Shin-Osaka or Osaka Station

I'll be traveling from KIX (airport hotel) to Tokyo. Which is a better station to explore for food (Breakfast/Lunch) and time to kill before I head to Tokyo? I'll have my luggage with me (carry on) and plan to arrive Tokyo late afternoon for my airbnb checkin.

Is it worth leaving the station to explore the area around Osaka for 1/2 day?

I'll be traveling back to Osaka and staying near Shin-Osaka to go to Okayama/Himeji for a day trip and spending a day or two in Osaka on my return.

There is more things to see and do around Osaka station compared to Shin-Osaka station.

If you are going to be in Osaka later on anyway, why not gkill the timeh somewhere in between Osaka and Tokyo.

Assuming that youfll have already some time allocated for Kyoto, what about half a day in Nagoya? You can leave your luggage in a locker at the station and pick it up in the evening when taking the next Shinkansen to Tokyo.

Otherwise yes, I agree. In ShinOsaka station the only thing you can do is eat. Outside of the station is nothing interesting. Take it from someone who has been staying in that part of the city for many weeks on business trips.

So if you only have 1-1,5 h and want to eat, i would head to ShinOsaka station eat there and then leave for Tokyo. (Alternatively you could obviously skip the eating part and get a bento and eat on the train).

If you have some more time /donft need time for eating, then Ifd put my luggage in a locker at Osaka station and go to some specific place that interests you in Osaka. However as said, my preference would be to stop somewhere on the way. Kyoto, Nagoya, even Yokohama.

Enjoy your trip to Japan!

If you stop at Osaka station, you

Thank you for the suggestions! I might have a quick breakfast near Osaka station and look into a visit for lunch/siteseeing in Nagoya or Shizuoka.

Thanks for the ideas!

If you only want quick breakfast near Osaka station then Ifd have that breakfast in SHIN Osaka station so you can get right on the Shinkansen towards the east. No additional change of trains.