Experience at Hotel New Otani Osaka

Flipping through my photo album, I remembered my stay at the five-star Hotel New Otani Osaka, located next to Osaka Castle. Recommendation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Standard Japanese service) Transportation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (A bit far from JR station, requires using an elevator) The hotel is just across the river, opposite the Osaka Castle Hall, and close to Osaka Castle. On the day of my stay, there was a concert opposite, so the plaza was quite crowded. Both the lobby and the room designs are very classical, or in other words, old—very old. However, the maintenance is still acceptable. The desserts in the lobby lounge looked delicious, but unfortunately, they will only be available after 2024. The staff helped with the luggage and showed how to use the key. It's hard to imagine that a five-star hotel still uses keys to open doors, and the elevator does not require any authentication, making the security somewhat average. The room was quite spacious with moderate lighting. The bed was not made very neatly, but the overall cleanliness was acceptable. The size of the TV, the retro style of the bathroom and shower, all reflect the hotel's frugality (I initially thought the TV was small because it was old, but it actually supports Netflix 😂). In terms of the view, you can see the Osaka Castle keep. This reminded me of the view of the Forbidden City from the Renaissance Beijing. Similarly, it’s a distant view. What's more unique is the nearby Yomiuri TV building—you can see a large satellite dish, and there is a beautiful garden below. The most ingenious part is that the building's angle is just right, not blocking the view of Osaka Castle. All these factors combined make it quite peculiar. However, it is worth mentioning that it is very quiet here at night. The street leading to Osaka Castle Park Station is sparsely populated and dimly lit. Although there is a Lawson convenience store nearby for shopping, it is advisable to be cautious when going out at night. Like other five-star hotels in Japan, newspapers are provided in the morning, hung next to the door. Thoughtfully, the hotel arranges English/Japanese newspapers according to the guests' needs. Overall, besides the main attraction of Osaka Castle, there are not many nearby attractions. The only advantage is the reasonable price, making it a good option for family travelers.