MIMARU Osaka Namba Station: The Perfect Hotel for a break from your Japan Travels, or a Staycation!

I‘ve always been a huge fan of board games and I absolutely love going to board game cafes with my friends. There are plenty of board game cafes in Osaka (Like GeeBee and The Hearth), and they all offer a wide range of board games you have probably never heard of plus a few nice perks. But have you ever thought of surrounding yourself with board games, mini games and mystery games at your accommodation in Osaka?

Well, now you can!

MIMARU Osaka Namba Station (not to be confused with their Osaka Namba North location) is a new addition to the Den Den Town area of Osaka, just at the entrance to every anime fan and electronics guru‘s paradise.

It is the perfect location for travelers who want to be in the heart of Osaka. It is also perfect for locals who want an excuse to play a variety of board games at their own leisure for a staycation.

You may have come across other MIMARU locations in Kansai and Tokyo. They’re particularly known for their Pokémon rooms in two of their selected locations. I've always wanted to stay at one of those locations since you may or may not already know of my Pokemon obsession...

Anywho. Let's get back to our Board Game Hotel, which I'm so super excited to show you today!

You're immediately greeted with a human-sized board game box at the entrance to the lobby. I love what they did with the cover of the box.

Before you get on the elevator, see if you can fit inside the box!

Time to check in then!

When you are finished checking in, make sure you check out the elevator area once again. The staff surely would have explained all the minigames scattered around the hotel, and there was already one just as you stepped off the elevator: The Elevator Guessing Game.

When you're waiting for the elevator in the lobby, this is a great way to make a bet with your friends to see who gets to pay for dinner. ;)

The Lobby & Game Room

The amenities area also has a rundown of all the other minigames available to play during your stay here, so do make sure you stop by this corner to see what else they have to offer. And don't hesitate to contact a staff member if you need assistance to get you and your pals started on these minigames!

Speaking of the staff members - there are staff members who are non-Japanese. So you don't have to worry if you don't speak Japanese. Someone is bound to be available to help you in English or otherwise. They were all super nice and welcoming when we were there, helping us and explaining everything to us - which was amazing!

Not that you need to worry at all, because if you may have noticed - signages and instructions are all available in both Japanese and English, and even Chinese.

(You can thank the staff there for all their hard work for translating everything and making the game day one that isn't... lost in translation, so to speak)

And then of course, the main attraction: their Board Games!

This is the main area where you can sit and game any of the board games you see. There's plenty of tables to sit and enjoy the games with your friends, or maybe even meet some new people along the way.

If you are unable to get a table, you can use the iPad by the entrance to "rent" a board game out to your room to play. So you can play as much as you like, whenever you want!

And while you play, there are free soft drinks available in the lobby for you to enjoy too.

Don't forget to stop by the The Dice Challenge table right next to the reception for a chance to win a prize. If you're really lucky, you could potentially win yourself another stay at the hotel!

The Rooms

Let's check out a few of the unique rooms available to stay at.

While most rooms are the standard Apartment Studio type rooms without any theming, there are a few unique rooms at this hotel that are custom to the Board Game theming.

Werewolf Room

If you love the party game "Mafia" (better known as the Werewolf Game), there are a few rooms in this hotel that is perfectly tailored to you and your friends!

The best features of this room not only includes the theming to the Werewolf, but the Hotel Apartment has sectioned off rooms for when you play Mafia (and other murder mystery games) with your friends and family. It allows players who are killed off during the game to sit out without ruining the game for others. A nifty feature!

Kids Room

There are a few other rooms in this hotel that are catered just for kids.

There are additional toys and kid-friendly games available in the room, which your kids would love.

What a cute little room!

Terrace Room

The last room I want to show you today is great for friends and family who want to have an outdoor space for sitting and BBQ. There is only one room this like at this hotel, and yes - you can rent the gear to have a BBQ outside in your private little terrace in the middle of the busy city.

All of these special rooms have a selection of board games already available in the living area of the room. That way, you don't need to rent any board games from the lobby - unless there is a very specific game you'd like to play that's not in the room.

Other Amazing Fun

On top of all the board games in the lobby, there are a few mini-games and party games you can play all scattered around the hotel.

Each floor by the elevator has a easy-to-play game to cure boredom whilst waiting:

If you visit the hotel vending machines at the lobby, you can try this little deduction game to figure out what the mystery drink is inside the vending machine (of course you do have to buy the drink to know the real answer):

And if your family and friends feel adventurous, you can ask the hotel staff to get you started on a spy game that will have you running around the lobby looking for clues to solve the mystery. And as I mentioned in the beginning, there are plenty of party games in the form of cards that you can also ask the hotel staff to start you with as well. So please don't hesitate to ask them for help!

I hope you enjoyed this little intro of this unique hotel!

If you ever get a chance to stay, leave a comment or hit me up on my socials to let me know what your experience was. We always love hearing from you!!