OSAKA | EGDE store – Umeda Sky Building – Grand Front – Namba Parks – Daiso – Luscious

Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and back to Tokyo. Three weeks plus some extra days.

After Osaka Castle we wanted to visit the store of Egde, a sexy underwear brand in Japan. So we took an Osaka Metro train to the Umeda neighbourhood.

The store is tucked away in an office building, on the second floor. Well, it turns out not only the shop was closed (but the door was open!), they were what was seemingly a very serous meeting. The shop only opens on very specific days.

Egde Underwear Japan

Edge Underwear Japan is a Tokyo-based men’s underwear and swimwear label whose designs have attracted attention internationally for their bold visual style and daring cuts.

The brand is recognised for its vibrant colours, minimal coverage, low-cut silhouettes and graphic prints, offering a stark contrast to more conventional men’s undergarments. Discussion of the brand in specialist online forums and blogs describes it as “fun and different” and highlights its willingness to experiment with fabric, design and form.

Edge Underwear Japan presents itself as part of a niche within Japan’s fashion-undergarment scene that merges sub-culture aesthetics, body-conscious tailoring and a playful approach to masculinity, Underwear News Briefs describes the brand.

Brands like this draw on Japan’s broader trend of ‘gender-less’ or ‘gender-open’ fashion and the growing market for men’s lingerie, novelty underwear and statement swimwear. While specific company history and founding date are not widely documented in mainstream sources, the brand’s presence on international underwear hobbyist sites over recent years indicates a growing global awareness.

The product range includes briefs, low-rise trunks, ultra-low cut pouches as well as swimwear and lifestyle items. The brand’s aesthetic often emphasises the body’s outline, favouring cuts that accentuate form and contours rather than conceal them. Many models and photographs associated with the brand emphasise muscular physiques and minimal styling, underlining a design ethos that celebrates body confidence and visibility.

For consumers outside Japan, purchasing the brand may involve navigating language barriers as the official website and retail channels are largely in Japanese.

However, the brand is featured on international online underwear sites and is occasionally cited in articles about emerging trends in men’s under-equipment. Reviews suggest the brand appeals especially to those seeking underwear as self-expression, rather than purely functional basics.

Umeda Sky Building

Being there we decided to try our luck at the Umeda Sky Building. If the line wasn’t too long for the panorama, we would go up.

The Umeda Sky Building (梅田スカイビル, Umeda Sukai Biru) is one of Osaka’s most distinctive modern landmarks, symbolising the city’s post-war urban renewal and architectural ambition. Completed on 25 March 1993, the 190-metre-high twin-tower structure was designed by architect Hiroshi Hara. Located in the Kita district on the northern edge of central Osaka, the building forms the centrepiece of Shin-Umeda City, a 4.34-hectare mixed-use complex that also includes The Westin Osaka and a range of public facilities.

Originally conceived in 1988 during Japan’s economic boom, the project was envisioned as the ‘City of Air‘, a futuristic urban hub featuring four interconnected towers. However, following the collapse of the asset bubble in the early 1990s, the plan was scaled down to two towers.

Despite the economic downturn, Hara’s design retained its ambition to create a ‘floating city’ in the sky. Drawing inspiration from the Grande Arche de la Défense in Paris, the architect designed two 40-storey towers linked at their summits by a circular aerial structure that houses bridges, escalators, and observation decks.

The towers rise to a roof height of 170 metres, with antenna spires extending to 190 metres. Their most striking feature is the Floating Garden Observatory (Kuchu Teien Observatory), which spans the gap between the two towers. To complete this engineering feat, the observatory’s circular deck was assembled at ground level and then hydraulically lifted to its final position—an innovative construction technique used in Japan for the first time.

The observatory offers panoramic views of Osaka, the Yodo River, and the surrounding Kansai region.

Inside, the observatory occupies two floors and includes Café Sky 40 and the Fence of Vows, a symbolic railing where couples attach padlocks to commemorate their visit. The open-air rooftop terrace allows visitors to experience the city’s skyline directly, particularly at sunset and night when Osaka’s lights illuminate the horizon.

At the base of the towers lies an underground market designed to evoke the atmosphere of early twentieth-century Osaka, complete with narrow alleyways, period lighting, and traditional storefronts.

This area contrasts sharply with the building’s futuristic upper levels, reflecting Hara’s interest in merging nostalgia with modernity.

Surrounding the base are landscaped areas including the Island Garden and the Vegetable Garden, with walking paths and water features that soften the complex’s urban environment.

The Umeda Sky Building stands within walking distance of two of the busiest railway hubs in the world—JR Osaka Station and Umeda Station—making it easily accessible for both residents and visitors. The building serves as a hub for business, tourism, and leisure, while its observation deck ranks among Osaka’s most visited attractions.

All that is fine. You can guess there was a long line, so we didn’t go all the way up.

Grand Front complex

Grand Front Osaka (グランフロント大阪) is a vast commercial and urban complex located directly north of JR Osaka Station in the Umeda neighbourhood.

Opened in 2013, it represents one of the most ambitious urban redevelopment projects in Japan’s recent history and forms the centrepiece of the first phase of the Umekita project—short for ‘Umeda Kita‘, or ‘Umeda North‘. Built on the site of a former freight railyard, the complex was designed to revitalise a previously industrial zone into a vibrant, mixed-use city district integrating retail, business, leisure, and green public spaces.

The complex is composed of multiple interconnected buildings—the South Building, the North Building, an event hall, and a 48-storey residential tower—linked by elevated walkways that also provide direct access to Osaka Station. This pedestrian network symbolises the development’s goal of blending convenience with urban sophistication, creating a seamless flow between transport, commerce, and public life.

The South Building, the first structure visible from Osaka Station, serves as the main commercial gateway. Its lower six floors are occupied by a diverse range of fashion and interior design retailers, while the upper three levels host restaurants offering regional cuisine from across Japan, making it a popular dining destination for locals and travellers alike.

Above these sits a sleek office tower, housing corporate headquarters and business facilities that contribute to the area’s growing role as a major economic hub.

A skybridge from the second floor of the South Building leads to the North Building, which forms the intellectual and cultural heart of the complex. Here, the centrepiece is Knowledge Capital—a dynamic innovation hub designed to foster collaboration between businesses, researchers, and the public. Combining exhibition spaces, laboratories, and interactive showrooms, Knowledge Capital showcases new technologies and design concepts in fields ranging from robotics and healthcare to digital media and sustainability.

Visitors are encouraged to explore hands-on exhibits and participate in workshops that reflect Osaka’s growing status as a hub for creative industries.

The North Building also contains additional shopping and dining areas, an event space, and two skyscrapers that accommodate the InterContinental Hotel Osaka and high-grade office floors. The InterContinental, one of Osaka’s most prestigious hotels, offers panoramic views of the city skyline and easy access to the retail and cultural attractions below.

Completing the ensemble is the Grand Front Osaka Owner’s Tower, a 48-storey residential building located behind the North Building. The tower exemplifies modern urban living in Japan, featuring premium apartments and shared facilities integrated within the wider mixed-use environment. In front of the South Building lies an event hall used for exhibitions, concerts, and seasonal events, further reinforcing the complex’s role as a social and cultural focal point.

A defining feature of Grand Front Osaka is its emphasis on integrating nature within the urban landscape. The development includes rooftop terrace gardens, a verdant central plaza, and tree-lined pedestrian zones that soften the glass-and-steel architecture.

These green areas are central to the Umekita redevelopment’s environmental vision, offering public spaces for relaxation, gatherings, and community events in one of Osaka’s busiest districts.

The success of Grand Front Osaka has set a benchmark for urban renewal in Japan. The project’s second phase, Grand Green Osaka, is being developed on the adjacent site and is scheduled for full completion in 2027. Together, the two developments mark a transformation of northern Umeda into a dynamic, future-oriented district—an integrated model of modern Japanese city planning where commerce, creativity, and community coexist at the heart of Osaka.

From Grand Front to Osaka Station

Honestly, it was to distinguish where we were when, walking all those buildings, malls and bridges.

We were looking for lunch, but were too late. Lunch time typically stops at 2 PM or perhaps 2:30 PM. Restaurants then close and reopen at maybe 5 PM or 5:30 PM. In between, you need to go to fastfood chains or kombini’s, the famous conveniences stores.

But it was a nice walk to the station, where we took a train to Namba Station and ‘dinner’ in the Swissôtel Nankai Osaka executive lounge.

Night shopping

It’s dar at around 6 PM in Japan in October. So after our meal in the lounge, we went out for some more shopping. We spotted a Daiso, a discount store we wanted to do.

We also returned to Namba Parks and Luscious. The next day, would be dedicated to Universal Studios Japan.

So?

Osaka surely felt different to Tokyo. Like Busan felt different to Seoul in South Korea. You can feel the mentality is different. The vibes are different. Because they’re further away from the prying eyes of the central government and its workforce?

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