation system.
At the top of thi page there is a tab A-Z . click on it then under transportations/ trains check the Kansai. There is a lot of info with schematic maps.

Both Kita-Umeda and Minami -Namba have a vibrant night life. If you know where to look.

I have visited Osaka 6 or 7 times, I think , and haven't seen most of it yet...

Thanks guys.. Actually I'm having a jr pass for my trip. But if I only intending to use jr service as to save up on my transportation I suppose by doing this method to go places like Nara and Kyoto and Kobe will be kind of out of the way?as in it's a bigger loop and take longer time?

Btw thr namba station nankai and subway as seen in hyperdia is not operate by jr?

I will google it later on the map of osaka transportation and search the japan guide for the details.thanks again guys

You should enter JR-Namba. Except for access to Nara, you will see that JR does not provide convenient connections from JR-Namba. Furthermore, the station is not very centrally located within the Namba district:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4001.html