Osaka is the representative metropolis of the Kansai region. In Osaka City, you can enjoy Osaka's gourmet food at Dotonbori, Shinsaibashi, and Shinsekai, famous for Kuidaore, as well as various entertainment options such as Universal Studios Japan (C) and Namba Grand kagetsu.
In addition, the Sakai and Sennan areas are home to Kansai International Airport, the gateway to Osaka, and the Mausoleum of Emperor Nintoku. The Minoh, Toyonaka, and Takatsuki areas are home to Expo '70 Commemorative Park, famous for its Tower of the Sun.
Higashi-Osaka area with Hanazono Rugby Stadium, a sacred place for rugby. The Tondabayashi and Kawachinagano areas, where streets from the Edo period still remain.
Osaka Prefecture is home to Osaka City, a major city representing the Kansai region. The most popular course is to enjoy kumamon (powdered food) in Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi, famous for Kuidaore, and to have kushikatsu (deep-fried pork cutlets) in Shinsekai, where Tsutenkaku Tower is located.
The area is also home to Universal Studios Japan (C) and the Namba Grand kagetsu, the temple of laughter, and many other entertainment venues.
The Sakai/Sennan area, famous for the Sakai merchants, is home to Kansai International Airport, the gateway to Osaka, the spacious grounds of Emperor Nintoku's mausoleum, and the Kishiwada Danjiri Festival, one of Osaka's most famous traditional events, held in the fall.
The Minoh, Toyonaka, and Takatsuki areas, where Expo '70 Commemorative Park, famous for its Tower of the Sun, is located, are becoming increasingly popular as a bedroom community for Osaka, and with easy access to Kyoto, lodging facilities are also available.
The Higashi-Osaka area is home to the sacred Hanazono Rugby Stadium, and the Tondabayashi/Kawachinagano area offers a tour of Edo period temples, shrines, and merchant towns.
History of Osaka Prefecture
The present Osaka Plain is said to have been a sea in the Jomon Period. It is said that diplomacy and trade between Japan and mainland China were conducted around Naniwazu during the Kofun period, and Osaka flourished as a "water city" from ancient times.
Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine (Sumiyoshi Ward, Osaka City), the head shrine of Sumiyoshi Shrine, which is worshipped as the god of the sea, has a long history, with its foundation said to have occurred in 211 AD. The former name of the country was Kawachi Province (Kawachi, Osaka).
Osaka Prefecture was formerly part of Kawachi Province, Izuminokuni, and Settsu Province, and during the Edo Period, there were several domains, including the Kishiwada Domain, Takatsuki Domain, and Hakuta Domain.
Osaka Prefecture's Local Gourmet, Food Culture, and Specialties
Osaka Prefecture is home to a wide variety of B-class gourmet foods called "konamon," such as okonomiyaki, takoyaki, ikayaki, and negiyaki. Osaka is also a treasure trove of local gourmet foods, including the birthplace of kitsune udon and famous restaurants that serve niku-udon (meat udon without the udon noodles).
Other local delicacies include kushikatsu, which are crispy and easy to eat; doteyaki, in which beef tendon is cooked until tender; udon sukiyaki, in which udon is served in a pot with broth; chiritori-nabe, in which hormone and vegetables are cooked in a chiritori-shaped pot; Osaka sushi, which is boxed and molded; and sashimi, which is sliced so thin that the plate is transparent. Osaka has nurtured its own unique culinary culture with such delicacies as tessa, a thinly sliced puffer fish served as sashimi.
Because Osaka is surrounded by such a wide variety of gourmet foods, a wide range of products are chosen as souvenirs. Standard items include Japanese sweets such as pork buns, shumai (steamed pork dumplings), mitarashi dumplings and walnut rice cakes, and Western sweets such as roll cakes and cheesecakes, but snacks sold exclusively in Osaka are also very 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...»
This ancient temple is said to have been founded by Gyoki Bodhisattva in the Tempyo period (729-749) at the behest of Emperor Shomu. During the Kounin period (810-824), Kobo Daishi Kukai is said to have practiced at the temple. Within the precincts of the temple is the Gobutsudo Hall, the 7th templ...»
Nakanoshima Park, a waterfront park sandwiched between the Dojima River and the Tosabori River, is a lush green oasis located in the heart of the city, extending approximately 1.5 km and covering an area of 10.6 ha. This park was the first park established in Osaka City in 1891, and is beloved by c...»
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...»
Known as "Hira-Par," this amusement park for families boasts a vast 160,000 square meters of land and is located in a bedroom town in Osaka. Located only a 3-minute walk from Hirakata Koen Station on the Keihan Railway, the park features 43 attractions and takes advantage of the park's undulating t...»
Towering over Expo '70 Commemorative Park, this huge 70-meter-high tower with three faces and left and right arms is a work of art and a structure created by artist Taro Okamoto. It was built as part of the theme pavilion for the 1970 Japan World Exposition (EXPO '70, Osaka Expo '70). It was regis...»
Commemorating the success of the 1970 Japan World Exposition, the former site of the Expo was transformed into a "cultural park surrounded by greenery" with a Japanese garden, a nature and culture garden, and cultural, sports, leisure, and lodging facilities, covering a total area of 260 hectares. ...»
Located on a hillside, this agricultural park is rich in nature, surrounded by greenery and flowers. The vast site is eight times the size of the Koshien Stadium, and is dotted with lawn areas, herb fields, ponds, streams, and suspension bridges. Visitors can also take a ride on the 54-seat Harvest...»
This facility, where you can enjoy 17 types of baths from 12 countries around the world, is an oasis in the heart of the city. There is also an all-weather indoor pool, "Spa Poo," with two large sliders and a kids' pool. Also popular is the "Great Bedrock Bath of the World," featuring bedrock bath...»
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...»
Kishiwada Castle is said to have been built in 1334 by Wada Takaya, a member of Kusunoki Masanari's family, in the town of Noda, east of the present castle. The castle is also called Chikiri Castle ("chikiri" means a device used to sow the warp of a plane) because the shape of the castle, consistin...»
The name of the temple is "Ryugakuzan" and the main deity of the temple is Sho-Kannon Bosatsu (Bodhisattva of Mercy). The temple is popularly known as "Mizuma Kannon. It is also the fourth temple of the New Saigoku Sanjusanjo, which, together with its surroundings, has been selected as one of the m...»
The valley of the Ishikawa River, a tributary of the Yamato River, is a beautiful scenic spot with many beautiful waterfalls, collectively known as the 48 Falls of Takihata. The Ishigawa of the river has its headwaters from mountains around 900 meters above sea level, including Mt. Iwayuku and Mt. ...»
Located in the center of Osaka, this park covers an area of 105.6 hectares and is dotted with historical buildings, including the Osaka Castle Keep. In addition, there are many spots where visitors can enjoy beautiful seasonal flowers, such as the Nishinomaru Garden with approximately 300 cherry tr...»
An inland aquarium using artificial seawater, NIFREL is characterized by its innovative concept of combining an aquarium, a zoo, and an art museum under the concept of "touching the senses. It is located within the EXPOCITY commercial complex. Intuitively expressing the beauty and wonder of living ...»
One of the largest tourist farms in the Kansai region, with the concept of "heart-to-heart contact between people, nature, and animals," this theme park/zoo is where visitors can enjoy interacting with animals. More than 1,500 animals of about 140 species live in the park. Facilities include a past...»
The observation deck of Abeno Harukas, the tallest building in Japan at 300 meters above the ground, offers a spectacular view from a height of 300 meters through a 360-degree glass space. The 60th floor consists of the "Tenjo Kairo," an indoor corridor with glass covering the entire floor. The flo...»
Rinku Town is located on the opposite shore from Kansai International Airport, the "Gateway to the World" where many people come and go. There is "Rinku Tower Gate Building" where popular hotels and restaurants are located, "Rinku Premium Outlets" where popular brand-name products are available at ...»
A hot spring located in the mountains, the main building of Nanten-en is a valuable architectural structure designed by the Tatsuno Kataoka Architectural Office of Kingo Tatsuno, who also worked on Tokyo Station and other buildings. It is built in the sukiya-style irimoya style with a gabled roof b...»
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 ...»