Japan's Kitchen, Castle Walls and Neon Canals
Osaka is the third-largest city in Japan, a lively port in the Kansai region, known as the nation's kitchen and loved for its street food, friendly humour and neon-lit canals. For centuries the city was a hub of rice trading and merchants, and that commercial spirit still shapes a culture that is easy-going and generous. The common greeting asks if you have eaten, and the local motto of kuidaore, to eat until you drop, sums up the city's relationship with its table. Osaka's energy is at its brightest after dark, when the canals shimmer with reflected lights.
Osaka Castle, built in the sixteenth century by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, rises from stone walls and moats in a park famed for cherry blossom in early April, and its museum tells the story of the unification of Japan. Dotonbori, the entertainment strip along the canal, is the postcard image, with the Glico running man sign, giant mechanical crab and rows of food stalls. Travellers often continue from here to Japan more widely, or fly on to Seoul and Shanghai, both short hops away.
Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki and Day Trips to Kyoto
Food is the reason many people come. Takoyaki, grilled octopus balls topped with sauce and bonito flakes, okonomiyaki, a savoury pancake cooked on a hot plate, and kushikatsu, crisp skewers, are the city's signature dishes. Kuromon Market offers fresh seafood and street snacks, while Shinsekai, a retro district beneath Tsutenkaku Tower, has a nostalgic charm. Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, one of Japan's best, and Universal Studios Japan, with its Super Nintendo World, make the city a favourite for families, and a hotel group can offer a wide range of stays, from capsule-style budget to luxury towers.
Osaka is also a perfect base for the wider Kansai region. Kyoto, with its temples and geisha districts, is about 30 minutes by fast train, and Nara, home to friendly deer and the giant Buddha of Todai-ji, is close by. Himeji Castle, inscribed by UNESCO in 1993, and Mount Koya, a temple settlement in the Kii mountains inscribed in 2004, are rewarding day trips, and the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun tombs near Sakai were inscribed in 2019. Those who enjoy Asian cities often add Shenzhen or Singapore on a longer tour.
Read the full Osaka guide on Visit Travel Group, or see VisitOsaka.co.uk on Visit Travel Group.