Osaka — Tour Highlights and Travel Tips
Osaka Tour Highlights
- Taking up more than 100 hectares in the city centre, Osaka-jō (Osaka Castle) is an impressive area combining history and natural beauty at any time of year.
- Wander the vibrant neon-lit streets of the Dōtombori canal district to get a sense of what modern Japan is all about.
- Satisfy your taste buds at Kuromon Ichiba Market, where Osaka’s restaurants buy their seafood, but also a great place to sample local cuisine cooked while you wait.
- Delve beneath the waves at Japan’s foremost aquarium, Kaiyūkan, home to a giant whale shark, penguins, manta rays and almost innumerable species from Japan’s Pacific seas.
- Explore the impressive five-storey Shitennoji Temple pagoda, Osaka’s oldest temple, dating from an incredible 593AD.
Osaka Travel Tips
- Summers in Osaka are hot and humid, and winters can be cold, so consider visiting during spring or autumn when the climate is best suited to tourism.
- Like all Japan’s major cities, Osaka has an efficient public transport system that makes getting around the city a breeze. Look out for the Osaka Amazing Card, that offers unlimited travel, and free entrance to many of city’s main attractions.
- The high-speed shinkansen bullet train means more expensive Japanese destinations can be easily reached as a day trip. For instance, Kyoto is just 11 minutes away!
- The Shinsaibashi and Namba wards, close to the entertainment complexes of Dōtombori are probably the best places to stay as a visitor to the city.
- Make sure you stay out until after dark to catch the city’s neon lighting at its very best!
