If you need directions on how to get to Nagai Stadium where most of the events are held then this is just the post for you.

The easiest way to get to Nagai Stadium is via the Midosuji subway line (Red). You can find an Osaka subway map in different languages here. If you are in Umeda then it is fairly straightforward apart from one thing. Some of the trains do not go as far as Nagai. Check to see that the train is going to Nakamozu, those trains will go to Nagai. If you get on a train whose final stop is Tennoji (a few stops before Nagai) it is no big deal as you just get off and wait for the next train.

The Nagai station is station number M26. When you arrive at the station, use exit 3 and you’ll be almost there. The stadium where most of the World Championship events will be held is in the middle of the big park (Nagai Park). The park is a nice place in itself with a botantical garden and a museum of natural history, both well worth checking out.

If you want to go by taxi then you can say

nagai koen onegaishimasu

to the driver. Be careful though, it can be very expensive to travel around by taxi. I asked a taxi driver and it is about 4,000-4,500 Yen from Umeda (yikes!). If you do go by taxi it isn’t the custom to tip in Japan.

The official site, where you can buy tickets, find out event timetables etc. is here: http://www.osaka2007.jp/index_e.html

Finally, before you come you can find out more about Osaka via this site or by picking up a guide or map. I can recommend this food guide (Osaka is famous for its food) and this Osaka map, though if you arrive early you probably can pick up a free map at the Tourist Information booths. If you don’t speak Japanese, this little Lonely Planet phrasebook will help you through many situations. I bought mine when I first arrived and it is all dog-eared now.

Enjoy your time here and if this post was helpful, please tell your friends and help digg it. Thanks

Unfortunately, the map is only available to guests staying in the major hotels in Umeda. If you’re one of the lucky ones, don’t forget to ask.

To get to the Hyatt Regency Osaka you take the Chuo Subway line (Dark Green) until the Cosmosquare station and then change to the Nanko Port Town aka New Tram line (Light Blue) without exiting the station. The station to get off is Nakafuto P11. There will be directions at the station to the hotel or Intex.

Here’s a google map if you need it:

Hyatt Regency Osaka

There are two bookstores I recommend, one is Junkudo and one is Kinokuniya. Kinokuniya is the shop that is beside the recommended meeting point Big Man while Junkudo is in Dojima in a big building called Avanza.

Of the two, Junkudo has a better range of books especially design and IT-related books, and is definitely more relaxed. You can take a book and sit in the book reading areas and skim through books. Kinokuniya is convenient (meeting point). Price-wise they are about the same, which means books are a little more expensive than I’m used to.

Because Junkudo might be a little hard to find by foot, I’ll add a map below:

Junkudo Bookstore Location

Ask for Ahmed and tell him that Ian recommended you. And yeah, if you are looking for phones with English predictive text input he can tell you which models have them. They do have a web site but it is all in Japanese which is disappointing. I’ll include the link because there is a map and contact details which might be useful even for non-Japanese speakers.

[Update]  Ahmed’s moved to the Namba Ebisubashi branch.  Although the Shinsaibashi branch may have English speakers I’ve had my fair share of problems with some Japanese staff.  Mainly they don’t explain everything, just things they think you need to know.  And another thing, they have an annoying habit of asking for my Alien Registration Card info when I am waiting in line.  What’s that all about??

Here’s a list in English of all their wifi hotspots, they are mostly cafes or hotels. And if you are looking for a wifi hotspot in Umeda, look under Kita-ku.

If you’re looking for a little something different in cuisine and you like gyoza you’ll love the mini-theme park style of the Namco Gyoza Stadium. There are 9 different stalls or resturants selling different gyoza styles from all over Japan. The whole area is styled in a 1940-50s Japan with common shared seating so that you can buy from different stalls.

It is also very conveniently located in Umeda. Just a short walk from the Hep Five and Hep Navio buildings. Here’s a map of the location of the Namco Gyoza Stadium. And the photo should help you spot it when you are close.

Lot’s of useful information including a pdf map of the subway system [UPDATE: I don't know since when but the pdf now does have the codes] but it seems that they haven’t updated it to include the new number-code of each station which helps navigate the system. Also some information like timetables appear on the Japanese site but not on the English site (don’t know enough Korean or Chinese to know if the information is there) . This is disappointing but “par for the course” in Osaka.