Osaka Journals

Living In Osaka,Japan

A June 2003 trip to Osaka by Komplex

Quote: I moved here to teach English and ended up falling in love with the culture. After living here for a year, I can clue you in on the best things to see and do in the second largest city of Japan.

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Living In Osaka,Japan

Overview

Quote:

Things you’re going to want to see from Osaka are:
-- Osaka Castle in the heart of the city. This "jo" is a symbol of Japanese culture.
-- Namba, a part of Osaka, a very famous tourist spot, with its famous covered street mall on which you can walk for miles, rain or shine, and not worry about anything but shopping.
-- Umeda, the central city of Osaka. This will be you first real look at the Japanese business environment; much like New York’s Wall Street, Umeda is business oriented, but also has a covered mall area like Namba, and lots to see and do.
-- Tenoji, in the south of the city of Osaka, has some great temples and some great places to eat as well as having a great park in the middle of the city. With flowers, streams, and rock gardens, it’s more like a painting then a park!
-- Kyoto, the number one city for temples in Japan, and only an hour from Osaka by train. "JR" will only cost you round trip!
-- Nara, the number one cultural city in Japan. Once again, only one hour from Osaka by train. "Kintetsu" will only cost you round trip!
-- Kobe, right on the water, has a great nightlife and is a huge tourist trap. Lucky for you, Osaka is where you’re staying and at a 30 min train ride to Kobe on "JR" at round trip you'll be saving lots of cash!

Quick Tips:

If you really want to see Japan cheaply and efficiently, you should use Osaka as a hub. Tokyo is an expensive city to stay in, and more expensive to leave. The main points of interest (cities) are all an expensive bullet train ride away from Tokyo, when Osaka has 70% of your bases covered for one-third of the cost. If you’re worried about nightlife, fear not, it’s the second largest city in Japan, so there is no shortage of things to do at night! Forget a night in Tokyo -- for the same chain you pay . Forget bullet train costs of one-way – you’ll have everything close to you and pay about round trip.

Best Way To Get Around:

In Osaka: NEVER TAKE A TAXI! (unless you're rich). Trains go everywhere and are very cheap. Bullet trains, or "shinkansen," are about one way to just about anywhere, while the normal train is very cheap. Read Less

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Local Dining

Restaurant | "A Restaurant guide"

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As far as food goes (there is no spot for it here!!! There should be a place to list your favorite types of foods not just exact loaction on this site.) Anyway "okonomiyaki" -- an Osaka traditional food of noodles of cabbage fried in front of you -- should be on your list of foods to try as well as "yakitori" which is a type of grilled chicken, and of course "sushi"! You'll also want to try an "Isakaya" (Japanese style restaurant); they serve many differant types of food and drinks, including alcohol, and are great if you don't want to commit to one genre of food for your meal.

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on June 12, 2004

Local Dining
Throughout Osaka
Osaka, Japan

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Hirakata Park

Attraction | "Hirakata theme Park"

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It's a blast! There are lots of rides, including 3 rollercoasters, a free fall, and a bunch of water rides. They also put on shows and have a huge ferris wheel there!

www.hirakatapark.co.jp

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on June 12, 2004

Hirakata Park
1-1 Hirakata Koen-cho
Hirakata, Japan
+81 (0)720 44 3475

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Bars and pubs

Attraction

Quote:

This is not about one bar; it is just a guide on how they work in Japan. It's not the same as the US at all. Most people go to bars/pubs to drink with friends and Japanese seldom talk to anyone outside there group they came with. In fact, it's almost rude! However, there is hope for the people who just want to meet people and that is a type of bar/pub called a "Gaijin Bar" for foreigners. Not only are most bars not for meeting people some hate foreigners and most are run by the criminal underground known as the "Yakuza". I always feel weird when entering a non-Gaijin bar so I usually just stay clear of them.

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on June 12, 2004

Bars and pubs
Any pub in Japan
Osaka, Japan