Osaka International House Foundation

Spacious and quite facility with English-language resources for life in Osaka, and Japan

Osaka International House Foundation is a large facility. The lobby here is massive (and actually a bit of a waste of space if we might be so harsh). To the left of the lobby is a small library of sorts with an information desk. Here you can find a selection of English-language newspapers (The Japan Times, The New York Times etc) to read inside, as well as some free foreign-language publications that you can take away. There are also notice boards with notices for various classes, groups, private lessons, that sort of thing. Most of the books here are in Japanese, but there are a few dictionaries covering a range of languages. There are Internet ready PCs which can be used for a small fee, and a few large (shared) table with chairs for people to read/study at. It's very quite in here, other than the sound of people making inquires at the information desk. Around the facility you'll find plenty of notices about events that are happening in Osaka. There's a nice looking cafe here (we didn't try it) and a pleasant communal area just in front of it. You'll also find lockers here for storing your gear. There are vending machines dotted around the outside of Osaka International House Foundation, as well as a couple of smoking areas. Osaka International House Foundation also has it's own hotel with rooms that look to be in the 6,000 - 12,000 yen range. Aside from the cafe, all is pretty quite here. It looks like a well-intentioned place with lots of info about living in Osaka available. It does seem like it could loosen up a bit though.