On August 5, JR West SC Development announced a preview of some of the 21 brands that will open in Phase 2 of “LUCUA SOUTH” (3-1-1 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture), the new wing of LUCUA Osaka. The stores will open sequentially over two consecutive months, from November through December. The full lineup of brands opening in Phase 2 is scheduled to be announced in early September.
Lukua South has moved into the 10th through 16th floors of the “South Gate Building,” which is directly connected to JR Osaka Station and is currently undergoing a large-scale renovation in collaboration with JR West Station City and the Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store.
The first phase, which opened on April 5, features stores and brands that previously operated on the same floor as “Daimaru Umeda” and “Osaka Eki-Ume Dining Ichiroku Gourmet,” and they continue to operate there. In contrast, the second phase, announced this time, will see the opening of several new stores, marking the de facto grand opening of “LUCUA SOUTH.”
The centerpiece of Phase 2 is the “LUCUA Characters World” character zone, located on the 10th through 13th floors. Led by the “Chiikawa Park Store”—its first location in Japan—and the first domestic store of the new concept “Sanrio Hello Stage,” the area also features the first locations in Western Japan for “ULTRAMANSTORE,” “Harry Potter’s Magic Corner,” and “THE★JOJO WORLD OSAKA,” “Shirotan Funwari Store,” as well as the Kansai region’s first “NARUMIYA HAPPY PARK” and “Nishimura Yuji Purchasing Department Main Store Osaka”—a gathering of popular pop culture brands loved across generations and genres.
Upon its full opening in 2027, it is scheduled to develop into one of the largest character zones in the country. Phase 2 marks the official start of this expansion.
In addition, the “LUCUA SOUTH DINING” restaurant zone is currently open on the 14th through 16th floors. By 2027, new restaurants targeting families are scheduled to open, primarily on the 14th and 15th floors, creating a gourmet zone with a total of more than 35 restaurants that can be enjoyed for everything from everyday meals to special occasions.
© Source travel watch