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Osaka

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Crowded Shinsekai District and Tsutenkaku Tower at night.

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Overview

If Kyoto was the city of the courtly nobility and Tokyo the city of the samurai, then Osaka (大阪) was the city of the merchant class. Osakans take pride in shedding the conservatism found elsewhere in Japan, and this spirited city – Japan's third-largest – is a place where people are a bit brasher, and interactions are peppered with playful jabs.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Osaka, Japan - April 30, 2017: tourists looking Osaka city at Abeno Harukas, the tallest skyscraper in Japan. The building stands on top of Kintetsu Osaka Abenobashi Station near JR Tennoji Station. 919551970 Abeno Harukas Observatory

    Abeno Harukas

    Osaka

    This César Pelli–designed tower, which opened in March 2014, is Japan's tallest building (300m, 60 storeys). The observatory on the 16th floor is free,…

  • Osaka Castle in Morning 1331407004

    Osaka-jō

    Osaka

    After unifying Japan in the late 16th century, General Toyotomi Hideyoshi built this castle (1583) as a display of power, using, it's said, the labour of…

  • Tourists walking around crowded Osaka Dotonbori entertainment district 595729520 Vibrant Color, Observation Point, Kinki Region, Tourism, Photography, Busy, Dotonbori, City Life, Pedestrian, Arranging, Downtown District, Osaka Prefecture, Walking, Billboard, Commercial Sign, Scenics, Illuminated, Vitality, Awe, Multi Colored, Japanese Culture, Crowded, Local Landmark, International Landmark, Famous Place, Architecture, Travel Destinations, Retail, Lifestyles, Urban Scene, Tourist, People, Japan, Asia, Restaurant, Store, City Street, Street, Alley, Road, Built Structure, Urban Skyline, Cityscape, City, Neon Light, Sign, Advertisement, Neon Color, Namba - Osaka

    Dōtombori

    Osaka

    Highly photogenic Dōtombori is the city's liveliest night spot and the centre of the southern part of town. Its name comes from the 400-year-old canal,…

  • Amerika-Mura

    Amerika-Mura

    Osaka

    West of Midō-suji, Amerika-Mura is a compact enclave of hip, youth-focused and offbeat shops, plus cafes, bars, tattoo and piercing parlours, nightclubs,…

  • National Museum of Ethnology

    National Museum of Ethnology

    Osaka

    This ambitious museum showcases the world's cultures, presenting them as the continuous (and tangled) strings that they are. There are plenty of…

  • Abeno Harukas Art Museum

    Abeno Harukas Art Museum

    Osaka

    This state-of-the art museum inside Abeno Harukas hosts temporary shows that vary wildly, including, so far, Renaissance painting and tantric Buddhist…

  • Excited school children gazing at sting rays at Osaka Aquarium.

    Osaka Aquarium Kaiyūkan

    Osaka

    Kaiyūkan is among Japan's best aquariums. An 800m-plus walkway winds past displays of sea life from around the Pacific 'ring of fire': Antarctic penguins,…

  • Open-Air Museum of Old Japanese Farmhouses

    Open-Air Museum of Old Japanese Farmhouses

    Osaka

    Easier than a trip to the countryside is a visit to this collection of traditional Japanese country houses, transported here and painstakingly…

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