Above you can see a night view of the Osaka downtown area. When people think of big cities in Japan, Tokyo is the first thing that comes to mind. Osaka is much less famous and often forgotten by tourists. However, the greater Osaka area is host to one of the largest urban economies of Asia. Osaka is very much the industrial capital of Japan and therefore essential to the economy of the entire country. With a population of no less than 5 million, Osaka is also one of the larger urban areas of east Asia.
Dotonbori district at night
Although Osaka was the first capital of Japan, it is not known for its historical architecture and culture. Osaka is home to the historical Osaka castle, but that is a 20th century concrete copy of the original. The original Osaka castle was built in 1583 but it was destroyed and rebuilt several times during the past 400 years. The current Osaka Castle was built in 1931 and was luckily not seriously damaged in world war II. Despite the lack of important historical buildings, Osaka is far from unpleasant to visit.
Osaka is host to numerous luxurious shopping malls and it has an impressive skyline featuring the spectacular Umeda Sky Building.
The Dotonbori district (see picture above) is one of the finest places to have a Japanese dinner anywhere in the world.
Osaka is also a perfect starting point for trips to nearby Kyoto and Nara. These famous cities provide you with more than a handful of Unesco listed historical buildings. Furthermore, Osaka is home to one the most famous and spectacular aquariums in the world. So Osaka is well worth a visit!
