What this area is like
Shin-Osaka is the city’s Shinkansen station. A short ride north, Expo ’70 Commemorative Park holds the Tower of the Sun, with the NIFREL aquarium next door.
Stay near the station for early trains.
Choose your next step
Places to see in this area
Expo ’70 Commemorative Park
The site of the 1970 World Expo, now a large park with gardens, a museum and Taro Okamoto’s Tower of the Sun.
- Access
- About 5 minutes on foot from Bampaku-kinen-koen or Koen-higashiguchi Station (Osaka Monorail). From Shin-Osaka, take the Midosuji Line to Senri-Chuo and change to the monorail.
- Hours
- 9:30–17:00 (last entry 30 minutes before closing). Closed Wednesdays (Thursday if Wednesday is a holiday); open daily in April to Golden Week and in October and November.
- Fee
- Adults ¥450 for the Natural and Cultural Gardens and the Japanese Garden. The Tower of the Sun interior is separate.
- Address
- Senri Banpaku Koen, Suita, Osaka
The inside of the Tower of the Sun is popular; book ahead, as same-day tickets are sold only if any remain.
NIFREL
An aquarium-meets-zoo from the makers of Kaiyukan, with small animals and fish shown in bright, gallery-like rooms.
- Access
- About 2 minutes on foot from Bampaku-kinen-koen Station (Osaka Monorail), inside EXPOCITY.
- Hours
- Weekdays 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00); weekends and holidays 9:30–19:00 (last entry 18:00). Open every day; hours can change by season.
- Fee
- Adults (16+) ¥2,200; elementary and junior high ¥1,100.
- Address
- 2-1 Senri Banpaku Koen, Suita, Osaka (EXPOCITY)
A good indoor option on a rainy day, and easy to combine with Expo Park next door.
How to plan your time here
- Shin-Osaka is mainly a Shinkansen base. Staying near the station makes early trains to Tokyo, Hiroshima or Kyushu easy, and the Midosuji Line reaches Umeda and Namba in minutes.
- Expo Park and NIFREL together fill most of a day; Juso, one stop from Umeda on Hankyu, is a lively place for an inexpensive dinner.
Information checked 26 October 2026. Plans are JapaLens editorial suggestions, not on-site reviews. Hours and fees can change; check the official page before you go.