OsakaImage:Osaka_skyline_daytime_2.jpg|thumb|240px|The concrete expanse of Osaka If Tokyo is Japan's capital, '''Osaka''' (??) might be called its anti-capital. The central metropolis of the Kansai region, Osaka is the largest of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto trio, and its inhabitants exhibit a strong rivalry towards the Kanto region, from baseball, food, popular culture, even to which side they ride escalators (on the left in Tokyo, but on the right in Osaka). ==Districts== Like Tokyo, Osaka is best thought of as a group of cities that have grown together. ==Understand== Back in the days of the Tokugawa shogunate, Edo (now Tokyo) was the austere seat of military power and Kyoto was the home to the Imperial court and its effete courties, but '''Osaka''' was where the merchants made and lost their fortunes. To this day, while unappealing and gruff on the surface, Osaka remains Japan's best place to eat, drink and party, and Osakans still greet each other with ''mokarimakka?'', "are you making money?". ==Get in== ===By plane=== The main international gateway to Osaka is Kansai International Airport, covered in a separate article. Domestic flights, however, mostly arrive at Osaka's northern '''Itami Airport''' (ITM), connected to the city by the Osaka Monorail. Airport Limousine Buses also run frequently from Itami to various locations within Osaka. Bus fares are around ¥500-600. ===By train=== Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen trains arrive at '''Shin-Osaka''' station, to the north of the city center. From Tokyo, Nozomi (???) trains cover the one way ride in about 2 1/4 hours (¥14050); Hikari (???) trains take about 3 hours (¥13750). With the Japan Rail Pass, there is no charge to take the Shinkansen if you use the Hikari service. From west of Tokyo, Nozomi trains run from Okayama (¥6060, 45 mins), Hiroshima (¥10150, 80 mins) and Hakata station in Fukuoka (¥14890, 2 1/4 hours). Japan Rail Pass holders can use the Hikari Rail Star (?????????) service instead, which runs at a comparable speed to the Nozomi and makes a few more stops, but its trains are shorter (8 car trains, compared to 16 cars on the Nozomi). Slower Kodama (???) trains connect the rest of the stations on the Shinkansen route. From Shin-Osaka, you can connect to the city center by using the Midosuji subway line. Several overnight trains make runs to the main '''Osaka''' station. Of note are the ''Ginga'' (??) which runs daily to and from Tokyo, and the ''Twilight Express'' (????????????) and ''Nihonkai'' (???) trains which run toward Hokkaido. Local trains from Kobe, Kyoto and Nara arrive mostly at the Umeda and Namba stations. ===By car=== ===By bus=== Overnight '''highway buses''' from Tokyo and other areas can get you to Osaka for significantly less than a Shinkansen ticket. Buses from Tokyo typically cost ¥8500 each way, with a discount if a round-trip is purchased. The Japan Rail Pass is accepted on most overnight buses that are operated by JR. ===By boat=== There are ferry services from Osaka to Busan (South Korea) three times a week and Shanghai (China) twice weekly. '''Osaka International Ferry Terminal''' [http://www.city.osaka.jp/port/04_facilities/e_04_06.html] is located at '''Nanko''' (??) in the Osaka Bay Area. To reach the port, take the New Tram from Suminoe-koen station to Nankoguchi (???). ==Get around== The convenient Kansai#Get around|Kansai Thru Card can be used on just about anything that moves in Osaka (as well as the rest of the Kansai region), with the notable exception of JR trains. ===By subway=== Osaka has Japan's second-most extensive '''subway''' network after Tokyo, which makes the underground the natural way to get around. The '''Midosuji Line''' is Osaka's main artery, linking up the massive train stations and shopping complexes of '''Shin-Osaka''', '''Umeda''', '''Shinsaibashi''', '''Namba''' and '''Tennoji'''. The signage, ticketing and operation of the Osaka subway is identical to its larger counterpart in Tokyo, therefore it makes an ideal training ground for travellers new to Japan, or subways in general. ===By train=== True to its name, the '''JR Osaka Loop Line''' (??? ''Kanjo-sen'') runs in a loop around Osaka. It's not quite as convenient or heavily-used as Tokyo's Yamanote line though. ==See== Image:SkyBuilding_ViewUpClose.JPG|thumb|240px|Umeda Sky Building * '''Osaka Castle''' (??? ''Osaka-jo'') [http://www.tourism.city.osaka.jp/en/enjoy_osaka/attractions/osakacas/index.html]. Osaka's best known sight, although it's a concrete reconstruction that pales in comparison with, say, Himeji. Still, it's pretty enough from the outside, especially in the cherry blossom season when Osakans flock to the castle park to picnic and make merry. Open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily, adult admission ¥600. The park can be accessed on a number of lines, but the castle is closest to Osaka-jo Koen station on the JR Osaka Loop Line. * '''Umeda Sky Building''' (???????). 1-1-20 Oyodonaka, Kita-ku (''10 min on foot from JR Osaka or Hankyu Umeda''), [http://www.skybldg.co.jp/ichiban_e.html]. Built in an attempt to upgrade Osaka's somewhat downbeat Kita district, the project wasn't quite the hoped-for commercial success but this bizarrely shaped 40-story, 173-meter building is still a city landmark. Take the escalator through midair to the rooftop observatory for an open-air view of Osaka, which is particularly impressive on a clear night. Observatory admission ¥700, open 9 AM to 11 PM daily. * '''Osaka Expo Park''' in north Osaka, Suita. Has a memorial park of the Osaka '70 International Exposition, a Japanese Garden, the interesting Museum of Ethnology. The park is popular among Japanese people to see ''hanami'' (cherry blossom) in spring and ''momiji'' (the color changing of mapple leaves) in autumn. Nearby you can find Tadao Ando's world famous Church of Light. ==Do== ==Learn== ==Work== ==Buy== ==Eat== In a nation of obsessive gourmands Osaka is known as an excellent place to eat, exemplified by the Osakan maxim ''kuidaore'', "eat until you burst". The best place for this is '''Dotonbori''' (???), a street that contains nearly nothing but one restaurant after another. Some of the more famous establishments here include: * '''Kuidaore''' (????), featuring a mechanical clown beating a drum, is one of the contenders for the title of the largest restaurant in the world. Each floor specializes in a type of food. Affordable, but more fun in a group. * '''Kani Doraku''' (????), easily identifiable by the giant mechanical crab waving its pincers about, specializes in crab. Good but moderately expensive. While in Osaka, be sure to try the Wikipedia:Okonomiyaki|Okonomiyaki, a cross between a pancake, pizza, and omelette. ==Drink== ==Sleep== ===Budget=== The cheapest option is '''capsule hotels''', found near the major train stations . * '''Capsule Inn Osaka'''. 9-5 Doyamamachi, Kita-ku (''in the Higashi-Hankyu shopping arcade off Umeda station''). Tel. 06-6314-2100, Fax 06-6314-1281. Japan's first capsule hotel (opened 1977) is still open for business, happy to accommodate foreigners with some semblance of a clue and a steal at ¥1600 for a night. ===Mid-range=== Typical Japanese business hotels are step up from a capsule and can be found everywhere. Examples include: *'''Hotel Nankai Namba''', 17-11 Namba-naka 1-chome, Naniwa-ku (''Exit 5 from the Midosuji subway line, walk south, and turn right at the McDonald's''), TEL 06-6649-1521 (''namba@hotel-nankai.co.jp, FAX 06-6632-5061''). This is a clean and well-run hotel convenient to transport: 20 minutes from Shin-Osaka, good access to Nara on the Kintetsu Line. Rooms have LAN access at no additional cost- some rooms with WiFi, so ask when making a reservation or checking in. 8,400 JPY-18,375 JPY (''single-triple''). http://www.hotel-nankai.co.jp/ ==Contact== '''Opti Café''' is a surprisingly cheap internet café in Umeda. ¥100/30min. Yodobashi Camera department store's groundfloor, next to Excelsior Café. You are requested to register for membership but it doesn't cost anything. ==Stay safe== The base for Japan's ''yakuza'' gangsters, Osaka has a dangerous reputation (by Japanese standards), but is still remarkably safe for a city of its size. Unless you're dealing drugs you're unlikely to get involved with the local mafia, but some districts, particularly Shinsekai, may be a little dodgy at night. ==Get out== * Its location makes Osaka a '''perfect base''' for doing one-day trips to nearby cities like Kyoto (30 minutes), Kobe (30 minutes), Nara (1 hour) or Himeji (1 hour by train). * The temples and lush greenery of Mount Koya, 90 minutes away by train, are an entirely different world and the perfect getaway when all the concrete starts to get to you. * Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge is located near Kobe, about 40 minutes away by train. ==External links== fr:Osaka ro:Osaka {{msg:stub}} First page | Prev | Next | Last page |

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