Osaka

Japan stretches from northeast to southwest. Honshu, the largest island of Japan, lies almost between the East and the West. This is why in Japan, people often refer to some cultural aspects such as tastes and different ways of thinking in terms of “East” and “West”. But how about the point in the middle, between East and West? Well, let’s leave this topic aside.

“Tokyo” is considered the East metropolis of Japan, whereas “Osaka” the western metropolis. Originally, “Kyoto” was the political and cultural centre of Japan. In the Edo period, these moved to today’s “Tokyo”. “Osaka” faced the port in the vicinity of “Kyoto” and developed as a water transport centre. Moreover, thanks to the many rivers that give birth to vast plains, “Osaka” was used as a solid base by “Toyotomi Hiedyoshi” at the end of the 16th century, and rapid development followed. Being a port town that connected the East and West of Japan, “Osaka” also became the gathering spot for many merchants. “Osaka” was also granted the name of “The Kitchen of the World”, being the place where all sorts of ingredients from all over Japan arrived. After Japan’s modernization, all political functions reallocated to “Tokyo” and “Osaka” became the cultural centre in western Japan, substituting “Kyoto” and enlarging its economy.

Following “Tokyo”, “Osaka” has the second largest transportation system, with also several big airports nearby, that allow visitors to arrive directly from abroad and have excellent access to other cities. On top of the many historic buildings, there are also some of the country’s leading entertainment facilities in “Osaka”, for you to enjoy in a wealth of ways.

Below, we will be introducing the main touristic areas in “Osaka”. We will also make sure to recommend areas that are good sightseeing spots also other than “Osaka” in the “Travel guidebook” section. Please check it out!