The Osaka area is home to famous tourist attractions such as Dotonbori, Tsutenkaku Tower, and Osaka Castle. In addition to urban sightseeing such as shopping, you can also visit historic buildings such as Shitennoji Temple and Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine.
Osaka is a treasure house of food and fun. You can't miss the kumamon gourmet restaurants and kushikatsu (skewered pork cutlets) in Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi, and Shinsekai, which are famous for "kuidaore" (food with a twist). For shopping, Grand Front Osaka, which is directly connected to Osaka Station, Amerika-mura, where young people gather, and Abeno Harukas are the best places to visit.
Visitors can enjoy their leisure time to the fullest at Universal Studios Japan (C), Kaiyukan, one of the world's largest aquariums, and Namba Grand kagetsu, a mecca for laughter. For history buffs, a tour of Osaka Castle, Shitennoji Temple, and other famous landmarks is recommended.
To enjoy sightseeing in Osaka
Osaka, the largest city in the Kansai region, is a treasure trove of food and fun. You can enjoy okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and kushikatsu at Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi, which are famous for kuidaore, and Shinsekai, where Tsutenkaku Tower is located, and eat hormone yakiniku at the Korean town of Tsuruhashi. For shopping, the royal course is to visit Namba Parks, Grand Front Osaka, Amerika-mura, and Abeno Harukas.
If you want to have fun with everyone, have a blast at Universal Studios Japan (C) and Umeda Joypolis, and see hundreds of species of creatures at the famous Kaiyukan, one of the world's largest aquariums, and Tennoji Zoo.
You can also lose track of time and indulge in laughter at the Namba Grand kagetsu (a.k.a. NGK), known as the sacred land of laughter, and numerous other event halls.
For those who like to visit places of historic interest, a trip to Osaka Castle and Shitennoji Temple is recommended.
For those who want to drink their fill, head to Janjan Yokocho or Jangjan Yokocho! If you want to drink your way through the city, we recommend visiting deep side streets such as Janjan Yokocho, Shin-Umeda Shokudo Machi, and Takimikoji.
History of Osaka
Are you getting rich? Osaka has long been known for its thriving business culture, as is evident in the merchant's phrase, "Bochibochi bochi de nai," or "I'm getting by, I'm getting by.
In addition, during the reign of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Osaka Castle (Osaka-jo) was built, and Osaka gained its status as a political and economic center. Later, when the Edo shogunate established its headquarters in Tokyo, Osaka ceased to be the center of politics, but it continued to be known as the "kitchen of the nation" and took charge of the nation's economy and distribution.
After the Meiji Restoration, the industrial sector grew remarkably, and today Osaka is home to the headquarters of some of Japan's leading manufacturers, and in 1970, Osaka hosted the first World Exposition in Asia, which gave the city the impression of being the largest city in western Japan. Today, Osaka is on par with the capital city of Tokyo.
Osaka's Local Gourmet, Food Culture, and Specialties
The Osaka area offers a wide variety of B-class gourmet foods known as "konamon," or "floury foods," such as okonomiyaki, takoyaki, ikayaki, and negiyaki. Reasonably priced konamon gourmet foods, which can be either a staple meal or a snack, are the soul food of Osaka citizens, and can be found at train stations, department stores, and other locations throughout the city.
In addition, kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers of meat, vegetables, eggs, and all other items deep-fried in oil (do not put sauce on them twice!) to share with everyone) and beef tendon tenderloin are also available. ), doteyaki, in which beef tendon is stewed until tender, udon sukiyaki, in which udon noodles are added to a sukiyaki-style yose-nabe, and chiritori-nabe, in which hormone and vegetables are cooked in a chiritori-shaped pot, are all part of the unique food culture that has taken root here.
As a fierce battleground for B-class gourmet food, unique menus are created one after another in genres such as curry, ramen, and rice bowls. While standard souvenirs include pork buns, dango dumplings, and roll cakes, Osaka-only products made in collaboration with major confectionary makers are also popular.
Sumiyoshi-Taisha is the head shrine of Sumiyoshi Shrines and the general shrine of the more than 2,300 Sumiyoshi Shrines in Japan. Since the Kofun period, the shrine has been associated with Sumiyoshi-tsu and Naniwazu, which were important diplomatic ports, and has been worshipped as a god to prote...»
Osaka Castle was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1583 on the site of the Osaka (Ishiyama) Honganji Temple, and the castle tower was completed two years later. However, only two years later, in 1615, the Toyotomi clan was destroyed in the Osaka Summer Battle, and the castle tower was destroyed by fir...»
Kaiyukan is one of the world's top aquariums with the themes "Ring of Fire" and "Ring of Life. Here, indoor aquariums reproduce the natural environment surrounding the Pacific Ocean and are among the top five aquariums in the world in terms of size. The aquarium is one of the top five in the world ...»
Osaka's Tenjin Matsuri is known as one of the three major festivals in Japan, along with Kyoto's Gion Matsuri and Tokyo's Kanda Matsuri. Shinto rituals and various events are held for about a month from late June to July 25 every year. In particular, on July 24 and 25, a boat procession is held on ...»
The first full-fledged Buddhist temple in Japan, it is said to have been built by Prince Shotoku in 593, the first year of Emperor Suiko's reign (1,400 years ago), to enshrine the Four Heavenly Kings in response to the victory in a battle between Mononobe Moriya and Soga Umako. The layout of the te...»
Restaurants and bars are concentrated on the south bank of the Dotonbori River, and the area is a bustling entertainment district with huge three-dimensional signs and various buildings such as the Dotonbori Glico sign, Kani Doraku Honten, Shochikuza, Nakaza Kuidaore Building, Kinryu Ramen, Namba Do...»
The current Tsutenkaku Tower is the second generation, and was completed in 1956. It is 108 meters high including the lightning rod (the tower itself is 100 meters high). The official character is "Billiken. From the fifth-floor observatory, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of Osaka, and there i...»
Tennoji Zoo opened in 1915 as the third zoo in Japan. The zoo is home to more than 900 animals of about 230 species, including elephants, lions, chimpanzees, New Zealand's national bird, the kiwi, which can only be seen in the Tennoji Zoo; the snapping cat, which catches fish in the pond and eats th...»
At the top of the Umeda Sky Building, the world's first connected skyscraper with 40 floors above ground and 2 below, 173 meters above ground, is the Hanging Garden Observation Deck where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Osaka cityscape. It is a spot where visitors can enjoy a vast panoramic vi...»
Kuromon Ichiba is a lively market that is typical of Osaka, known as the "kitchen of Osaka" and bustling with many people. The market is lined with a wide variety of stores, including fresh fish stores and fruit and vegetable stores, and about 180 stores are lined up in a 580-meter-long "Ki-ji" sha...»
The National Museum of Art, Osaka is a fully underground museum with three basement levels (some floors above ground) that collects and exhibits contemporary art. With the exception of works by some artists (Cézanne, Picasso, Ernst, Tsuguharu Fujita, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, etc.), the collection consists ...»
One of the most prominent public hall buildings in Japan, both the exterior and interior are highly finished and are considered important in the history of modern architecture in Japan, and are designated as National Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The building, with its distinctive arched ...»
A theater operated by Yoshimoto Kogyo where you can enjoy comedy and comedies. Its nickname is "NGK. There are two performances on weekdays and three to four performances on weekends and holidays. There is a pre-concert speech by an unknown young comedian 15 minutes before the performance begins. ...»
Shinsekai is a bustling town. Famous tourist spots include Tsutenkaku Tower in the center and Janjan Yokocho in the southeast. Tsutenkaku Tower is known for its large pufferfish lantern sign, and Janjan Yokocho is full of energy, with about 50 kushikatsu restaurants, doteyaki restaurants, and Go an...»
The museum introduces the history and culture of "Osaka," from ancient times to modern and contemporary times, using full-scale reconstructions of buildings, miniature models, video images, and a wealth of actual materials. Exhibits on the 10th to 7th floors show the history of "City of Osaka" over...»
Centered on Triangle Park in Nishi-Shinsaibashi, this area is home to stores selling fashion and other items for young people, and is affectionately known locally as "Amerika-mura" (American Village). There are approximately 2,500 stores in this area, and it is known as the center of youth culture ...»
Located on the north side of Hozenji Temple, Hozenji Yokocho is an 80-meter-long, stone-paved alley lined with some of Osaka's best gourmet restaurants, and is a spot where history has lived on since the Edo period. About 60 stores line the alley, which retains the atmosphere of old Osaka, where yo...»
A unique tempura made of a large piece of benishoga without cutting into smaller. It is sold at supermarkets. You can eat it as it is, or with Worcestershire sauce. Good as a finger food for booze....»
This is a kind of sushi, which is made with shrimps, sliced fish and sumeshi (vinegary rice), layered and pressed into a wood box, called “oshi (press) zushi” or “Osaka zushi.” Oshizushi was introduced to Osaka during the Meiji period using mackerels and aji at that time, however it was altered into...»
Kantoudaki is actually as same as Oden, which is cooked in shoyu-flavored dashi originated in the Edo Period, and is also called "Kantoni." There are several stories for the origin of the name, and one says it was named "Kantoudaki" so it will not be mixed up with "Dengaku" which was then called "Od...»
"Sake lees soup" is the dish you're enjoying widely in Kansai area where wine cellar manufacturers are often collected. Japanese radish, carrot root vegetable, salmon and yellowtail are often made by combination of fish, but pork as well as these are also used preferably in Kansai area." The sake le...»
Sabanonitsuke is usually flavored with miso in the Kanto area, but it is cooked in a shoyu-flavored sauce in Osaka. Since Osaka had an easier distribution channel to get fresh saba from the production area, Fukui Prefecture through Kyoto Prefecture, shoyu was more suitable to season saba than miso w...»
The origin of Ehomaki is unknown and there are several different stores of it, however it is said that the custom of eating it started from the merchants' families in Semba, Osaka Prefecture to prey for prosperity in business, safety and happiness of the family in the coming year. The uniqueness of ...»