1. Shitennoji Temple. This temple was built by Prince Shotoku, a cultural hero of Japanese history, and is considered by Buddhists to be the Buddhist altar of Osaka. Many events are held here every year, including the Doya-Doya Festival, the Holy Spirit Festival, and Shitennoji Wasso, which demonstrate the temple's long history and its place in the hearts of Osaka people.
2. Dondenkaku. The Osaka Dondenkaku Tower is 100 meters high, or 103 meters including the lightning rod. It was built in Meiji 45 and rebuilt in 1956, and there is an advertisement of Hitachi on the tower. On the second, fourth and fifth floors are observation decks, and there are also kiosks and game stores. On the ground floor of the tower, there is the Tontenkaku Ballad Theater, where singers perform on Saturdays and Sundays every week. On this floor, there is also the Tongtengak Go and Chess Center, which is often used in movies and dramas. At night, the neon lights of the Dondenkaku Tower are lit up, making it look especially dazzling.
3. Dotombori. Dotonbori is a representative place of Osaka's cuisine. As the Japanese say, "Eat in Osaka," you can see that it is the most popular place for Osaka residents to eat and drink, and there are also a number of entertainment facilities. There are a number of movie theaters in the area, as well as Bunraku-za, where puppet shows are performed, and theaters where traditional arts, such as yoshi, a popular music genre, are performed.
4. Shinsaibashi. Shinsaibashi is a commercial and shopping district located in Chuo-ku, Osaka. Along the way, you will find a variety of large-scale department stores, high-end European and American design brand stores, and other stores. The American Village, known as the birthplace of fashion, is home to a concentration of specialty stores, boutiques, and cafes selling high-end brands.
5. Tenshokaku. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified the Japanese islands, he built Osaka Castle to demonstrate his power. Taking three years to build, Osaka Castle was completed in 1593, only to be destroyed by Tokugawa Ieyasu's forces in 1615. After reconstruction, the castle was razed to the ground by the Tokugawa Shogun during the Meiji Restoration. The Osaka Castle you see today is a concrete replica built in 1931 and restored in 1997. It contains a wealth of exhibits about Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Osaka.
Osaka is a city in Osaka Prefecture in the Kinki region of western Japan, and is the seat of the Osaka Prefectural Government and one of the cities designated by decree. With an area of 223 square kilometers and a total population of about 2.67 million, Osaka is the third most populous city in Japan after Tokyo and Yokohama.
Osaka was known as "Osaka" in ancient times, and the word "Osaka" first appeared in the Muromachi period. Since the Nara period, Osaka has been a trading port due to its location near the sea. Toyotomi Hideyoshi built Osaka Castle and made Osaka the centerpiece of the Toyotomi regime. During the Edo period, Osaka, along with Kyoto and Edo, was known as the "Three Capitals," and was the most economically active commercial city in Japan at that time. In the post-war period, Osaka remained the metropolis of Western Japan.
Osaka has heavy industries, mainly steel, machinery manufacturing and metal processing, and light industries, mainly textiles, printing, food, paper and chemicals. The city has more than 100,000 stores of all kinds. Osaka is also known for its unique culture. There are also bustling underground streets in the city's Hankyu district. The scale of industrial and commercial activities and the density of mass transit railway lines are among the highest in Japan.
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