The Osaka Port Countdown Cruise, a popular event to celebrate New Year's Eve aboard the sailing ship "Santa Maria," will operate for the first time in three years.

On Saturday, December 31, 2022, it will depart from the Port of Osaka at 11:30 p.m.

For approximately 1 hour, the ship will go around the spots in the bay area, such as the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan and Universal Studio Japan. This cruise ship is about twice the size of the "Santa Maria," the flagship of Columbus, which reached the New Continent.

With its gigantic sail and subtle retro vibe, the ship certainly seems like a pirate ship from an adventure novel. You will be filled with excitement even before boarding the ship.

On board the ship, a live performance by "RUMY★AMY" and a grand New Years' lottery with gorgeous prizes is held to liven up the people for the countdown. You can also enjoy the lights of the Tempozan Harbor Village and Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.

You'll love seeing Osaka from a different angle at sea. Nothing beats the feeling of drinking cocktails sold on board while watching the scenery slowly drift past. This cruise is perfect for couples. Reservations for this year have already started. This cruise is available only by reservation, so be sure to place one early on before it sells out.

Osaka Water Bus Reservation Center 06-6942-5511 (10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) *Reservations can only be made via the web

Sumiyoshi Taisha, located in Sumiyoshi-Ku, Osaka, is the main shrine of the Sumiyoshi Shrine, which has about 2,300 shrines nationwide.

This historical shrine in Osaka is also popular for being a power spot and is visited by several people every year. It's so popular that people call it "Sumiyossan" during their first shrine visit of the New Year.

On December 31, people gather in front of the Kōjūmon at 5:00 p.m. to participate in the Shiwasuōharaishiki, a ritual that purifies the sins and impurities accumulated by people for the entire year.

Next, as the sun sets, a New Year's festival called Joyasai is held to thank the passing year and to pray for the arrival of the new year. The shrine gates temporarily close at 5:00 p.m. and open again at 10:00 p.m. The place is teeming with people, but it has become a New Year's Eve custom in Osaka.

This place is a 3-minute walk east from Nankai Main Line "Sumiyoshi Taisha Station" or a 5-minute walk west from Nankai Takano Line "Sumiyoshi East Station." It's an easily accessible place just off "Sumiyoshi Torii-mae Station" on the tram line running through Osaka.

At the beginning of the year, Wakamizu-no-gi, a ceremony where water from the well called Shini is offered to the Gods, is held from 5:00 a.m. From 6:00 a.m., an Osaka New Year's Day festival called Gantansai is held to pray for the country's prosperity and bountiful harvests.

On December 31, the gates will reopen at 10:00 a.m. The shrine will be open 24 hours until 10:00 p.m. on New Year's Day. There are also a lot of food carts lined along the shrine road, and within the shrine's vicinity, so you can eat udon or thick wheat noodles and cotton candy and buy lucky charms.

For the Japanese, New Year's Eve allows them to reset the events that occurred in the passing year and welcome the new year with newfound hope. Please enjoy the lively atmosphere unique to the New Year's Eve celebration at Sumiyoshi Taisha, dubbed the busiest place in Osaka during the New Year's holiday.

Universal Studios Japan will hold a one-night-only NO LIMIT! Countdown 2023 on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2022. The show will feature carefully selected representative performances of each season, including "Evolution of Dance with Sesame Street" in the spring of the same year, "One Piece Premiere Show" in the summer, and "Halloween Horror Nights" in the fall, and will be held on December 31, 2022, for one night only.

The "Countdown Special Stage" is a special entertainment program that allows you to see one year's worth of shows in one place. In addition, popular characters such as "Minion," "Snoopy," "Sesame Street," and "Hello Kitty" will make appearances.

The climax of the New Year's Eve celebration will be the "Countdown Moment. The event is sure to be a big hit, with music and lighting effects and approximately 4,000 colorful, upright fireworks. Also, from 7:00 p.m. on December 31 until closing time on January 1, visitors can enjoy unlimited rides on "Super Nintendo World" and other attractions in the park. Don't miss the exciting special stage and fireworks display that will bring the year to a close.

Outline of the "Countdown Special Stage" <@Overview of the "Countdown Special Stage
Location: Gramercy Park
Time: Concert begins at 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (approximately 15 to 20 minutes per show)

Overview of "Countdown Moments"
Location: Lagoon, Gramercy Park
Time: Concert begins at 11:50 p.m. to 12:10 a.m.

How to purchase "NO LIMIT! Countdown 2023" and "Party Pass".
The "Party Pass" (from 12,900 yen) required to attend "NO LIMIT! Countdown 2023" will be sold by lottery, pre-sale, and general sale sequentially from October 11. The dates and sales windows are as follows. For details, please check the official Universal Studios Japan website.

Hotel Agora Regency Osaka Sakai, directly connected to the west exit of Sakai Station on the Nankai Main Line, will hold its first countdown and New Year's party in three years on December 31, 2022. DJ Teddy Nakayama, who has appeared at many events around the Kansai region, will perform a free live DJ show in the first-floor lobby.

On the same day from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., the first floor restaurant "The Loop" will serve New Year's Eve soba (1,800 yen), which includes herring soba, tenmusu, and a small bowl of cooked food, and on New Year's Day, an osechi set (4,500 yen) will be served in the banquet hall on the 26th floor.

In addition, the "1st Floor Bakery & Patisserie Fagot" on the 1st floor offers a zodiac sign bread (1,000 yen) with cream, chocolate cream, and strawberry jam in a bun featuring the "rabbit" zodiac sign for 2023, as well as a set of bread, popular bread, pound cake, and discount coupons for each.

A goody bag (2,500 yen) containing popular breads, pound cakes, and discount coupons for each item is also available. There will also be a New Year's Eve sunrise viewing, a limited New Year's buffet, and much more. Let's spend the year-end and New Year's holidays at Hotel Agora Regency Osaka Sakai!

AGORA Countdown Party AGORA Countdown Party <@AGORA Countdown Party
Date: Saturday, December 31, 2022, 11:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. (tentative)
Place: Hotel Agora Regency Osaka Sakai 1st floor lobby
Fee: Free of charge

Aloft Osaka Dojima, a next-generation lifestyle hotel operated by Marriott Group, will host a countdown DJ live performance by London-based DJ Miles Woodroffe (aka "MileZ") at the W XYZ Bar on the first floor from December 31, 2022 to the New Year. The attraction of this event is that it will be held at the "W XYZ Bar" on the first floor. The attraction of this event is that you will be able to witness the performance of the DJs from so close that you can almost reach out and touch them. Let's welcome the new year in unison while enjoying the music.

From January 1 to 3, 2023, The WAREHOUSE restaurant on the first floor will offer, in addition to the regular breakfast buffet, a sumptuous New Year's Day meal (3,025 yen) featuring red and white fish cakes, namasu, black soybeans and white miso soup with a rabbit, the zodiac sign for the year 2023.

Outline of "LiveAloft Countdown Live"
Period: Saturday, December 31, 2022
Location: Aloft Osaka Dojima, 1st floor bar "W XYZ Bar
Hours: 8:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
*Free admission

Summary of "The WAREHOUSE New Year's 3-Day Limited Osechi Cuisine" Event <@Summary of "The WAREHOUSE New Year's 3-Day Limited Osechi Cuisine" Event
Period: Sunday, January 1 - Tuesday, January 3, 2023
Location: Aloft Osaka Dojima, 1st floor restaurant "The WAREHOUSE
Hours: 07:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m. (last orders at 10:30 a.m.)

Swissôtel Nankai Osaka is holding "Festive Retro with Marie Quant," a collaboration with Marie Quant, a fashion and cosmetics brand from London, England, from November to December.

To conclude the event, a "New Year Countdown Party with Marie Quant" will be held on New Year's Eve, Saturday, December 31, 2022, at Table 36, a restaurant on the top floor.

In an exciting space decorated in orange and pink, you can enjoy a buffet of British dishes such as shepherd's pie, fish and chips, and roast Australian grass-fed beef while listening to music performed by a DJ. Gorgeous sweets such as strawberry and mascarpone mousse and a mango chocolate fountain are also available. Enjoy eating, drinking, and music performances on the hotel's top floor for a lively New Year's Eve.

<@"New Year Countdown Party with Marie Quant" Event Outline
Date: Saturday, December 31, 2022
Venue: "Table 36" and "Bar 36" on the 36th floor of Swissôtel Nankai Osaka
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. with free drinks and buffet (2 hours) *Buffet ends at 10:30 p.m.
Price: Standard Plan 9,000 yen, Premium Plan 11,000 yen
Guest DJ performance: 9:00 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

W Osaka, a luxury hotel in Shinsaibashi, will hold a countdown party on Saturday, December 31, 2022, for the second time since its opening. This year's theme is Music and Taste. The DJ performance by "MONDO GROSSO," a solo project by Shinichi Osawa, who produces various artists in Japan and abroad, and the dance music duo "RHYME SO," in which Osawa and Australian performer "RHYME" team up to perform a special live performance. A total of 10 DJs will perform, enlivening the venue with songs perfect for the end of this year and the start of 2023.

In addition, colorful cocktails and champagne will be served as free drinks, and the food menu will include New Year's Eve soba noodles, canapés and finger foods served buffet style.

Outline of "W Osaka presents 2022-2023 COUNTDOWN PARTY"
Date: Saturday, December 31, 2022
Time: 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. the following day
Place: W Osaka 2F Banquet Hall
Charge: 12,000 yen
General: 12,000 yen/person/standing (free drinks, New Year's Eve soba noodles, cocktail buffet)
Premium Seats: 25,000 yen/person/standing (free drinks, caviar, New Year's Eve soba noodles, cocktail buffet)
VIP Seats: 200,000 yen / 1 seat / capacity of 6 (a magnum bottle of premium champagne, free drinks, caviar, seafood plate, New Year's Eve soba noodles, cocktail buffet)
VVIP Seats: 500,000 yen / 1 seat / capacity for 10 persons (2 Magnum bottles of premium Champagne, free drinks, caviar, sushi tub, New Year's Eve soba noodles, cocktail buffet)

Here we shared countdown spots held on a cruise, at a historic shrine and theme park, and at luxury hotels.

People in Osaka are known to be very friendly, even toward people they've met for the first time. Join in the fun and excitement with other people as everyone counts down to the new year! We hope that you will have a blast celebrating the New Year holidays in Osaka.

This article has been re-edited from 2019 to December 2022. Please check the official website for the latest information.