Japan Subway Systems: Osaka Subway

Osaka Subway　大阪の地下鉄

Osaka has 8 subway lines with fares beginning at 200 yen for a single journey. Osaka's subway lines are the: Chuo Line, Imazatosuji Line, Midosuji Line, Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line, Sennichimae Line, Sakaisuji Line, Tanimachi Line and the Yotsubashi Line.

The main hub stations are Namba Station which connects with 3 lines - the Midosuji Line, the Sennichimae Line and the Yotsubashi Line and Umeda which also connects with 3 lines: Umeda Station is on the Midosuji Line and nearby are Higashi-Umeda Station on the Tanimachi Line and Nishi-Umeda Station, which is on the Yotsubashi Line.

The Osaka Loop Line connects with the subway system at various stations including Tennoji, Shin-Imamiya, Taisho, Bentencho, Noda, Osaka (Umeda), Tenma, Kyobashi, Morinomiya, Tamatsukuri and Tsuruhashi.

The Icoca card is an IC smart card which can be used on the JR West network in western Japan (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Nara, etc). The Icoca card is interoperable with the Suica card (see above) and can therefore be used on the JR East system in Tokyo and in Sendai.

Fares on the Osaka subway system presently range from 200 to 350 yen with children's fares roughly half that.

Osaka's first underground line was the north-south Midosuji Line which opened in 1933 linking Umeda to Shinsaibashi.

Trains run from around 5am until midnight, 7 days a week with reduced services at the weekends and public holidays.

There are a variety of travel passes available for use on the Osaka urban transport network. One-day passes are available for unlimited use on the subway, city buses and New Tram every day except on No-My-Car-Days. The cost is 850 yen for adults and 430 yen for children aged 6 to 11. No-My-Car-Day passes cost 600 yen for adults. Both passes offer discounts on various Osaka attractions including Osaka Castle.

The pre-paid Rainbow Card comes in denominations of 500 yen 1,000 yen, 2,000 yen, 3,000 yen and 5,000 yen for adults and 500 yen and 1,000 yen for children aged 6-11. The Rainbow Card is valid for travel on the Osaka subway, the New Tram, and city buses. The Rainbow Card is also valid for travel good on parts of the Surutto Kansai transport network, including the Hankyu, Hanshin, Kita-Osaka Kyuko, Keihan, Nankai and Kintetsu lines.

The pre-paid Multiple Ride Card is valid on the Osaka subway, New Tram and city buses. A 3,000 yen adult card is good for 3,300 yen's worth of travel, the 1,500 yen children's card affords 1,650 yen's worth of travel for minors.

The Osaka Municipal Transportation Information Center (Tel: 06 62119503) is located at Namba Station and has detailed information in English on the Osaka subway and city buses and the various travel passes available.
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-7pm: Sat, Sun & public holidays 10am-7pm

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