Hankyu Umeda

" Founded in 1929 by Ichizo Kobayashi, the founder of Hankyu Railway, this department store boasts the highest sales in the Kansai and western Japan areas.

Services for inbound tourists and temporary returnees

Duty-free services are provided for non-residents of Japan on items such as clothing, accessories, and food products. In addition, foreign currency exchange machines and a chapel are available, accommodating people of various nationalities.

Japan’s first "terminal department store"

Ichizo Kobayashi, who was engaged in urban development projects centered on railways, focused on railway users and opened a shop and a restaurant in the Hankyu Umeda Building in 1920. At first, he invited the long-established kimono-store-based department store "Shirokiya," founded in 1662, but after the business proved successful, the contract was terminated four years later. Based on the accumulated data and know-how, in 1929 he established "Hankyu Department Store," Japan’s first directly operated department store by a railway company.

Opening spaces for information dissemination and services

In 2011, with the full opening of the new store, spaces for information dissemination and services such as "Hankyu Umeda Hall," "Hankyu Umeda Gallery," and "Art Stage" were opened. With the expansion of inbound demand, a luxury brand shop was newly established in 2025. At the time of its opening, the store used the catchphrase "We want to sell better products than anywhere else, at lower prices than anywhere else" and developed a mass-market approach, but now it is evolving into a global department store and has shifted to a high-end management strategy.

The "Festival Plaza" with an atrium

Inside the building is the "Festival Plaza," which features an atrium extending from the 9th to the 12th floor, where limited-time markets, live performances, exhibitions, talk events, and more are held. There is also a space for workshops and seminars, attracting many visitors. In addition, along the street on the first floor, seven huge windows measuring 8 meters wide by 9 meters high are lined up, where creations by trending artists are displayed in accordance with the seasons and events. There are also collaborations with characters, and the elaborately designed decorations are enjoyed as an art gallery.

A landmark of the Umeda area

"Hankyu Department Store Umeda Main Store" is served by 11 lines of Hankyu Railway, Hanshin Railway, JR West, and Osaka Metro, and is adjacent to terminals for airport buses and highway buses, offering excellent access. The main building is located in "Osaka Umeda Twin Towers North," directly connected to the south side of Hankyu Railway "Osaka Umeda Station," while the annex "Hankyu Men’s Osaka" is located in "HEP NAVIO."

Nearby, department stores and large-scale commercial facilities such as "Hanshin Department Store Umeda Main Store," "Daimaru Umeda Store," and "KITTE Osaka" stand side by side, making this one of the premier shopping areas in the Kansai region. It caters to a wide range of needs, from shopping to dining.