Osaka Bay Area—Rei Jonishi Introduces Fun Cruises, Stunning Night Scenery, and More with the Osaka e-Pass (PR)

Konnichiwa! I’m Rei Jonishi!


From Universal Studios Japan to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan—Osaka’s Bay Area is always a lively place to be, and for good reason!

I explored the area with the Osaka e-Pass and visited several different attractions you can enjoy in this popular area!


Gorgeous Views from the Sea on the Santa Maria

Just beside the Kaiyukan, Osaka’s premiere aquarium, you’ll find the scenic cruise ship Santa Maria. The ship departs every hour from Nishihotoba Pier.


The ship is modeled after Columbus’s flagship from his voyage to the New World.
 With its retro, majestic design, it has an impressive presence on the water. Just spotting the ship is exciting!


Even though there were many people in line, ticketing was super smooth thanks to the Osaka e-Pass. It’s unbelievably convenient!
After boarding with the rest of the passengers—off we go!

The 45-minute cruise circles Osaka Bay, giving you plenty of time to enjoy the scenery at a relaxed pace.

As the Kaiyukan and the giant Ferris wheel fade into the distance behind us, the first landmark we saw was the massive Tempozan Bridge, which looked absolutely stunning as we passed directly underneath it!

Out on deck, the sunlight was bright and the wind felt wonderful. There’s something so refreshing about sea breeze that brings a sense of escape from everyday life.

Next, I explored inside the ship: checking out the exhibition room about Columbus’s voyage, taking pictures with the deck navigator, and enjoying some gelato.
Soon the iconic red Minato Bridge came into view!

And it was absolutely beautiful to see the bridge and its surrounding landscape.
As I was going back and forth between the deck and interior, snacking and relaxing, my 45 minutes onboard flew by.
Even though I’ve visited the Bay Area so many times, I had no idea this cruise existed!
Thank you, Osaka e-Pass
The Santa Maria operates almost daily, but there are occasional charter days or temporary closures, so check the schedule online just in case.
On some days, there’s a Twilight Cruise as well (the pass can be used once for the Santa Maria), so this would be perfect for enjoying sunset views!

Thrilling Taiko Performances

Just steps from Nishihatoba pier, where the Santa Maria docks, you’ll see TEMPO HARBOR THEATER. On certain days of the week, this venue hosts two special performances: OSAKA NIGHT FUSION and UTAGE LIVE SHOW.

These shows blend traditions from Japanese culture like taiko drumming with dance music and modern performance styles, creating a brand-new entertainment experience.
Unfortunately, when I visited there were no performances scheduled for that day. But judging from the videos, the shows look like a lot of fun!

And the Osaka e-Pass can get you discounted tickets for both performances. Each show runs for about an hour, so they are easy to add into your travel itinerary.

Both are very popular with people from the West. And these unique performances are a rare opportunity for Japanese audiences to see something new.
The TEMPO HARBOR THEATER is located inside of the Culturarium, which is a unique and visibly impressive venue, even from the outside.

Breathtaking Night Views at Sakishima CosmoTower in the Osaka Bay Area

I heard that the Sakishima CosmoTower Observatory offers stunning views of the Osaka Bay area at night so I headed straight over. It’s located right next to Trade Center-mae Station, which is only two stops away from Osaka Metro’s Osakakō Station, where I got off the Santa Maria.

After checking in on the CosmoTower first floor, you can take an elevator and escalator all the way up to the 55th floor.
The 360-degree panoramic observation deck even has a café, making it a perfect spot to relax as the sky shifts from sunset to night. You can also see the former Osaka–Kansai Expo site from the observation deck.

When I arrived it wasn’t quite evening yet, so I decided to stop into this cute cafe called honeybee shop. I have always wanted to try their famous Sakishima Puryan pudding.

When you show your Osaka e-Pass at this cafe, you can get 10% off your meal.
*The discount does not apply to the pudding.

I was so excited to try it! The slightly bitter caramel pairs perfectly with the pudding. It was so good!
The texture wasn’t too firm or too soft. It was perfect!

Besides their classic cream pudding, I also tried the seasonal cheese pudding, because why not? And it was incredibly satisfying!
This one had a lighter taste, almost like a rare cheesecake. And since both come in adorable little jars, they’d make great souvenirs too!

While I was eating all that delicious pudding, it daylight was fading into the night sky. And as I headed up to the observation deck, I realized this would be the perfect place for a date. The lighting is so romantic!

So a ride on the Santa Maria costs 1,800 yen for the day cruise (or 2,300 yen for the twilight cruise), and admission to the Sakishima CosmoTower Observatory is 1,200 yen.
Just by visiting these two attractions, you can already get your money’s worth out of the Osaka e-Pass! The 1-day pass is 2,400 yen.

On top of that, the two shows at TEMPO HARBOR THEATER are heavily discounted from 6,000 yen to 3,500 yen each if you have an Osaka e-Pass.

So even if you only have a few extra hours in the late afternoon, you can easily make great use of the Osaka Raku-Yu Pass!

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Rei Jonishi
She is a former member of NMB48 and is now working as a model based in Osaka.
Her future dream is to work as a full-time model. She is currently focusing mainly on gravure (swimsuit/lingerie/themeed) modeling.
X (formerly Twitter):@jonishi_rei
Instagram@jonishi_rei
TikTok:@jonishi_rei

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