Locals in Japan

In 2025 January New Years Day, we visited Universal Studios Japan with our family and friends’s family – a fun group of 7 people – and all of us stayed at OMO7 Osaka.

We knew it was a nice hotel but it beated our prior expectation! We want to share our honest experience with you in this post.

*Check out our another post here for more family friendly hotels in Osaka.

Quick Summary & Booking Options

It’s a nice and clean hotel that just opened in 2022. Good for family trips!

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Location & Room Experience

We stayed at OMO7 Osaka for three days around NYE, mainly to enjoy the New Year celebrations at Universal Studios Japan.

For our family, the location was ideal as we wanted to visit both USJ and explore Osaka. I think this hotel would be perfect for your family too if you’re planning to combine Universal Studios Japan with some Osaka sightseeing.

We loved using the free shuttle bus to USJ, nice and easy simple 20 min bus ride.♥

We Stayed in Twin Room

We chose a Twin Room (317 sq ft) which worked well for our family of four. It was very clean and modern without any particular smell, with some special amenities like pineapple candies.

There were two beds and one sofa bed. We gave our 7-year-old son the sofa bed, while our 2-year-old daughter and my wife and I used the two beds.

Children under 6 can stay for free, making it great for families with young kids!

Our kids and our friend’s kid were having so much fun, especially when they got to use these cool glowing lanterns for free.

As for the facilities, they have everything families need – coin laundry, microwave, and even child-sized yukatas (traditional Japanese robes).

They also offered many free perks like welcome drinks, and at night we enjoyed some Japanese midnight snacks like ochazuke (tea on rice) and toshikoshi soba (New Year’s Eve noodles)!

Breakfast is Buffet Style

The breakfast is a buffet style with many choices. They have kids’ plates and utensils available. During peak breakfast hours, it can get crowded and it was true when we stayed, but they use a waitlist system – you can register in advance, and they’ll send a message to your phone when your table is ready.

Our Family Stay Experience in Osaka

We stayed for two nights over New Year’s and it was around 650 USD.

Day1: Tennoji and Super delicious yakiniku dinner

After checking in at 3 PM, we took the train to nearby Tennoji (just one station away) and visited the toy section at Abeno Harukas to let our kids have some fun.

Amazing Wagyu BBQ Place: Yakiniku Itto

Later, we came back and took a taxi to Yakiniku Itto. Dear readers, oh my dear, if you love wagyu and want to try it in Osaka, this is the place. (Google map here.)

I’ve visited their Kyobashi branch many times before and knew how delicious it was. Our friends who came with us, who are big wagyu BBQ fans, were seriously impressed – no joke. Since it’s a very popular restaurant, you should definitely book there.

After coming back to the hotel, everyone was so tired we just went straight to bed – no New Year countdown for family like us!😂

Day2: Universal Studios Japan for a whole day

Second Day – yes, this was why we came – USJ day!

We had breakfast at 7 AM and got lucky – we discovered a free shuttle bus to USJ directly from the hotel! We didn’t know about it. We could save about 5,000 yen for taxi. After peaceful 20 min ride, we arrived at USJ without any problem.

USJ on January 1st was open through the night from New Year’s Eve, and when we arrived just before 10 AM, it was already packed with visitors.

(Skip buying tickets at the gate – book in advance through this page. Easy entry with QR code!)

We enjoyed using our Express Pass to easily ride Mario Kart at Super Mario World. We also watched the SING show, and saw George the Curious Monkey’s performance.

The absolute highlight was the Harry Potter Area at night. The atmosphere was truely magical, and Hogwarts Castle was an incredibly cool sight with its projection mapping.

We ended up staying from around 9 AM to 8 PM, and after leaving USJ, our group of seven had dinner at the Shake Shack right in front before heading back to the hotel.

Day3: Tennoji Zoo and Back to Tokyo

Third Day, our final day in Osaka, we had breakfast at 8 AM, then walked to Tennoji Zoo (only 10 min away). The zoo tickets are really cheap and perfect for families. Our 2-year-old loved riding the elephant cart, even though it was a bit old. After a nice buffet lunch at Tennoji Park’s restaurant, we picked up our stored luggage from the hotel and headed home.

Family-Friendly Features at OMO7 Osaka

Throughout our stay, we found OMO7 Osaka to be very family-friendly. We hope these key features help with your planning:

• Atmosphere: Saw many families staying there – I think that itself says a lot.
• Spacious terrace: Kids can play freely, it has a locked gate not to go out of the hotel.
• Free perks: Welcome drink, night free food and drinks, and more.
• Special events: Free morning magic shows and children’s activities.
• Facilities: Already mentioned, but features like laudry and microwaves save family.

Heads Up: Features Not Available at OMO7 Osaka

While this hotel exceeded our expectations overall, I want to honestly share some points that were a bit disappointing.

• No Room Service: That’s another family saver, right?
• No Free Bottled Water: Instead you have an empty bottle to fill at floor water stations (well, unlimited but just it’s self serve).
• Public Bath for Additional Fee: 1,000 JPY per person per night! We didn’t use it.

Final Thoughts

After staying two nights with my family at OMO7 Osaka, I can say overall we were very happy with our experience.

I think OMO7 Osaka sits in that middle ground between budget hotels and luxury properties – what I’d call an upper-middle range that’s especially popular with families.

For those traveling with kids to Osaka, I really think this is a good choice. I hope this review helps you with your hotel planning!

How to Book Here?

You can book here with Agoda or Booking.com.

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