Overview
Osaka Metro (大阪メトロ, Ōsaka Metoro) is the rapid transit backbone of Japan's third-largest metropolitan area. It opened in 1933 as the Osaka Municipal Subway — Japan's first publicly operated subway — and was privatized on 1 April 2018 as Osaka Metro Co., Ltd. As of 2025 it carries roughly 2.5 million passengers a day, and it accounts for 123 of the 1,108 rail stations in the wider Osaka–Kobe–Kyoto region.
For a visitor, riding it end to end is straightforward. Find your nearest station, look up the fare to your destination on the fare chart above the ticket machines, buy a ticket or tap an IC card at the gate, ride to your station, then feed your ticket into the gate on the way out (IC card users simply tap again). Stations are labelled with a letter-and-number code — the letter identifies the line, the number the position on that line — so Higobashi on the Yotsubashi Line is also "Y12". These codes are announced bilingually in Japanese and English on board every train, along with information about businesses near the next station.
The network serves Osaka City and the surrounding municipalities of Higashiosaka, Kadoma, Moriguchi, Sakai, Suita and Yao, and it is tightly integrated with the regional rail networks of JR West and private operators such as Hankyu and Keihan. The big interchange hubs — Umeda, Namba and Tennōji — are where you switch between subway lines and onward rail services.
The network
Osaka Metro itself comprises eight subway lines running over 133.1 km (82.7 mi) of track and serving 124 stations, plus a separate automated guideway line. The system is unusual in Japan in that it is the only subway partly classified legally as a tram system, though in practice it operates as a full metro.
- Midōsuji Line (御堂筋線, Midōsuji-sen) — the north–south trunk and the oldest and busiest line, running beneath Midōsuji. It carried about 1.3 million passengers a day as of 2015 and runs at headways of roughly 2–5 minutes at peak. It links Shin-Osaka (for the Shinkansen), Umeda and Namba.
- Chūō Line (中央線, Chūō-sen) — the main east–west corridor, extended eastward over tracks owned by other companies, with through-running between the two sections.
- Tanimachi Line (谷町線, Tanimachi-sen) — an important north–south link through central commercial and residential districts; it serves Umeda.
- Yotsubashi Line (四つ橋線, Yotsubashi-sen) — another key central corridor, also serving Umeda and Namba.
- Sennichimae Line (千日前線, Sennichimae-sen) — serves Namba.
- Sakaisuji Line (堺筋線, Sakaisuji-sen) — the one line that runs through services onto existing Hankyu Railway tracks, and the only line with through services onto the national rail network.
- Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line (長堀鶴見緑地線) — Japan's first linear-motor subway line, opened in 1990 between Kyobashi and Tsurumi-ryokuchi and later extended into the city centre.
- Imazatosuji Line (今里筋線) — the second linear-motor line, opened in December 2006 between Itakano and Imazato; it connects with four existing subway lines, the Keihan Main Line and the JR Gakkentoshi Line.
- New Tram (ニュートラム) — a 7.9 km, 10-station automated guideway transit line.
Beyond the metro, Greater Osaka's mass transit is filled out by the JR West network, private railways such as Hankyu, Hanshin, Keihan and Kintetsu, and the Osaka Monorail, which arcs around the northern suburbs. Kintetsu trains, for example, run through the Chūō Line and continue toward Nara and Kyoto, so you can cross networks without changing trains. A 3.2 km extension from Cosmosquare to Yumeshima opened on 19 January 2025 ahead of the Osaka–Kansai Expo, with long-term plans for a further extension toward Sakurajima.
Tickets & fares
Fares on Osaka Metro are distance-based: the fare section is set by the distance between your departure and arrival stations along the shortest route. Fares include an accessibility fee for train stations, shown in parentheses in the official fare tables. Treat all prices below as approximate — they change, so check the operator's fare page before you travel.
- Single tickets — buy from the ticket machines at any station; the fare chart above the machines shows the price to each destination.
- IC cards / tap-to-ride — ICOCA is the local IC card and can be used to tap through the gates. A new ICOCA requires a ¥500 deposit, refunded when you return the card.
- Commuter passes — Osaka Metro-only passes (standard and student) are issued either as ICOCA IC cards or as magnetic passes. Interline commuter passes are issued only as ICOCA cards. Buying a pass on a new ICOCA costs the pass fare plus the ¥500 deposit; there is no deposit if you load it onto an existing ICOCA. Note that the number of fare sections for regular fares may differ from commuter pass fares, and some routes are not eligible for commuter passes. Bus/subway interline passes for distances under 2 km are issued only as magnetic passes, while "all routes" passes are issued only as IC cards.
- Group fares — available for groups of 25 or more, split into student and regular group categories. As a worked example from the operator: 28 junior high students plus 3 teachers across two sections comes to ¥192 × 28 (¥5,376) for the students plus ¥216 × 3 (¥648) for the teachers, totalling ¥6,024 and rounded to ¥6,020, since fractions under ¥10 per group are rounded to the nearest ¥10. Group tickets can be reserved in advance through the Group Ticket Web Reservation Service, and fares can be calculated with the fare simulator.
- Subway–bus transfer discount — transferring between subway and bus gives an automatic ¥100 discount (¥50 for children).
- Special Discount Coupon Card — gives a further automatic ¥50 discount on top, for adults only. The regular Coupon Card was discontinued as of 22 March 2024, but the Special Discount Coupon Card remains on sale.
- Senior Pass — the Osaka City Discount Transport Pass for the Elderly makes regular subway–bus transfer fares automatically ¥50.
- Surutto KANSAI Special Discount IC Card — subway–bus transfers give an automatic ¥50 discount, adults only.
Commuter pass fares can be looked up with the operator's "Search Route & Fares" tool, which is also the reliable way to confirm current single fares and any tourist-oriented passes before you commit.
From the airport
Kansai International Airport (KIX) is the main international gateway to Osaka. The metropolitan area's airport code is OSA, and Kobe Airport (UKB) is nearby and reachable by boat from Kansai Airport. The subway network offers direct and indirect access to Kansai International Airport, and the major hubs at Umeda, Namba and Tennōji are where you connect onward.
Osaka International Airport — better known as Itami Airport (ITM) — handles most domestic flights and, despite the name, no longer serves international flights. It sits mostly in neighbouring Hyogo Prefecture, with only its South Terminal in Osaka. Your options into town:
- Monorail — the Osaka Monorail serves the airport but does not connect to the city centre, tracing an arc around the northern suburbs instead. For Umeda, the fastest route is one stop on the monorail to Hotarugaike, then a transfer to the Hankyu Takarazuka Line (¥420 total). For destinations on the Midōsuji subway line, including Shin-Osaka for Shinkansen services, transfer at Senri-Chuo.
- Bus — for most travellers the more convenient option is the Airport Limousine Buses, which run frequently from Itami to various locations in Osaka and elsewhere in the region, including Kansai Airport, with fares starting around ¥500–600.
- Taxi — a taxi from Itami to the Osaka Castle area costs around ¥4,000 plus ¥700 for the toll road.
Etiquette & customs
Japanese rail etiquette is generally observed closely on Osaka Metro, and following it will make your journeys smoother.
- Queue at the platform — line up at the marked boarding points and let passengers off before you get on.
- Escalators — stand on one side and leave the other side clear for people walking. Follow the people around you, as the convention can differ from region to region.
- Quiet and priority seating — keep phone conversations short and voices low. Priority seating is reserved for elderly passengers, people with disabilities, pregnant passengers and those with small children; give it up if asked.
- Eating and drinking — avoid eating on trains; drinking is generally tolerated but keep it discreet.
- Rush hour — trains on high-traffic routes such as the Midōsuji Line run every 2–5 minutes at peak, but they are crowded. Travel light, keep your bag in front of you or on the overhead rack, and let crowded trains go by if you can.
- Accessibility — elevators have been installed at all stations and platform screen doors on selected lines, so step-free routes are widely available.
Official links
Survival terms
- 地下鉄 (chikatetsu) — subway / metro
- 切符 (kippu) — ticket
- 線 (sen) — line (as in 御堂筋線, Midōsuji-sen)
- 入口 (iriguchi) — entrance
- 出口 (deguchi) — exit
- 乗り換え (norikae) — transfer
- 初乗り運賃 (hatsunori unchin) — single fare / starting fare
- 一日乗車券 (ichinichi jōshaken) — day pass
Before you set out each day, check the operator's English fare and route-search pages, because fares and pass options are revised periodically and the published figures are the only ones you should rely on.