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Japan Guide

Kansai

Ōsaka

• Accommodation
• Eating
• Nightlife

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Having received a bad rap as a tourist destination for many years, ŌSAKA, Japan's third largest city after Tokyo and Yokohama, yearns to be loved. So much so, that in 2006 the city council started funding a PR campaign to improve Ōsaka's image. By 2016 the city hopes to have successfully "rebranded" itself, mainly through land redevelopment and ambitious construction projects. It may still lack the pockets of beauty and refinement found in nearby Kyoto, but Ōsaka is a vibrant metropolis, inhabited by famously easy-going citizens with a taste for the good things in life.

The handsomely renovated castle, Ōsaka-jo, dominates Ōsaka's heart just as it did centuries ago, while the venerable Shitennō-ji and Sumiyoshi Taisha hark back to the city's past importance as a religious centre. In contrast, bizarre modern buildings, such as the spaceship-like Ōsaka Dome sports stadium and the fantastic aquarium at the Tempozan Harbour Village, sparkle amid the urban sprawl like shiny gems, while the large-scale theme park, Universal Studios Japan, is another of the city's modern attractions.

But what is really special about Ōsaka is its people, who speak one of Japan's more earthy dialects, Ōsaka-ben, and are as friendly as Kyoto folk can be frosty. Ōsakans may greet each other saying "Mō kari-makka?" ("Are you making any money?"), but they also know how to enjoy themselves once work has stopped. Whereas Tokyo has shut down its once thriving Harajuku band scene, Ōsakans still thrash out rock tunes by the castle every Sunday. Ōsaka is also one of Japan's great food cities, but Ōsakans are not snobby about their cuisine; a typical local dish is takoyaki, battered octopus balls, usually sold as a street snack.

Ōsaka also feels a welcoming place for foreigners. It has Japan's largest community of Koreans and a growing gaijin population. There's also a willingness to face up to uncomfortable social issues, exemplified by the city's admirable civil rights museum, Liberty Ōsaka, which among other things focuses on Japan's untouchables, the Burakumin. Similarly, Ōsaka's homelessness problem has not been ignored, at least by citizens, and the Big Issue Japan started here in 2003.