JR West SC Development has set November 24 as the opening date for Phase 2 of “LUCUA SOUTH” (3-1-1 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture), the new wing of LUCUA Osaka. All 32 stores (including 3 making their national debut, 6 making their debut in Western Japan, 2 making their debut in the Kansai region, and 9 making their debut in Osaka’s Umeda area) will open through December.
Lukua South is located on 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 alongside JR West Station City and the Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Store.
Phase 1, 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 which continue to operate there. In contrast, Phase 2—announced this time—will see the opening of more than 20 new stores, marking the de facto grand opening of “LUCUA SOUTH.” The full-scale opening, including the new restaurant zone, is scheduled for 2027.
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 nationwide—and the “Sanrio Hello Stage,” the first domestic store of this new concept, the zone also features the first “Harry Potter Magic Place” in Western Japan, as well as “PUPPET SUNSUN STORE” and “STAR WARS STORE by BENELIC”—a gathering of popular pop culture brands loved across generations and genres.
Inside the building, a variety of interactive features have been installed, including special videos played on large LED screens that change in response to visitors’ movements, figure displays, and scented ambiance. From the elevator lobby on the first floor—which provides direct access to the northeast restaurant area—through the common corridors, rest areas, and escalators, the space is designed so that the very act of “moving” toward a specific shop becomes an attraction in itself.
Please note that from the opening on November 24 through the foreseeable future, admission to the “LUCUA Characters World” floors (10th–13th) will be by advance lottery or on a first-come, first-served basis using numbered tickets. For details, please check the official LUCUA South website.
© Source travel watch