For scale modelers coming to Japan and spending a couple days in Osaka, here is a tour of hobby shops in the area. Any of these shops can be found online, and you can find your way there using Google maps typing in English -no need to know any Japanese. I haven’t tried with any other map apps.
This is not an exhaustive tour of Osaka hobby shops. There are plenty of others. Instead, it’s a trek you can make in a day using a single subway line. The public transportation network in Osaka is a bit complicated. It’s probably best to follow the order from the map below if it’s your first time in the city.
I should say, I build in military genres, so the shops below heavily reflect this. If you’re interested in other genres, you will definitely find them here. There’s a basic description with store links and what pictures I have. The images mostly reflect my main modeling interests, but I hope to add more in the future.
Each of the places listed here is accessible from one train line although if you make it to all of them, you will be pretty tired at the end of the day. I don’t want to make this post too long, so feel free to contact me if you want to know more.
Starting Points
There are two logical starting points. Whichever you choose depends on where you’re coming from. Each shop can be reached from the Midosuji subway line. It’s not the only transport option, but if you like keeping things simple, I recommend this. There is quite a bit of walking involved, so you’ll want to pace yourself.
Scenario 1: You are staying in Umeda (the main hub of downtown Osaka) or you are coming to Osaka via Kobe or Kyoto. In any of these situations, start at station M16-Umeda on the Midosuji line.
Scenario 2: You are coming directly from Osaka airport (KIX). In this case, you could take the Shinki bus to Umeda and do option 1, but you could take the bus to Namba and work backwards from stations M20-Namaba or M21-Daikokucho. As explained at the end of this post, you can use station M22-Doubutsuen Mae to avoid a little bit of walking. In this case you’ll also breifly use the Sakaisuji subway line.
From your starting point, simply follow the Midosuji line to each stop on the map below.
Important points
Most shops in Japan open at 10:00am and close at 8:00pm. That goes for the shops on this list unless otherwise noted in the description.
If you are trying to hit each location, it’s a good idea to get a one-day pass for Osaka metro lines. This is the cheapest way to get around in our case. Also, once you have your pass, it will save you time fumbling around for change while looking for the ticket machine’s English button.
If you manage to make to every shop, you’ll get exhausted by evening. Pace yourself, but don’t go too slow. For sure bring some water.
The shops
I’ll introduce each shop on the “tour”. Apart from the individual descriptions, I can say that most of them have something for every genre, so whatever your interest, you should get a lot out of your visit.
You can search each location in English and they should pop up on google maps without any issues. Of course, you will be relying heavily on their phone to get them around. Even so, I’ll try to add detailed directions for each.
On to the shops…
(1) YODOBASHI CAMERA – Umeda (Station Midosuji M16)
To begin, I recommend starting at Yodobashi Camera. From here, you can move down the Midosuji line to the others.
Directions: JR OSAKA station and Hankyu Osaka-Umeda station hug the south and east sides of the Yodobashi building. From whichever station you arrive at, it takes time to get your bearings. If you’re coming from the Subway, I recommend trying to go up through JR or Hankyu Station and then using these as your point of reference.
When you get in the building, you’ll have to find the right floor. The last time I was there, the hobby section was on the fourth, but reorganizing takes place periodically, and it has been located on others including the basement floor B1.
If it’s is your first visit to Japan, it is possible Yodobashi Camera is the biggest electronics store you’ve ever been to. That was the case for me when I set foot inside for the first time.
Even though it’s an electronics store, you will find a healthy sized “hobby zone”, and having just stopped by the other day, I can say that the selection here has expanded since my last visit. All the major modeling genres are covered as well as most makers. There are a lot of tools as well.
(2) HOBBYLAND – Honmachi (Midosuji M18)
Hobbyland is really great shop for after market accessories and some rare kits. I just find it to be a really cool place. They open at 12:00pm (noon), except for Sunday which is at 11:00am.
Directions from Midosjui M18 Honmachi: (1) Use exit D, pass through the ticket gate & turn left. Continue to the exit stairway – turn right and go up the stairs to ground level.
(2) You should see a Starbucks straight ahead at a major intersection. Cross the street and turn right at the Starbucks.
(3) Continue a couple blocks (maybe 200 meters). you’ll pass a FamilyMart convenience store. Continue another block or so.
(4) Then turn left on the street in front of the Coco Ichiban Curry restaurant, just in front of a large overpass. There is no sidewalk and some cars blast through trying to catch the green light, so watch out! You’ll walk 30-50 meters. (
5) You should see the blue Hobbyland awning on the right-hand side next to a wine bar. Go up the stairs to the second floor.
This is one of my favorite hobby shops. During the COVID era I discovered their online store and I order from it often. They also ship internationally, but their site is in Japanese, so using the search engine may be a challenge.
Hobbyland is the place to go if you’re looking for aftermarket accessories for military subjects. It’s not an exaggeration when I say this shop has chewed up hours at a time of my days off on multiple occasions.
You can sift through racks of resin and various maker’s PE sets, figures, obscure short-run kits, or look for more mainstream items. I highly recommend visiting if you have the chance.
(3) M’S PLUS – Honmachi (Midosuji M18)
M’S PLUS has the feel of the more traditional ones that used to be more common in the area. You’ll need a step ladder to reach some of the kits. Hours: Weekdays 12-7pm / Weekends 10:30pm-6pm
Directions: (M18 Honmachi – Midosjui line) Same as Hobbyland until you reach CoCo Ichiban Curry. From there, instead of turning left, continue straight past the CoCo Ichiban and walk under the overpass (maybe 200 meters). You’ll come to a major intersection. Continue in the same direction and a short distance after that intersection you’ll see M’s plus on the left.
A sneaky good selection of most modeling genres.
I stumbled on to this hobby shop exploring Honmachi one day after a trip to Hobbyland. This hobby shop has the feel of one of those small shops, a bit like Yamada Takuji’s famous hobby shop dioramas – small place packed with kits.
You don’t see as many of the smaller shops these days, so visiting is an experience unlike the other places on this list.
I used to see lots of shops like these around Kobe when I lived there, but most gone now. M’S Plus has evolved to have an online presence as well and I’m glad it’s still around. Despite its size, I’m always surprised by what I find there.
Although I have listed M’s as the third stop, a strategy of mine used be to have a look at Yodobashi, then M’s. Between these two I might find a kit you want to build. Then walk the couple of blocks from M’s to Hobbyland which will inevitably have aftermarket sets/accessories for the kit I just bought at one of the previous shops. This is especially time-effective if you’re starting in Umeda and only have time to ride the subway the two stops to Honmachi, and can’t make it down to the following shops on the list. That way you can hit all three shops in a relatively short time, like a “half tour” so to say.
(4) VOLKS OSAKA SHOW ROOM – Namba (Midosuji M20 or Sakaisuji K18 Ebisucho)
Somehow the VOLKS Osaka Show Room has an anime kind of feel which is especially evident after coming from Hobbyland and M’S Plus.
In stead of a big set of directions, just use Google maps and search Volks Osaka ShowRroom from Namba station. It’s a little far but your phone will get you there. There is a closer station to Volks and Joshin, but it involves changing subway lines. I will explain this alternate route at the end of this post.
Ok, now you’re in Osaka’s famous Denden town (electric town). I suppose it’s like a less famous version of Tokyo’s Akihabara district, but I think it has a different feel.
When you go in the building, turn right to go up to your desired floor via elevator or stairs if waiting for elevators drives you crazy. As you can see from the picture below (left), each floors’ theme is listed on the wall.
Although I can’t go into detail, Volks has a lot of Sci-Fi and Fantasy subjects.
The 3rd floor is where I spend all my time since military subjects are all there. For those who are fans of Zoukeimura, VOLKS is where you can find there kits.
(5) JOSHIN SUPER KIDS LAND – Namba (Midosuji M20 or Sakaisuji K18 Ebisucho)
Joshin has a lot of newer kits at good prices. There is a similar store in Kobe Sannomiya but this one is bigger.
Continue walking the same direction that brought you to Volks, and you will reach Joshin in about 5-10 minutes, on the opposite side of the street.
Joshins are all over the Kansai region (and some others), but there are only a few Super Kids Land branches. Each floor is pretty big. The 1st floor is all Sci-Fi and anime related, so if that’s your interest, you may spend a lot of time looking there.
The 2nd floor is devoted military subjects and cars with all the mainstream brands that we have come to enjoy recently: Eduard, DML Dragon, Trumpeter, Meng, Hasegawa, Airfix, Revell, more recent manufacturers like Takom, Amusing, RyeField, Meng, Arma, etc. at some of the lowest prices you will find in Osaka.
(6) HOBBY KANSUKE – Daikokucho (Midosuji M21)
Hobby Kansuke is the place to go in Osaka for secondhand kits.
VERY IMPORTANT: They are only open on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 1pm-8pm.
In trying to manage the length of this post, here is a separate description for hobby Kansuke.
Alternate Route
As I mentioned when introducing Volks, it is a bit of a walk. I’ve never timed it, but I would guess 15-20 minutes, obviously depending on how fast your walking. If you prefer, when leaving from station M18 Honmachi (Hobbyland & M’S Plus), you can take the Midosuji line past station M20 Namba to M22 Doubutsuen Mae. Here you can transfer to the Sakaisuji line, station K19 (also named Doubutsuen Mae) and ride north one stop to K18 Ebisucho station. However, when you arrive, not Volks but Joshin will be closest. The building should be visible once you hit the street. From Joshin, continue in the same direction to Volks – away from Ebisucho station.
Also, if you’re skipping station M20 Namba to take the alternate route, on your way to station M22 Doubutsuen Mae, you will pass station M21 Daikokucho where Hobby Kansuke is located. Making it your 4th stop before visiting Volks and Joshin is also an option. Just remember Hobby Kansuke opens at 1:00pm, Wed/Thurs/Sat/Sun, and is closed on other days.
Whichever route you choose, you’ll have a great time even if you make it to just half these shops. However, I strongly recommend all of them!
I hope this post is helpful to anyone looking to enjoy the hobby while traveling to Osaka. There is a lot to consider if you’re trying to make it all these shops (aside from your other sightseeing plans). I am happy to answer your questions -Link at the top of the page. Happy hunting!