Is it really a room with kotatsu on top of the highest building in Japan? Enjoy the wonderful landscape and a typical winter dish “oden” in Kansai!

Is it really a room with kotatsu on top of the highest building in Japan? Enjoy the wonderful landscape and a typical winter dish “oden” in Kansai!

What is “kotatsu”?　Kotatsu at an observatory with a three-story ceiling

Warm Up to a Japanese Kotatsu in Winter

The highest space in Japan to enjoy kotatsu, an essential winter item for some people, is Harukas 300, an observatory in Abeno Harukas. It is a space where you can enjoy both the grand view from about 300 meters high and the warmth of home. 

When you arrive at the Garden of the Sky on the 58th floor of Harukas 300, you will see several kotatsu with the grand view in the background! It is quite a view to look at kotatsu tables lilned up on the corners under a 3-story ceiling! 

A free rental service of “dotera” (traditional Japanese house coat with thick cotton stuffing) is available to enhance your kotatsu experience! You can really feel the Japonesque atmosphere! 

Everyone in this event will get a pocket warmer as a gift. The subtle aroma of yomogi (mugwort) and ginger will not only warm you up, but also soothe your mind.

An event called “Kotatsu de Ouchi-jikan,” only available on weekdays, offers a set of 3 oden items and a drink for 1,000 yen. A total of 10 kinds of items in Harukas 300 specialty oden includes daikon, beef tendon, deep-fried tofu, boiled eggs, and chikuwa. Also served at night, this oden is based on sea bream dashi. Enjoy the delicious oden with a combination of various flavors of the ingredients and a deep, rich taste of sea bream dashi! 

You can rent various kinds of table games for free! You can have a fun time with your family and/or friends while keeping warm in the kotatsu. 

It looks like a cloudy day at the time when this photo was taken, but actually it was clear day. From about 300 meters above at the Garden of the sky, you can see clouds and fogs gathered up below. It is surely great to have a clear view of the beautiful scenery on a fine day, but it is also popular to enjoy the mystic view which you can only experience from here. 

In the evening, the place changes into a restaurant where you can enjoy oden nabe and shabushabu. A panoramic view of Osaka is spread out in front of your eyes. 

You can order one of 2 set courses, “eat-all-you-can oden course,” and “yuzu shabushabu with sangen mochi pork,” which are both popular at Harukas 300. Both include drink-all-you-can with alcohol package beverages. For dinner, it is recommended to make a reservation. 

A great combination of oden based on sea bream dashi and welcome drink “Akishika,” Osaka’s great local sake! 

Shabushabu with yuzu flavor will warm you up inside! A sea bream-based dashi soup is also great for udon noodles to finish up the meal. 

Mikan, an essential item for kotatsu, is also included in the menu. 

You can enjoy eating on kotatsu as if you are at home, along with a grand panoramic view of Osaka, which makes it an extraordinary experience. The event “Kakomu de Kotatsu” will be available until April 12. Don’t miss it!

 “Kakomu de Kotatsu”

 https://www.abenoharukas-300.jp/observatory/kotatsu/ 

Reservation site:

 https://www.tablecheck.com/en/shops/skygarden300/reserve 

Access: Directly connected to Osaka Abenobashi Station on the Kintetsu Line. A few minutes from Tennoji Station on several lines. 

After enjoying kotatsu, you can purchase some souvenirs at “Abeno Harukas Kintetsu Main Store” on the 1st and 2nd floors in the basement and 1st to 14th floors! 

https://abenoharukas.d-kintetsu.co.jp/special/foreign/index.html