Sheraton Miyako Hotel, Osaka

After a few days visiting rural towns and traditional accommodations all over Western Japan, seeing a familiar hotel brand in Osaka was an oddly comforting sight. My first thought upon pulling up to the Sheraton Miyako Hotel: It’s possibly the largest hotel I’ve seen since being in the country.

We rolled up, checked in and were heading to our 10^th-floor rooms in a matter of minutes. The room was the most spacious on the trip thus far, including a plush, cozy, queen-sized bed and a great view of Osaka from the wide windows. Once I set my bags down, I was just as quickly back out the door to see the city sights.

As soon as another guest and I walked out the entrance of the Sheraton, a friendly staff member asked if we needed a cab, where we were going and gave a heads up about fare pricing. He quickly hailed a taxi and told the driver where to take us.

We arrived in a great, high-end shopping area in less than10 minutes and walked for another three hours. We realized our hotel was closer to all the action downtown than we thought, because the couple blocks surrounding the hotel were deceivingly quiet.

After a few hours exploring the expansive city, visiting vintage shops in the Americura neighborhood and the famous Dōtombori canal — reminiscent of New York’s Times Square — we made our way to the rooftop bar for a nightcap.

The bar was just about closing by 11 p.m., so we had time for one drink before an early breakfast in the morning. The views alone were worth the quick visit.

The buffet breakfast was an impressive spread of Japanese favorites, like noodles, sashimi and rice, but with Western options as well, including a variety of meat, cheese, eggs and fruit.

Before heading out for the day, I went to the concierge on the second floor to exchange some dollars for Yen, which couldn’t have been easier. The entire staff was incredibly friendly and helpful throughs step of the stay.

I checked out, said my goodbyes and was waiting just a few minutes for my bus to the airport.