IHG Hotels & Resorts operates 19 hotel brands with more than 6,400 hotels in over 100 countries. In Japan, IHG Hotels & Resorts currently operates approximately 47 hotels under seven brands from Hokkaido to Okinawa (as of June 30, 2024). For this interview, we asked Yuji Shiraki, general manager of the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Osaka, about the charms of the area surrounding the hotel.
Name: ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Osaka
Location: 1-3-1 Dojimahama, Kita-ku, Osaka City
–How did you come to work at the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Osaka?
I was in Osaka from 2013 to 2018, but due to a personnel change, I was transferred to Hokkaido and returned to Osaka in 2021. I enjoy the cultural differences and surprising similarities between Osaka and Hokkaido.
–What kind of hotel is it?
Belonging to IHG Hotels & Resorts, which operates more than 6,400 hotels worldwide, the hotel is located in Kitashinchi, a representative district of Kita, Osaka, which has flourished as a place for business people to exchange information. It has 473 guest rooms with banquet facilities, seven restaurants and an authentic bar.
–What is the unique experience of the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Osaka?
The Club Lounge, one of the largest lounges in western Japan, is located on the top 24th floor and has the grandeur of a museum, with masterpieces and antique ornaments decorating the space. Enjoy our original French toast for breakfast, or savor the night view of Osaka facing the riverside with a drink during cocktail hour.
–please let me know if you have any personal favorites tourist spots or restaurants in the vicinity of the hotel.
We would like you to get off the JR Loop Line one stop at a time to enjoy the tastes and culture of Osaka. First, get off at Kyobashi Station and go to a standing bar at 8:00 a.m., then to Tsuruhashi for horumonyaki and Korean food, and at Tenma Station, experience eating your way through the longest shopping street in Japan. Next, after tasting kushikatsu (skewers), which originated at Tsutenkakuji Station, we recommend the eel restaurant Igaoki, located near Tenmabashi Bridge, past Osaka Castle from Osaka-jo Koen Station. The eel bowl, in which crispy grilled eel is steamed in rice, is also called “mamushi” (steamed eel) in Osaka. You will be surprised when you open the lid of the bowl. We hope you will enjoy this unique Osaka dish.
–What restaurant menu do you recommend?
The dessert and lunch buffet at “Cafe in the Park” offers desserts and dishes served in pretty glasses and themed according to the season. The restaurant is popular among women and reservations are not easy to obtain. We also recommend the tantanmen noodles at “Chinese Cuisine Hanashi,” the Kobe beef, Matsusaka beef, and Omi beef at “Teppan-yaki Dojima,” and the Michelin-starred French restaurant “Maison Tateru Yoshino.
–What souvenirs do you recommend?
From the Edo period to the Meiji period (1868-1912), kelp was transported from Hokkaido to Osaka on the Kitamae-bune (Kitamae ship), and from there the kelp dashi culture was born. We recommend the Sansho kelp from Nagaike Kombu, which has been in business for 160 years since the Edo period. Another recommendation is the Korai-mochi (rice cake) from “Kikujyudo Yoshinobu,” a long-established Japanese confectionery that has been in business for over 190 years. They are made to order and have a gentle taste. Please note that the store is not sign-posted and you may pass by it.
© Source travel watch
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