HEP FIVE Osaka Umeda

Escalators located in the back of the building.

Greetings all!
I hope everyone was able to enjoy G.W. (golden week) and Children's Day. Or maybe you just spent the week fretful of Mothers Day (ノ_・,) ( I know I freaked out! ).
She'll love whatever you give her anyway, that's what Mums are forヽ(*´▽)ノ♪
 
Anyway, that's neither here nor there.
Here's another post about shopping ( I'm afraid that's an official past-time in Japan (。_。) ). But don't worry, because this shopping center has a nice buffet and some attractions! Now there's a little something we can all look forward to (￣∇￣*)ゞ

HEP FIVE/ヘップファイブー大阪・梅田


Access Information:
You have a choice of 3 different trains to use to get to HEP5, but beware of the underground mall. It's vast and busy, so probably easy for first-timers to get lostヽ(´Ａ｀)ノ Access information taken from the HEP FIVE website.
●From Hankyuu Railway,  by way of the Hankyuu Takarazuka Line, exit the train at Umeda Station and head east (I guess they mean the East exit, they don't specifically say) and it takes 3 minutes on foot.
●From the JR Trains, by way of the JR Kobe Line, JR Kyoto Line or JR Loop Line, exit at the JR Osaka Station and exit at the Midousuji gate, then 4 minutes on foot.
●From the subway, by way of the Tanimachi Line or Midousuji Line. If you take the Tanimachi Line, and exit at the Higashi Umeda Station it's about 5 minutes on foot. From the Midousuji Line, exit at the Umeda Station, and it's still about 5 minutes on foot.

I'm pretty sure all these stations will dump you out at the underground mall, so if you follow the overhead signs, it should lead you to HEP5. But be warned, there's another building that goes by HEP, but I think it's only filled with restaurants (but maybe you're into that?ヽ(°▽、°）ノ

Radio booth!

HEP, like any major shopping center, is big. Like really big. There are two areas for escalators though (first photo in this post), and several nooks with elevators, so getting around, even during G.W., is mostly stress-less(*￣∇￣)ノ

DIY Workshop

There's also are live hall somewhere (HEP HALL 8F) where they hold concerts that coincide with big events. Like, for example, the radio booth above. This is for an event called the ROCKIN' FIVE. I'm not sure why they're having it, but they've been holding really cool events like a guitar talent showcase, some DIY workshops and free concerts. Who can say no to free??ﾍ(ﾟ∀ﾟﾍ)ｱﾋｬ

You see the GAP, it basically occupies that entire floor.

 I think one of HEP5's most memorable features are the two large whales swimming around the open space near the entrance. I think they reach all the way up to the 5th or 6th floor, where they have a platform built so you can get a nice close photo OP.

As for the shops, they're plentiful. It caters mostly to younger crowds, but there are some things for moms, and quite a few mens shops (actually a lot more than I remember from my first trip).

Parts of HEP5 are also under construction, so look out for some new things in the future!

There's also a Disney store, where I found these cute guys. Was totally shopping for a gift for my niece though(*ﾟ∀ﾟ)=3ﾊｧﾊｧ

Trains passing by right outside of HEP5.

I really wanted to know why this buffet is called be OFF...

One of the best areas of HEP5 is located on the top floors, and it's food! They had a nice selection from Italian, waffles, traditional Japanese food, and a buffet. The buffet was really cheap (only about 1200 yen for ladies, 1300 yen for guys) but really lacking in variety. There are probably tons of other great buffets scattered about Osaka, but if you're trapped in HEP5 with people, this'll probably be your best (and cheapest) bet.

But the fun doesn't end there..! There's still two more floors left to explore～(´ー｀～).







Upstairs houses the game center and Kansai's largest collection of Print Club (Purikura) machines! Big score for any purikura addict **guilty** (*^-^*)ゞﾃﾍﾍ. The machines are spread out between the two floors, and feature costumes and changing rooms, if you're looking to spice up your purikura(*･∀･*)ｴｯﾁｰ!!.

 They also have a small gathering of attractions. This one is a 3D SIM (I think) of water rapids. Or maybe there are actually water rapids somewhere in HEP, I don't know. And I wasn't paying 600 yen to find out（　´'Ａ'｀）. They also had an attraction where you get a host/hostess name, and a haunted house. I was tempted to try the haunted house, but Shota doesn't like being scared and it was closed anyway. Dang(ﾟ∀｡)ﾜﾋｬﾋｬﾋｬﾋｬﾋｬﾋｬ

Any veterans of the Osaka scene may notice I didn't include a photo of the huuuuge ferris wheel sitting on top of HEP5. Well, I didn't even take a photo of it, so I didn't see a real point in adding it in（；’Ａ ’） Next time I go, I'll be sure to snap a photo, since it's probably the most distinctive thing about HEP5 and Umedaヽ(´Ａ｀)ノ

I'm gathering words for another Kansai-ben update and thinking about doing a write up of point cards (I think I have close to 20, yea....). Does that sound interesting??ヽ(°▽、°）ノ If something more interesting comes along, I'll definitely post that instead!（●´－｀●）

★Peaces★  


Also! This is my entry for Show Me Japan!
(I missed the deadline last time!! ;;)