DISCOVER OSAKA

Often dubbed the second city of Japan, Osaka was historically the commercial capital of Japan, and to date the heart of Japan's second largest, and the world's ninth largest metropolitan area of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto, whose population is close to 20 million.

A unique title that the city of Osaka holds is the first place in Japan for day to night population ratio of 141%, a depiction of Osaka's economical and commercial centric character. While at night time the population ranks third place in the country at 2.6 million, in daytime it surges to 3.7 million, second only after Tokyo.

Also, Osaka is traditionally considered the "nation's kitchen" or the gourmet food capital of Japan


GEOGRAPHY OF OSAKA

The city of Osaka has its west side open to Osaka Bay. It is otherwise completely surrounded by over ten smaller cities, all of them in Osaka Prefecture, with one exception: the city of Amagasaki, belonging to Hyogo Prefecture, in the north-west. The city occupies a larger area (about 12%) than any other city or district within Osaka Prefecture.

The two most crowded centers of the city of Osaka are often called by their synonyms: Kita (literally north) and Minami (literally south). Kita is roughly the area including or surrounding the business and retail district of Umeda. On the other hand, Minami is home to the Namba, Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori shopping districts. The entertainment area around Dotonbori Bridge with its famous giant mechanical crab, Triangle Park and Amerikamura ("America Village") is in Minami. The traditional business district, including the courts and regional headquarters of major banks, is primarily located in Yodoyabashi and Honmachi, between Kita and Minami. The newer business district is the OBP, Osaka Business Park, located in the neighborhood of Osaka Castle. Business districts have also formed around the city's secondary rail termini, such as Tennoji Station and Kyobashi Station.

'The 808 bridges of Naniwa' was a famous expression for awe and wonder in old Japan, an almost proverbial adage which was known all across the land. 'Naniwa' is the ancient name of Osaka and '808' is a large number that in Japan symbolizes the concept 'uncountable'.


TRANSPORTATION

AIR:

Kansai International Airport is the main airport: it is a rectangular artificial island that sits off-shore in Osaka Bay and services Osaka and its surrounding cities of Nara, Kobe, and Kyoto. Kansai is the geographical term for the area of western Honshu surrounding Osaka. The airport is linked by a bus and train service into the centre of the city and major suburbs.

Osaka International Airport, laid over the border between the cities of Itami and Toyonaka, still houses most of the domestic service from the metropolitan region.

RAIL:

The Osaka Municipal Subway system is Osaka's extensive rapid transit system. The system ranks 8th in the world by annual passenger ridership, serving over 912 million people annually. Besides this, there is a network of both JR and private lines connecting the suburbs of the city, and Osaka to its neighbours. Keihan and Hankyu lines connect to Kyoto, Hanshin and Hankyu lines connect to Kobe, the Kintetsu line connects to Nara and Nagoya, and the Nankai line to Wakayama.


PLACES OF INTEREST

Osaka is known for bunraku (traditional puppet theatre) and kabuki theatre, and for manzai, a more contemporary form of stand-up comedy. Tourist attractions include:

AMUSEMENT PARKS:

• Expoland
• Festival Gate
• Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan- an aquarium located in Osaka Bay, containing 35,000 aquatic animals in 14 tanks, the largest of which holds 5,400 tons of water and houses a variety of sea animals including whale sharks. This tank is the world's second largest aquarium tank, behind the Georgia Aquarium, whose largest tank holds approximately 29,000 tons of water.
• Tempozan Harbor Village Ferris wheel, located next to the aquarium
• Tennoji Zoo
• Universal Studios Japan
• Umeda Joypolis Sega
• Shin-Umeda city - an innovative structure which has the floating garden observatory 170 m from the ground which gives you a 360 panoramic view of Osaka spectacular by night and fantastic by day great for photographs, a superb structure which also houses an underground mall with restaurants and is styled in the early Showa period in the 1920's, a very pretty zen garden is also here.

• Nakanoshima Park: In the vicinity of the City Hall.
• Osaka Castle Park: About 106 ha. Holds: Osaka-jo Hall, a japanese apricot garden, etc.
• Sumiyoshi Park
• Tennoji Park : About 28 ha. Holds: Tennoji Zoo, an art museum (established by contribution from Sumitomo family in 1936) and a japanese garden, Keitaku-en Keitaku-en was constructed in 1908 by Jihei Ogawa, an illustrious gardener in Japan. This was originally one of Sumitomo family's gardens until 1921.
• Nishinari Park
• Utsubo Park
• Nagai Park The IAAF World Championships in Athletics are currently being held at Nagai Stadium, located in this park. Tsurumi-Ryokuchi Park: held a flower expo in 1990.

• Mitami Shrine
• Osaka Castle
• Sanko Shrine
• Shitenno-ji The oldest buddhist temple in Japan, established in 593 AD by Prince Shotoku.
• Sumiyoshi Taisha One of the oldest Shinto shrines; many people go and worship at this shrine on the new year day. It is said this shrine was built in 211 AD.
• Tamatsukuri Inari Shrine

• Osaka Dome
• Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
• Nagai Stadium

SHOPPING IN OSAKA

Osaka has a vast number of shopping areas to choose from. Not only are there malls everywhere you turn but they also have a large number of shopping arcades which are basically roofed shopping streets, these are seen all across Japan, but Osaka has the longest shopping arcade in Japan. Tenjinbashi-suji stretches from the road approaching the Tenman-gu shrine and continues for 2.6km going north to south. It has all types of stores including commodities, clothing and catering outlets on both sides of the arcade.

Other key shopping areas are Den Den Town the electronic and manga/anime district which is as good as if not better than Akihbara and the Umeda district which has the Hankyu Sanbangai shopping mall and Yodobashi Camera which is a huge electrical appliance store which also offers a vast range of fashion stores, restaurants and a Shonen Jump store.

OSAKA TOURS, TRAVEL & ACTIVITIES

OSAKA HOTELS & ACCOMMODATION