Osaka, Japan

The City of Osaka

Osaka, with its 2,6 million people, is Japan‘s second or third largest city, depending on whether you measure by day or by night. Located in the Kansai area, by the Osaka Bay, it is known for its food scene and night life. It is often referred to as Japan’s kitchen, sometimes even as the food capital of the world.

During the daytime, people flock to the Kita area, the business district of Osaka. Here you can find many department buildings, perfect for shopping, plenty of European style bars and restaurants, as wel as the eye-catching Umeda Sky Building.

During the evening as many people flock to Minami, the entertainment district in the city. Here you find plenty of bars, restaurants an street food vendors. The main place to go is Dotombori Street, a haven for foodies.

From the Kita area

Osaka is a city I haven’t been much too. Only two times, each time just for one night, have I visited the city. I plan to do something about that soon and get to know the city better. Osaka is only a few hours by bullet train from Tokyo, making it easy to travel between the two cities.

From the Minami area

My first time in Osaka I witnessed a peace rally against changes to Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution. Before leaving I met up with a friend and found time to get a good view of Osaka from Umeda Sky Building. Some pictures from that trip can be seen on my picture post from Japan.

Protests against changes to Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution

My second visit was less than a week later. Returning from Kyoto and Nara we visited An Pasan Chess Club and played some games of chess, the evening was spent in Dotombori Street, a popular food and nightlife street in the city.

Dotombori Street

As I said, I haven’t been much to Osaka, but hope to visit on upcoming trips to Japan. If so, there will be more stories from this wonderful Japanese city.