Osaka Travel Tips

Osaka (大阪, Ōsaka), Japan’s second-largest metropolitan area after Tokyo, offers a fascinating blend of rich history and modern energy. Once called Naniwa, the city served as one of Japan’s earliest capitals, a role it held during a time when the imperial seat shifted with each new emperor. Remnants of this ancient past can still be found in archaeological sites and venerable shrines scattered throughout the city. Today, Osaka showcases its dynamic evolution in bustling districts like Umeda, with its futuristic skyscrapers, department stores, and sweeping city views from observatories, and Namba, an entertainment hub alive with neon lights, theaters, and a street food culture that tempts visitors with takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and other local specialties.

In the late 16th century, the powerful warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi transformed Osaka’s destiny by building the iconic Osaka Castle, a magnificent stronghold symbolizing both unification and ambition. Although the original fortress and palace complex were largely destroyed, the reconstructed main tower now houses a museum with panoramic views and interactive exhibits on Japan’s feudal past. Hideyoshi hoped to cement Osaka as the nation’s political capital, but that vision shifted when Tokugawa Ieyasu established his shogunate in Edo (modern Tokyo). Even so, Osaka flourished as the “kitchen of Japan,” becoming the nation’s commercial hub and a thriving center of merchant culture. Travelers can explore this legacy at landmarks such as Shitennō-ji, Japan’s oldest officially established Buddhist temple, stroll along the lively canals of Dotonbori, or step back in time at the Osaka Museum of History, located near the ruins of the ancient Naniwa-no-Miya Palace.