Welcome back to Team Tala Travels! In this article, we will share with you our experiences in Tempozan, Osaka! This is our third and final full day in Osaka, and we wanted it to be full of fun, adventures, and explorations!
But first, click on the links below if you want to know more about how we spent our first 2 days in Osaka!
Day 1 – Universal Studios Japan – Tips and Tricks included
Day 2 – Osaka Castle, Dotonbori, Shinsekai – cultural exploration and food recommendations
Ready to travel with us to Tempozan? Let’s dive in!
Tempozan Harbor Village
Tempozan Harbor Village is a fun entertainment and shopping complex in Osaka. It houses different child-friendly areas that aid in exploring not just the fascinating city of Osaka, but also the magnificent underwater life in a giant aquarium.
Kids and adults alike will surely enjoy one whole day of exploration in Tempozan. Go aboard the Santa Maria Cruise Ship, ride the giant ferris wheel, dine and shop at Tempozan Marketplace, play at Legoland, and explore various water animals at Osaka Aquarium. All of these attractions can be found inside Tempozan Harbor Village!
Watch our YouTube video highlighting our experiences in Osaka!
We will talk about our experiences in each place one by one! But first, how do you get to Tempozan Harbor Village?
How to get to Tempozan Harbor Village by train
To get to Tempozan by train, take the Chuo Subway Line and get off at Osakako station. Tempozan Harbor Village is just a 5-minute walk from the station. You will easily know that you are close to your destination because you will see the towering ferris wheel from afar!
If you read my previous blog, you might remember that I talked a lot about the Osaka Amazing Pass! It is absolutely amazing because your train ticket to Osakako station via the Chuo Line will be covered by the pass! Also, you can also enter most attractions in Tempozan for free or for a discounted rate if you have an OAP! Absolutely amazing, right?
Now, let’s go to our first stop in Tempozan: Santa Maria CruiseShip
Santa Maria Cruise Ship
Santa Maria Cruise Ship is one of the four cruises offered by Keihan that allows people to enjoy Osaka by going around Osaka Port.
This urban cruise is a one-hour nice and slow cruise that provided us with wonderful views of the Osaka Bay area.
When we got to the port, this pirate-style cruise ship greeted us! So cool!
We found out later on that this ship was modeled after Santa Maria, the ship that Columbus sailed to discover the New World! There are different seating areas that you can enjoy in this four-storey big cruise ship!
Tickets and Hours
Santa Maria Cruise offers two kinds of tours: the Day Cruise and the Twilight Cruise. We went on a Day Cruise!
| Day Cruise | Twilight Cruise | |
| Ticket Price | Adult: US$12Child: US$6 | Adult: US$15Child: US$7.5 |
| Hours | 11 AM to 4 PMDaily | Starts at 6:30 PM only on weekends and holidays |
| Cruise Duration | 45 minutes | 60 minutes |
Pro tip: Santa Maria Cruise Ship is free with the Osaka Amazing Pass. We recommend that you avail of the pass if you want to go on a cruise. Otherwise, this ride will cost you at least ¥1,800 (US$12) per person!
Tala enjoyed every moment on the ship! She loved exploring every area of the ship while admiring the beautiful Osaka Bay scenery.
Giant Ferris Wheel
Next stop is the Giant Ferris Wheel! This ferris wheel reminded us of our London Eye experience in the United Kingdom! We never knew that such a big ferris wheel lies in the middle of Osaka!
FERRIS
But, these features set the Tempozan Ferris Wheel apart from the London Eye.
- The Tempozan Ferris Wheel capsules come in different colors, arranged like the colors of the rainbow.
2. There are white capsules, which are actually see-through ones! You can see how high you are from the bottom of the capsule! do not wear skirts or dresses if you plan to go on the see-through capsules
3. The whole ferris wheel lights up during the night! We actually saw the lit-Tempozan ferris wheel from our hotel window 15 kilometers away!
4. The color of the ferris wheel indicates the weather forecast on the following day: red for sunny day, green for cloudy day, and blue for rainy day!
5. The Tempozan Ferris wheel, 112 meters in height, is smaller by 23 meters than the London Eye.
Tickets and Hours
The Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel opens from 10:00 in the morning up to 10:00 in the evening. Each ride will take approximately 15 minutes to finish.
Pro tip: Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel is free with the Osaka Amazing Pass. We recommend that you avail of the pass if you want to ride the big wheel. Otherwise, this ride will cost you ¥900 (US$6) per person!
Tempozan Marketplace
Tempozan Marketplace is a mall-like commercial complex that houses numerous retail establishments and restaurants.There are many souvenir shops, anime stores, and fashion boutiques lining up the complex. We bought a pair of warm mittens for Tala from one of the children’s shops there.
There is also an Osaka-themed food park at the lower level of the marketplace. Too bad it was full when we headed there for lunch, so we settled for Napolitei, an Italian restaurant on the 2nd level, which is not bad at all! We got a huge serving of Spaghetti Bolognese and a giant slice of Pepperoni Pizza!
Legoland Discovery Center Osaka
Next stop is Legoland Osaka! This is one of the most sought-after places to visit for Tala since she has never been to a Legoland play area before, only the small Legoland stores in the mall.
Our reservation was timed at 2:30 in the afternoon, so we made sure that we were set minutes before our booking time! You have to book a slot before going to Legoland!
Tickets and Hours
Legoland Discovery Center Osaka is open from 10 AM to 6 PM. Take note that adults cannot enter Legoland without a child with them. So, tag along your kids or nieces or nephews or friends’ kids with you if you want to visit Legoland Discovery Center Osaka!
We thought we could use our Osaka Amazing Pass, too, but since we came on a Sunday, we could not avail of the free entrance fee. We were only given a 20% discount using the pass. We paid a hefty amount, so we made sure that we made our experience worth the price!
Pro tip: Go to Legoland Discovery Center on a weekday if you want to maximize your Osaka Amazing Pass! Otherwise, you will only enjoy a 20% discount using the pass.
What’s Inside Legoland Discovery Center Osaka?
Olivia’s House – a building area where kids can pretend they are inside a dollhouse
Kingdom’s Quest – an adventure ride / game around the kingdom while zapping at trolls and skeletons guarding the princess. Tala enjoyed this ride so much!
The Great Lego VR Race – an exciting VR experience. You have to pay an additional US$8 per person to avail of the ride.
Miniland – an interactive city that is made from Lego blocks! Spectacular!
Master Builder Academy – kids need to sign up to be part of the class. Each class costs US$ per child.
4D Cinema – You have to take note of the screening schedule. We enjoyed this 4D cinema experience so much!
Duplo Village Area – another building area using Duplo blocks
Merlin’s Apprentice – an exciting ride where you glide through the air like a flying wizard. Children under 90 cm are not allowed to ride, even with an adult with them. Children from 90 cm to 120 cm cannot ride without an adult.
Photo booth – Scan the barcode in your ticket and get your photos taken!
Cafe – There is a cafe in the middle of Legoland. Outside food and drinks are not allowed to be consumed here.
We stayed at Legoland Discovery Center for 2 hours! It was an experience for all of us, not only Tala! Our favorite areas: Merlin’s Apprentice, 4D Cinema, and the Duplo Village Area!
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
This last spot in our itinerary came out unplanned. As a family, we never saw ourselves as aquarium people. For one, we do not support animals in captivity. Also, we think we already saw enough aquarium animals during our school field trips and family vacations in the past.
But, as a last-minute decision, we decided to go see the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan because we are already in the area and we still have time to spare before dinner time. Also, we thought that our chances of seeing a real penguin in its natural habitat (in the Arctic) is extremely small, so our only way to see a real, living, and moving one is here at Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.
Tickets and Hours
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is open from 10 AM to 8 PM on weekdays, and from 9:30 AM to 8 PM on weekends.
Ticket prices vary based on age. Tickets are not covered by the Osaka Amazing Pass. You can book tickets online and specify your preferred date and time of visit.
There is usually a huge crowd by the ticket booth during the day, so we were lucky that when we got there at 5 PM, there was no queue anymore. We were ushered to the aquarium entrance right away.
Pro tip: Come later in the day when there are less people going to the aquarium.
Photo Souvenir
Right in front of the entrance is a giant hammerhead shark depiction where people can have their photos taken by the aquarium’s resident photographer. The small photo will be given for free, but if you want to avail of the bigger version of the photo, you can do so by paying US$10.
A Spectacular Aquarium
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is literally the biggest aquarium that we have been to. It has 15 tanks, each representing a specific region of the Pacific Rim.
The tour starts from the 8th floor. From there, we spiralled down around the central tank, which houses the whale shark, the main attraction of the aquarium!
The whale sharks were simply amazing. They were huge! They looked like gentle giants to me… swimming gently and slowly while exuding a regal aura with every move!
We were generally left on our own to explore the aquarium at our own pace. We just needed to follow the signs that led us to the tanks ahead.
Some of the tanks span several floors, so we got to see different perspectives of sea life and creatures that lived on the surface or at the bottom of the ocean floor.
We were amazed by how cute the penguins are. We stayed here for a little bit because we were interested to see how penguins dive into the water and go back to dry land afterwards.
Tala got bored in some areas, especially when looking at tanks that she already saw in the upper floors. But, we finished the tour, which took about an hour and a half to finish.
Sustainability Message
Visiting aquariums has been depicted by many as supporting cruelty to animals because of the way they are kept away from their natural habitats.
But what I personally liked about Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan was how, at the end of the tour, there is a booth explaining how the place tries its best to imitate the natural environment of the ocean water, like using a marine salt mix, keeping the right temperature of the auqarium, using wavemekers to stimulate currents, as well as using the appropriate ligthing to mimic the natural darkness underwater.
What’s Next?
If you are going to ask us: Should we visit Tempozan Harbor Village in Osaka? Our answer would be a big YES!
If you are especially traveling with kids who are always seeking for adventures and new experiences, then you should definitely schedule one whole day of activities in Tempozan.
Thank you for journeying with us to Osaka! Next stop: Kyoto!
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Thank you for reading up to this point! We hope that you found this blog fun, informative, and entertaining! Hit us up for comments and questions! Remember, this is Team Tala Travels!
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