Osaka [大阪府] is a province located in the Kansai region, and also a beautiful city. It ranks third in the most populous city and prefecture in Japan. Its prefecture has more than 8 million inhabitants while the capital Osaka has more than 2.5 million. Osaka prefecture has 33 cities and 5 districts, it is considered the second most industrialized prefecture.
Both the city of Osaka and the entire province offer numerous attractions for tourists, various places to be explored, and a culture different from Tokyo, a different dialect, and different customs. While the population of Tokyo is shy and reserved, the people of Osaka are outgoing and straightforward. It is also a city known for its gastronomy and nightlife.
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Osaka's top attractions
In Osaka, we find Universal Studios, one of the best theme parks in Japan. The city also offers countless shops, with over 30 malls and outlets. Shinsaibashi, Dotonbori, and Minami (Namba) are the famous urban centers of Osaka, featuring numerous stores and restaurants.
Osaka City Aquarium, also known as Kaiyukan, is one of the most spectacular aquariums in Japan. It presents various forms of life that inhabit the Pacific coast in a very well organized and impressive way. You will also find the National Bunraku Theater, a puppet theater. This is one of the best places to watch this show.
There are many museums, the main one being the National Museum of Art in Osaka, it has an excellent collection of contemporary Japanese, Asian, European and American art. The National Museum of Ethnology has a collection of 255,000 cultural artifacts from around the world.
We also have the 10-story Osaka Museum of History, some interesting artifacts, photos and large scale models. And the fun Science Museum with the 5th largest planetarium in the world.
We have theTsutenkaku tower located in the Shin Sekai district, which is famous for being a poor and dangerous area, but it is still interesting. It has a large number of cheap restaurants, souvenir shops, clubs, mahjong parlors, and pachinko.
We also have the famous Osaka Castle which saw a large number of battles that changed the course of Japanese history. In World War II, the castle was used as a munitions factory that employed 60,000 people.
It was completely destroyed by a bomb in 1945. Today, the castle has been rebuilt and looks very much like it did in the 19th century. Many of the moats, walls and houses have managed to survive.
In Osaka, there are also festivals such as Tenjin Matsuri, Toka Ebisu, and other seasonal ones. You can also find some temples and shrines like the Templo Shitennoji, Templo Hozenji, Templo Isshinji, the Santuário Tenmangu, the Santuário Sumiyoshi-taisha, and thousands of others in the region.
Kaiyukan - The Osaka Aquarium
The Kaiyukan Aquarium located in the bay of the city of Osaka, opened on June 20, 1990. It is considered one of the largest metropolitan aquariums in the world, with a total capacity of 11,000 tons of water.
The aquarium is divided into 15 tanks, each representing a natural environment of the 10 regions of the Pacific Ocean. The complex has 8 floors and its main tank holds 5,400 tons of water. In this main tank of the pacific ocean where it is possible to find the whale shark, hammerhead shark and several other fish coexisting together without devouring each other.
Discovering the Osaka Aquarium
We will leave an official map of the place for you to get to know Kaiyukan better. It is worth remembering that the aquarium can undergo modifications, so the map is not 100% accurate.
It takes about 2 hours to go through the entire aquarium. Upon entering the aquarium you find a tunnel that passes between the fish called the Aqua Gate. During the way in the Aquarium you will take several turns in the giant tank of the pacific ocean.
The route passes through the Japanese forest, followed by small ponds representing the Aleutian Islands, Monterey Bay, Panama Bay, the Tropical Forest of Ecuador, the Antarctic Continent, the Tasman Sea, the Great Barrier Reef, the Seto Inland Sea, the rocky coasts of the Chile, Cook Strait, bottom of the Sea of Japan, Jellyfish Pavilion.
At the end of the tour, you come across a tank where it's possible to touch sharks and rays. When I visited, I encountered an exhibit of fish from the movie Finding Nemo or Dory. There was also a small ice tank and another tank with surfing penguins from the movie Surf's Up.
If you want to learn more about the 大阪水族館 (Osaka Aquarium), watch the video I recorded from my trip to Japan in 2016 below. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel and leave your comments and likes.
Attractions near Osaka Aquarium
In addition to the Osaka Aquarium, next to the Osaka Bay you will find a mall and a Ferris wheel called Tempozan. There you can also find a themed ship called Santa Maria, there is a line that crosses Osaka Bay to the other side where the Universal Studios park is located.
Next to it there is a building where some conventions always take place, when I went there was an exhibition of dinosaur fossils being shown. If you are going to visit Osaka be sure to go to the aquarium and attractions around it.
Osaka Aquarium information
- Osaka's Kaiyukan Aquarium
- Address: Kaigandori 1 chome No. 1-10, Minato Ward
- Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture,
- Postal Code.: 552-0022 日本
- Phone: +81-6-6576-5501
- Fax.: +81-6-6576-5510
Osaka - Hozenji Yokochho Alley
Hozenji Yokocho Alley is a collection of 60 small izakaya, bars and restaurants in an alley behind Hozenji Temple in Osaka. The street has been filled with nightlife since the 17th century, when the area was a theater district.
Hozenji Yokocho Alley is popular with local celebrities such as actors, writers and artists. It is located in the south of Dotombori. A narrow street 80m long, 2.7m wide, stretches from east to west centered on “Mizukake Fudo Myoo”.
At the end of the alley you will find a statue of God Fudomyoo. Fudomyoo is the god of fury. He maintains a terrifying appearance. Locals believe that he grants wishes and protects people from harm.
His statue in Hozenji is among the most sought after Buddhist spots in Osaka. Visitors often pour water over the statue in an act of purification and say a prayer. The statue has had so much water poured over its head that it is completely covered in moss. It's visually stunning.
Abeno Harukas - The Tallest Building in Japan
The tallest building in Japan is located in the city of Osaka. The building Abeno Harukas is situated in the Abeno district of the city of Osaka. It has a total of 60 floors and reaches a height of 300 meters. And yes, although it does not compare to the tallest in the world, this is the tallest building in all of Japan.
It is the planned alternate station building of Absaka Abenobashi Station, the terminus of the Kintetsu Minami Osaka Line. Its space is around 100,000 square meters, which makes it the largest department store in Japan.
But if we count with all kinds of structures in the country, it ranks third, behind the Tokyo Sky Tree and Tokyo Tower. Among its various facilities, Abeno Harukas has the Kintetsu department store, an art museum, a hotel and offices.
It contains the new Kintetsu department store flagship store, the Marriott International hotel. And also the new Sharp Corporation headquarters office. In addition, it also has an observatory on the top floors of the building.
Abeno Harukas, especially its observatory, is often crowded on holidays. It is even common to find a long queue to be able to go up to it. “Harukas” is an old Japanese expression that means “to illuminate, to lighten”.
Abeno Harukas and his floors
Abeno Harukas has a shopping center that occupies from the basement floor -2 to the 14th floor. On the 16th floor is the Abeno Harukas Museum, which organizes exhibitions of contemporary western art.
The exhibitions are temporary and vary according to the season. Such exhibitions have already been organized with pieces from the national treasure, as well as works from the national cultural heritage. In addition to others related to the history of railways in the Kinki region.
The observatory called “Harukas 300”. It is an open-air structure with gardens. When the weather is favorable, the view is spectacular. It is without a doubt a place you cannot visit when traveling to Osaka.
- 58-60 floors: Observatory "Harukas 300"
- 38th to 55th floor and 57th floor: Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel
- 57th floor: restaurants
- 38th to 55th floor: bedrooms
- 21st to 36th floor: offices
- 19th and 20th floors: Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel (lobby)
- 17th and 18th floors: offices
- 16th floor: Abeno Harukas Museum, Rooftop Garden
- 2nd basement – 14th floor: Kintetsu Department Store Abeno Harukas Tower Building [4]
- 1st basement and 1st floor: Osaka Abenobashi Station
- 4th and 3rd basements: parking
videos about Osaka
There are many other places in Osaka and other prefectural cities that we haven't mentioned. Always follow the site for new articles about some cities or attractions within the province. Finally, I will leave some videos of adventures in this beautiful city. You can also comment on a specific place you like. Thanks for all the comments and shares.