Canopy by Hilton Osaka Umeda – Review

Canopy by Hilton Osaka Umeda is Hilton’s first lifestyle brand hotel in Japan, opened in September 2024 within the new Grand Green Osaka development. Expect 308 guest rooms, the JaJa! Bar, all-day dining at CC:Carbon Copy restaurant, and city and park-view fitness centre.

This is not traditional luxury. This is personality, playfulness and connection to place. The design concept, ‘Hack Osaka’ sees the city’s energy and culture through the creative lens of art installations, bold graphics and clever details throughout. With the new Umekita Park on the doorstep and direct connections to JR Osaka Station, it offers a relaxed, international base for exploring Japan’s foodie capital.

Japan can feel a little formal to Western visitors, with its strict social etiquette, the precision, the respect for rules and ritual. It is of course part of what makes the country so fascinating to visit, but it can also make staying in a luxury hotel feel cold. The Canopy by Hilton Osaka Umeda offers something different, with its relaxed, international vibe. It’s lively, friendly, urban and unpretentious.

The hotel occupies the upper floors of the North Tower in Grand Green Osaka, a new development that has transformed the area around Osaka Station. The design concept is ‘Hack Osaka’, a playful interpretation of the city’s culture through art, graphics and dining. Nikken Sekkei led the design, winning a Silver Prize at the 2024 International Design Awards.

Arrival

Check-in is on the 11th floor, where the reception flows into the bar area, and onto outside terraces. Our check-in was relaxed and chatty, the concierge coming over to introduce himself and make sure we felt welcome to ask anything about the city.

Opposite the lifts, a neon artwork glows beside a working see-saw, yes, a see-saw in the lobby, and through the floor to ceiling glass window I catch a glimpse of a playful fluorescent ladder, an installation in the vertical garden, while behind reception the mini library area has a mural painted on the side of the bookcase. It’s these playful, contemporary works that give Canopy by Hilton Osaka Umeda its unique personality.

The Suite

Our King Canopy Corner Suite was on the 23rd floor, with floor-to-ceiling glass wrapping around the corner offering panoramic views over the new Umekita Park and the Osaka skyline. We visited in mid-November, the trees just beginning to turn, bright sunshine and clear skies filling the space with light.

The layout worked well. The bedroom occupied the main corner, the wall behind the bed dividing it from the living area. Sliding doors on each side of the bed meant the space could feel open and connected to the living area, or private when closed. On one side of the wall, the bed; on the other, a large flatscreen TV facing the sofa and chair. The living area had its own floor-to-ceiling glass along the side.

On the coffee table waited welcome amenities; fresh fruit, a bag of savoury snacks, and two NIO ready-to-drink cocktails,  a Margarita and a Gimlet, in their smart Italian-designed packaging. An original touch.

The in-room bar was a separate piece of furniture set into an alcove, with a stocked fridge and drawers holding cups, wine glasses, and treats. On the counter sat a Nespresso machine, a jug for the filtered water station on each floor, ice bucket, and a Japanese teapot-shaped kettle.

The bathroom had a shower beside the tub in a glass enclosure, with a private room for the Japanese WC beyond. Twin vanities faced the wet areas. The amenity kit was excellent, including bath salts, mouthwash, everything you might need, presented in a cute little box.

In the wardrobe were branded Japanese pyjamas and a gift of warm, comfy Canopy socks. A small card read, ‘A gift from our neighbourhood to yours.’

Fukusuke charm

In the living room sat a ceramic figure, about 30 centimetres tall: Fukusuke, a traditional Japanese good luck charm, ‘hacked’ Canopy-style. White ceramic with bold watercolour strokes, with striped trousers, polka dot robe, zigzag hair. The same playful design appeared on the handwritten welcome card beside the amenities.

At turndown, delicate origami paper envelopes with blossom designs were placed on each side of the bed. Inside, a scented message card, saying ‘Slip the origami into your bag or purse, and let its gentle fragrance accompany you, offering moments of calm and tranquillity wherever you go.’

JaJa! Bar

The bar sits between reception and the restaurant, with an outside terrace for warmer months. It’s a cool, urban space to start the evening. As we sipped our cocktails, a singer performed live, filling the lobby level with life.

The bar menu is origina, in an oversized format, at least twice the size of A4, with bold graphics listing signature cocktails as well as including a guide to Osaka’s museums and cultural attractions. I asked for something off-menu with mezcal, and the bartender obliged.

Dining

‘CC:Carbon Copy’ is the signature restaurant is that runs along the corner of the building, tables on one side and on the other corner, slightly elevated booths with curved 180-degree seating beneath sculptural dome lighting.

We tried the World of Canopy tasting menu, a first-anniversary special featuring recipes from Canopy hotels around the world. The Kozara courses arrived like tapas: snapper crudo from Reykjavik, Spanish tortilla from Madrid, reef fish curry from Seychelles. The Osaka contribution the pani puri with duck confit, poached pear and mushroom marmalade, was the standout dish. Mains included chicken breast stuffed with truffle from London and pressed short rib from São Paulo. Paris provided dessert, with Paris-Brest with hazelnut praline.

The food was enjoyable and the experience is more about the overall atmosphere than gastronomy.

‘Bean there, UMEDA’ is the hotel’s coffee shop on the ground floor, that also sells light snacks perfect for a picnic in the neighbouring park.

Breakfast is an extensive buffet that covered Japanese and Western dishes across dedicated stations: dim sum, noodles, miso, pork dumplings, cold meats, cheeses, salads, fresh juices and much more.

The à la carte menu offers kitchen prepared dishes. I chose the braised Osaka beef omelette, made with cage-free eggs and rich with local flavour. Other options included French toast with mango and cinnamon, chicken ramen, and a plain or mixed omelette. You eat well for the first meal of the day.

Wellness

There is also a very spacious, well equipped gym with superb views.

The Neighbourhood

Umekita Park opened alongside the hotel, offering a green social gathering space with a cultural centre, amphitheatre seating for concerts, and areas to relax. It is still nearing completion but already feels like a cool addition to the city.

Beyond the immediate area, Osaka rewards exploration. The Shitennoji Temple, about 15 minutes by taxi, is one of Japan’s oldest. We visited on market day, when local sellers set up in front of the temple grounds with second-hand ceramics, calligraphy brushes, and all manner of Japanese treasures. We bought sake cups. It was a genuine neighbourhood market, not touristy at all, and the temple itself was peaceful, a contrast to the crowded chaos of Dōtonbori.

Universal Studios Osaka is about 20 minutes by taxi for families. The cultural island of Nakanoshima, with its museums and galleries, is also easily reached. And Kuromon Market, Osaka’s famous food arcade, is worth the trip for anyone serious about eating.

Arriving in Osaka

I also wanted to mention that Osaka is an excellent arrival point for Japan. Kansai International Airport is far less crowded than Tokyo’s airports, and the immigration process in my experience, was very swift. Register in advance with Visit Japan Web, scan your passport at the gate, a quick check with an immigration officer, facial recognition for customs, and you are through.

The Nankai Rapi:t limited express connects the airport to Namba in just 34 minutes. The retro-futuristic train has reserved seating and runs twice hourly.

Final Thought

Lifestyle hotels can sometimes try too hard. The Canopy by Hilton Osaka Umeda does not. It is playful without being gimmicky. The property has genuine personality, and the service is friendly and approachable. The location, in this new green corner of the city, is a great introduction to the future direction of Osaka.