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| Osaka | ||
| prefecture | Osaka | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2.751.862 (2021) | |
| height | unknown | |
no value for height on Wikidata:  | ||
| Tourist info web | www.osaka-info.jp | |
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
| location | ||
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Osaka(Japanese: 大阪) is the central metropolis of the region Kansai and the capital of Osaka prefecture. With about 7 million inhabitants, it is the largest city in the region, whose residents are on friendly terms with the residents of the region Kantō and especially the capital Tokyo rival. Typical for Osaka and the region Kansai In addition to the pronounced interest in baseball and local dishes, the fact that pedestrian traffic, especially on escalators, is right-hand traffic (in contrast to the usual left-hand traffic, which is also practiced by pedestrians in most regions).
Districts
The city of Osaka is located in the estuary of the Yodogawa or Yodo River in the Kansai region, a metropolitan area of over 17 million people. The city itself has around 2.6 million in 24 districts. Not all of them are of tourist interest. They are in the first place
- Kita-ku with the district Umeda, the train stations Osaka and Umeda and the Umeda Sky Building
- Chūō-ku with the castle of Osaka
- Minami, the south in the neighborhood Nishi-ku with the area around Shinsaibashi and Dotombori
- Tennōji-ku with the Tennoji Park and the area Uemachidaichi with the Shitennoji-Temple
- Minato-ku, the port area with which Tempozan Harbor Village and the Universal Studios
- the Nakanoshima-River island between the river arms Dojimagawa and Tosaborigawa and the districts Kita-ku and Nishi-ku
- Yodogawa-ku with the train station Shin-Ōsaka and connections to the Tokaidō-Shinkansen and Sanyō-Shinkansen.
background
Osaka was by the old name Naniwa The capital of Japan several times up to the 8th century, one of the central districts still bears this name today. Today it is predominantly a modern industrial and commercial center.
getting there
By plane
The main airport of Osaka is 1 Kansai International Airport
(IATA: KIX)which serves connections to almost all international hubs. The airport is located on an artificial island and can be reached in 30 minutes by express train. Domestic flights reach some however 2 Osaka International Airport(IATA: ITM), sometimes too Itami Airport called, which, contrary to its name suggests, has not had an international flight since 1994. Itami is connected to the Osaka Monorail, which connects the northern suburbs. However, to get to the center you have to go to the Hankyu Line switch. Another method is that Airport Limousine Buseswhich connect Itamit with many areas in Osaka (also Kansai Airport). The prices start at 500-600 ¥.
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By train
Osaka is very well connected to the shinkan network. There are also many different railway lines that connect the city with the surrounding area. Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen (新 幹線) the JR-Line drive through Shin-Osaka Station at the north end of the city center. From Shin-Osaka there are connections through others JR lines (for example to Umeda, Osaka Loop Line), Midosuji line (after Umeda and Namba) and Hankyu Line ' (to Umeda and other northern areas).
Of Tokyo, take Nozomi (の ぞ み) Shinkansen for the one-way trip of 2 1/4 hours (¥ 14050); Hikari (ひ か り) Shinkansen takes 3 hours (¥ 13750). For owners of one Japan Rail Pass the use of the Shinkansen is free when using the Hikari Shinkansen.
From the west of Osaka there is Nozomi Shinkansen Okayama (¥ 6060, 45 mins), Hiroshima (¥ 10150, 80 mins) and Hakata Station in Fukuoka (¥ 14890, 2 1/4 hours). Owner of one Japan Rail Pass can use the Hikari Rail Star (ひ か り レ ー ル ス タ ー) Shinkansen, which runs at the same speed as the Nozomi but goes to a few more stations.
Slower Kodama (こ だ ま) Shinkansen connect the rest of the stations on the Shinkansen route.
In the street
In general, it is not a good idea to "experience" Osaka by car. Many streets have no names or some streets have the same name. Parking fees are astronomical. In some parts of the city it is forbidden to buy a car if you cannot show a parking space, which then costs almost the same as a car. The left-hand traffic and the many Japanese traffic signs do the rest to make driving in Osaka appear very inconvenient.
By boat
There are ferry connections from Osaka to Busan (South Korea) three times a week and after Shanghai (China) twice a week. 3 Osaka International Ferry Terminal is near Nankō (南港) in the Osaka Bay Area. It is best to take the "New Tram" from Suminoe-koen Station to Nankoguchi (南 港口). Cruise ships also dock here.
mobility
The best way to explore the Kansai region is to use the Kansai ticket. It enables the use of buses and trains in the entire Kansai area. Please note that it is not valid for buses and trains on the formerly state-owned JR line. However, this should be bearable, as the other rail operators have a similarly dense network in Osaka / Kansai and everything can still be reached.
Subway
Osaka owns Japan's second largest Subway Network after Tokyo. This makes the subway the normal way to get around central Osaka. The Midosuji Line is Osaka's main line as it connects the major train stations and shopping complexes of Shin-Osaka, Umeda, Shinsaibashi, Namba and Tennoji.
The ads and ticket system is similar to that in Tokyo, however, the prices are a bit more expensive, especially for shorter distances. However, the Kansai ticket is valid.
By train
As the name suggests, it runs JR Osaka Loop Line (環状 線 Kanjō-sen) in a circle around the center of Osaka. It's not quite as crowded and heavily used as Tokyo's Yamanote Line, but here too it can get quite crowded during weddings. Important train stations are Umeda, Tennoji and Osaka Castle. Namba, Universal Studios Japan and Shin-Osaka are with the JR Osaka Loop Line connected via offshoots. Please note that the Kansai ticket is not valid on the JR line.
In addition to the network of the JR line, there are also a number of other private railways, some of which have a not inconsiderable rail network and connect the suburbs of Osaka with the center, but also to the surrounding cities such as Kyoto, Kobe, Nara or Wakayama to lead.
On the one hand, that's the Hankyu Linewhich mainly serves the northern area of Osaka. The lines all start at Hankyu Umeda Station and some of them run as far as Kyoto (Umeda-Kawaramachi), Takarazuka (Umeda - Takarazuka) or Kobe (Umeda - Sannomiya)). In addition to these main lines, there are also a large number of secondary lines. In the network of Hankyu Line the Kansai ticket is valid.
East of Osaka runs the Kintetsu line. The lines start from Kintetsu Namba Station. They connect Osaka with the eastern parts of the city but also up to Nara or Ise (famous for the Ise shrines). With a change it is even possible until after Nagoya to drive. In the network of Kintetsu line the Kansai ticket is valid.
The area in southern Osaka is owned by the Nankai Line served. The lines start in Namba (Nankai Namba Station) and lead to Wakayama (Nankai Main Line) and Kōya-san (Koya Line). There are also several connections to Kansai International Airport. In the network of Nankai Line the Kansai ticket is valid.
Tourist Attractions
Castles, temples and palaces
- Osaka Castle:
The 1 Osaka Castle (大阪 城 Osaka-jō) is one of Japan's most famous castles and played an important role in the unification of Japan in the 16th century. It can be reached via JR Osakajo Koen Station. The grounds of the castle are a 6 hectare park, surrounded by moats and walls. Huge stones, e.g. the Tako-ishi or Octopus stone at the Sakura-mon-Tor, which covers an area of 55 m² and weighs an estimated 130 tons, or the Higo-ishi-Stone on Kyobashi-mon-Tor, which is only slightly inferior to it with 54 m² and around 120 tons. The castle towers 5 stories high above the filled hill into the sky, almost as picturesque as in Himeji. You could almost forget that the building was destroyed several times, the last time in World War II, and that today's castle is a concrete building, equipped with elevators and a museum with multimedia presentations on history. The view from the upper floor alone is worth the entry fee of ¥ 600.
- 2 Shitennōji (四 天王寺), 1-1-18 Shitennōji Tennōji-ku, Buddhist temple
- 3 Sumiyoshi Taisha (住 吉 大 社), a Shinto shrine in the Sumiyoshi district
- 4 Osaka Tenman-gū, Shinto Shrine, founded in 949.
- 5 Tamatsukuri Inari, Shinto shrine, dedicated to Inari.
- 6 Sanko Shrine, Shinto, on the Sanada-yama hill.
Parks and gardens
- 7 Nakanoshima Park
- 8 Utsubo Park
- 9 Nagai Park and Stadium
- 10 Tennoji Park
- 11 Sakuya Konohana Kan, botanical garden with a large greenhouse and over 2,600 plant species from different climates
Museums
- 13 Osaka Science Museum
- 15 Japan Mint ((造幣 局)), 1-1-79, Temma Kita-ku. The Japanese Mint is located in the Kita-ku district, near the Temmabashi subway station.
miscellaneous
- The 16 Umeda Sky Building (梅田 ス カ イ ビ ル) impresses with its architecture. It consists of 2 towers connected to the top Floating Garden Observatory. His adress is 1-1-20 Oyodonaka, Kita-ku. The building is 173 m high, you can drive up to the gallery on the 40th floor for ¥ 1,000 and outside on the Sky Walk enjoy the view over the city.
- 17 Tsūtenkaku (通天 閣) is the name of a 103-meter-high transmission and observation tower near JR Shinimamiya Station in the Naniwa district. The steel frame construction tower was built in 1956 as the successor to a similar tower dismantled in 1943. The observation decks are 84 m and 87 m high. Using two colors on the top of the tower, he indicates the weather forecast for the coming day.
activities
- 1 Kaiyukan large aquarium
- 2 Universal Studios
- 3 Tempozan Ferris Wheel in the waterfront
shop
Two areas in Osaka are particularly noteworthy as shopping areas. To the north, the area around Umeda and Osaka stations
- Umeda is a business and trade center with a number of high-rise buildings. A very special one is the one that is visible from afar Hankyu Entertainment Park HEP, on its upper floor an additional 4 Ferris wheel with a diameter of 75 m so that you can see Osaka from a height of 106 m
In the south, the area between Shinsaibashi and around Namba station is very thematically organized according to areas of interest. The main street, Mido-Suji, is mainly home to high-priced and prestigious shops of the well-known luxury and lifestyle brands.
 Arcade in Shinsaibashi |  2 puffer fish, freshly caught |  Puffer fish in the background of the store |
The famous shopping street is already a parallel street to the east 1 Shinsaibashi-Suji (or "Shinsaibashi" for short, although it actually only refers to the subway station in the north of the street) with a colorful mix of shops, similar to European shopping arcades. In the area of this arcade there are fish shops where you can get one every now and then Puffer fish sees hanging, a sign that you can get this specialty here. For non-connoisseurs, it's just a simple, inconspicuous black fish on display.
- 2 Amerikamura (ア メ リ カ 村, American Village) also known as "Ame-mura" is an entertainment and shopping district near Shinsaibashi (Midosuji-Line, Shinsaibashi Sta.) In the Minami district of Osaka. The landmark is a (smaller) copy of the Statue of Liberty. Amerikamura is famous for its western clothing stores especially for young people and an ideal place to marvel at a part of the Japanese youth culture.
At the Nipponbashi subway station, on Nipponbashi-Suji, is located 5 "Den Den Town", a street with all kinds of electronics shops of various sizes. A parallel street further west is "Otatown" (named after "Otaku") for video game, anime and manga enthusiasts. One street further west you will find all kinds of household and restaurant supplies. Around Namba there are several multi-storey department stores with a clear focus on entertainment electronics.
kitchen
- Okonomiyaki (jap. お 好 み 焼 き) is a specialty in the Kansai region, especially in Osaka and Hiroshima. okonomi means "what you want" and yaki means "fried" or "grilled". It is a flat cake similar to a pancake that is fried on a hot tray. The basic ingredients are water, cabbage, flour, and egg Dashi, the other ingredients are arbitrary. Either all the ingredients are mixed together, poured onto the sheet in small heaps and mashed into a flat cake, or the ingredients are artfully piled up one after the other.
nightlife
accommodation
Learn
Work
security
health
English is spoken in this hospital:
- Meiji Hospital, 2-4-8- Higashinoda-cho, Miyakojima-ku, Osaka 534-0024. Tel.: 81 (0)663533121.
Practical advice
Consulates
- German Consulate General. Tel.: 81 (0)6 64405070, Fax: 81 (0)6 64405080, Email: [email protected]. Open: Mon - Fri 9 a.m. to noon.
- Swiss Consulate General. Tel.: 81 (0)6 63447671, Fax: 81 (0)6 63447678, Email: [email protected]. Open: Mon - Fri 9 a.m. to noon.
Information centers
- 1 Umeda, directly at the train station Osaka.
- 2 Namba, just outside the subway station Namba station.
- 3 Shin Osaka, at the Shinkansen station.
trips
literature
Web links
- https://www.city.osaka.lg.jp/contents/wdu020/enjoy/en/ (en) - Osaka official website
- Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau
- City's website, District information under -> For Residents -> Ward Offices
