Castle views and contemporary art: A first look at the Patina Osaka
Editor's Note
Osaka, Japan, is having a moment. It's currently hosting Expo 2025, as well as a robust roster of annual events and celebrations. But the city and its nearby neighbor of Kyoto are also experiencing a luxury hotel boom. That's why we designated the surrounding Kansai region as one of our top destinations for 2025.
Among the reasons we were excited to get to Osaka this year, in particular, was the April opening of the new Patina Osaka, just the second outpost from this growing, art-focused luxury hotel group (the other one is in the Maldives and recently joined Marriott Bonvoy as a member of Design Hotels).
We had the chance to stay at the Patina Osaka shortly after it started welcoming guests. Here's everything you need to know about the experience.
First impressions
"I can't believe there wasn't already a hotel here!" I said to myself as I gazed out the windows of the Patina Osaka's 20th-floor lobby. And I kept repeating it to myself throughout my two-day visit.
That's because the sleek glass tower that houses the hotel is situated just across the street from the city's most famous landmark, Osaka Castle, with its unmistakable green copper roof and surrounding park, which bursts with color during cherry blossom season. The fact that no other hotel has occupied this prime place until now is simply astonishing.
That unique sense of place is also suffused throughout the Patina's design thanks both to the stunning castle views the hotel affords guests from many of its rooms and public spaces and subtler nods like the bedroom headboards molded from washi paper to resemble the boulders that form the castle's foundations and the striated Setouchi stone wall at the hotel's ground-floor entrance, which alludes to the layers of history that surround the hotel, including the nearby ruins of Naniwa-no-Miya Palace.
And while the hotel's interior design pays homage to traditional Japanese crafts (think: glossy wood paneling, black tiling and tatami matting), the ambience is decidedly contemporary as well, thanks to the hotel's unique collection of art.
The pieces on display include a salvaged ship motor fashioned into a flower vase, an intricate gold-leaf mural depicting both historical and current street scenes of Osaka and a video wall by Japanese filmmaker Takashi Makino depicting the changing seasons in the city.
The architecturally stunning spiral staircase between the 19th and 20th floors, which features washi paper borders hand-dipped in indigo dye to resemble the whorling waterfall from a classical Japanese silkscreen, is a reminder of Osaka's moniker as "City of Water."
The overall effect is like stepping into a palimpsest of the city's past and present, but always with the silhouette of Osaka Castle in the background.
The rooms
The 221 accommodations at Patina Osaka range from 538-square-foot deluxe rooms to the top-shelf 2,508-square-foot Patina Suite, which has a fully equipped kitchen, a dining room, a bathroom with a private steam room and sauna and even its own DJ turntable and state-of-the-art sound system.
My corner junior suite clocked in at an impressive 807 square feet. Just inside the door, there was a little sitting area in which you could remove your outdoor shoes.
The middle portion of the room was occupied by a living area complete with a low sectional with built-in side tables and a two-seat table lit by a hanging floor lamp and set against the window. There was a 65-inch flat-screen TV mounted on the wall as well.
The minibar was stocked with local snacks, a selection of Japanese and international spirits, other beverages, a Nespresso machine and a ceramic Japanese tea set.
The bedroom was huge and felt like a separate room unto itself. There was a tatami-upholstered recessed window seat providing a pleasant perch for morning or afternoon reading.
The king-size bed was dressed in silky gray Frette linens with a toffee-colored leather headboard and handsome dark wood paneling that framed the sculpted washi paper panel behind it. There was another wall-mounted TV in here, too.
Next to the bed was a midcentury-inspired armchair and ottoman, but I preferred heading straight out to the balcony to take in the castle views while enjoying my morning coffee on the cushioned chaise lounge.
Back toward the front door, the spalike bathroom was finished with a mix of dark gray stone tiling and light wood paneling and held two vanities and sinks with copper fixtures.
The glassed-in suite contained an oversized soaking tub, an overhead rainfall shower, an onsen-style shower stool and a hand-held showerhead for good measure. The hotel stocks full-size Bamford products for guests to use during their stay. My favorite feature was the stone wall, though — another allusion to Osaka Castle's foundation.
Dining
The Patina Osaka has several restaurants ranging from a high-end teppanyaki grill to a hyper-seasonal, mostly plant-based eatery.
P72
Japan has 72 micro seasons, hence the name P72, which doubles as chef Antony Scholtmeyer's culinary laboratory.
Join him for a tour of the restaurant's patio garden, where he will point out half a dozen different types of mint, myriad other herbs, springtime strawberries and tangy kumquats among the plants he and his team of chefs are growing. That fennel root he pulls up out of the earth might just end up on your plate for lunch, tenderly braised and then finished with a crunchy tempura crust.
Among the other signatures are a seasonal vegetable terrine with pickled veggie "charcuterie" and a Hokkaido potato soup with smoky, dehydrated eggplant and potato-skin powder.
Before you get too absorbed by the food, however, be sure to glance up at the dramatic 171-foot sculpture suspended from the ceiling. Molded from tree bark and reclaimed wood, the installation is meant to evoke a root structure — both a reference to P72's plant-focused menu and the connection of past to present.
The restaurant is currently open daily from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., with plans to open for dinner as well. Set menus range from $38 to $84 per person.
Barin
Open Wednesday to Sunday from 5:30 to 9 p.m. for dinner and weekends from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. for lunch, Barin is Patina Osaka's teppanyaki fine dining restaurant with just 10 counter seats, 16 table seats (in booths where you can take a closer look at that gold-leaf mural, which was inspired by warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi's tearoom in Osaka Castle), and a six-person private dining room.
Meals here start with savory bites like slow-cooked Akashi octopus, sesame tofu and simmered black wagyu beef before simple preparations of fresh-caught fish and seafood over seasonal vegetables. The meal culminates with succulent cuts of sizzling, exquisitely marbled Kuroge wagyu beef served with accompaniments like umami moromi soy sauce, freshly grated wasabi from Izu, garlic chips and charcoal salt.
If you still have room, the garlic rice with pink sakura shrimp from Suruga Bay is hearty and satisfying. Don't worry, dessert will be something light like Kochi melon with fig ganache.
Prix-fixe menus start at $90 for lunch and $178 for dinner.
Inaki
Basque cuisine in one of Japan's culinary capitals? It might not make sense at the outset, but once you settle into the red brick-tiled eatery with overhanging floral art installations and unparalleled castle views, then tuck into a menu of Basque dishes prepared with Japanese ingredients, the picture comes more into focus.
Menus include staples like iberico ham croquettes and pan con tomate, plus smoky ajo blanco soup, tortellini with creamy foie gras filling and fresh herbs, and mouthwatering iberico pork pluma prepared on the roaring Josper grill with celery foam and apple gastrique. Set lunch and dinner menus range from $49 to $132 per person.
Guests can also enjoy daily breakfast here, including an extensive buffet of fresh fruit, house-cured cold cuts, crostini and house-made pastries, plus a la carte dishes like omelets made to order and traditional Japanese set breakfasts with grilled fresh fish, pickled vegetables and miso soup.
Inaki is open daily from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5:30 to 9 p.m.
Sonata Bar & Lounge
Sonata is the heart of the hotel, and music is at the heart of this swanky all-day lounge and sultry cocktail bar. Adjacent to the reception area, the lounge comprises a panoramic outdoor deck overlooking the castle park, a high-top bar at the center of the action and cozy lounging vignettes, including a private room with an entire wall made of 60 vintage speakers jigsawed together.
You'll often find staff members standing at the DJ booth spinning some of the 600 or so albums curated for the hotel by the owner of the vintage music store Isandla.
Just as exciting as the music, though, is the selection of creative cocktails inspired by the last time the city hosted the Expo in 1970. The New Trunk Line, for instance, is a reference to the bullet train and will give you a similar thrill to speeding down the tracks thanks to its heady mix of various Japanese whiskies, yuzu, lime, coconut water and plum liqueur ($20).
Sonata is open Monday through Friday from 2 to 11 p.m. and from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
Nijiri
Bathed in natural light from double-height windows and surrounding that spectacular white-and-blue staircase, Nijiri is the hotel's hushed but casual tea room up on the 19th floor between Barin and Inaki. It is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily, and reservations are required.
Amenities and service
- Staff members regularly offer outings such as guided morning walks in the park surrounding Osaka Castle and meditation sessions in the hotel's 66-foot indoor pool.
- Located on the fourth floor, the hotel's 15,000-square-foot wellness complex includes a fitness center equipped with the latest Technogym equipment.
- The spa has six treatment rooms and offers a full menu of services incorporating Oskia and Bamford products, as well as high-tech experiences such as cryotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen chambers and infrared sauna sessions.
- The hotel will soon debut a 10-person private event space called the Listening Room that was created in collaboration with Brooklyn "sound sculptor" Devon Turnbull.
- Curious to learn more about the hotel's design and art collection? General manager Ellen Franke regularly leads tours for guests showcasing both.
Location and logistics
Patina Osaka is located centrally in the city, just across the street from Osaka Castle and its surrounding park. To get here from Kansai International Airport (KIX), it takes about 45 minutes and costs around $70 via a ride-hailing service. By train, it takes about 80 minutes and costs $8 to reach the hotel from the airport.
If you're arriving in Osaka by train, the Shin-Osaka Station is a 35-minute, $3 metro ride away. Or, you can travel by taxi or ride-hailing service from the train station to the hotel; that option takes 15 minutes and costs about $10.
As for the rest of the city, including the bright lights of Dotonbori and the shopping streets of Shinsaibashi, it's only about 10 minutes away by car and also easily accessible by public transport. The hotel offers complimentary shuttle service to the Morinomiya and Tanimachi stations, too.
What it costs
Nightly rates at the Patina Osaka start around $550. The hotel does not currently participate in a major loyalty program. Your best bet is to book directly for any packages or specials the hotel might be offering.
Accessibility
The hotel's entrances and public areas, as well as guest floors, are all wheelchair-accessible and have no-step pathways. Elevators also have buttons within reach of wheelchair users. The hotel has rooms consistent with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, but as with any travel plans, call ahead to ensure you can book a room that meets your specific requirements.
Bottom line
The Patina Osaka feels simultaneously ultranew and like it was always meant to stand where it now does in the historic heart of the city. Through design, art and cuisine, the hotel connects guests to the vibrant culture of the surrounding city, and its elegant restaurants provide an appetizing counterpoint to Osaka's famous street food. Throw in the palatial rooms with postcard-worthy castle views, and this is certainly one of the most exciting new hotels not just in Osaka, but in all of Japan.
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