Osaka

Ohayo Osaka - Uncover the true essence of Japan with Tokyo’s charming little sister city

WORDS MANAMI OKAZAKI
PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN HARTE

*with connections from Adelaide, Cairns, Christchurch, Hobart and Melbourne (Tullamarine)

The majestic Osaka-jo castle

OSAKA has a reputation for being a nondescript industrial city that’s all work and no play. Although not as well known as Tokyo and Kyoto, this unassuming merchant city’s vibrancy, sense of fun and friendliness makes it one of the best places to simply have a good time, meet some fantastic locals and try some of the best food Japan has to offer.

Osaka is the third largest city in Japan, located on the main island of Honshu with a population of 2.7 million. While Osaka is not packed with tourist attractions, it’s loved for its down-to-earth vibe and is a great place to base yourself, being close to Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nara and Koyasan, which are all famous for their traditional Japanese atmosphere, beautiful temples and landscapes. Those seeking the thrill of the modern metropolis Japan can take an easy three-hour Shinkansen ride to the pumping heart of Tokyo.

Although it has an industrial façade with buildings that belong in a science fiction movie, buzzing neon lights and pachinko slot machine parlours, inside the urban sprawl you can find a maze of canals and pockets of traditional Japan that time has apparently forgotten. Temples sit innocuously next to modern buildings, offering a stirringly peaceful oasis in the middle of the concrete jungle.

Out and about

Osaka is divided into two parts — the north and the south — and features two rivers, with most of the action in the south.

The Giant Ferris Wheel
looms over Tempozan
Harbor Land

Any visit to Osaka should begin at the towering castle, Osaka-jo castle (1-1 Osaka-jo Chuo-ku, tel: +81 (6) 6941 3044), in the centre of the city. It’s a reproduction of the ostentatious monument built from 1583, when Japan was unified during Emperor Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s illustrious reign. Almost surreal in its presence, it is the perfect place to feel the juxtaposition of new and old for which the city is renowned. During spring, the castle is surrounded by crimson cherry blossom petals with picnickers in the adjacent park.

The south area is a great people-watching district which buzzes at night when people head out to the many eating establishments lining the Dotonbori area. Hozenji Temple, hidden in a maze of alleys, is one of Osaka’s most beautiful temples, with its majestic moss-covered Buddha statue.

One of Osaka’s many waterways

Amerika-mura nearby is an ultra hip shopping area, with Japanese street fashion embraced by kids dressed up to the nines. There is a multitude of clothing shops selling pseudo-American kitsch, as well as second-hand record stores selling hard-to-get vinyls. It’s jam-packed with bars, cool cafés and laid-back clubs and the triangular park in the centre sees kids hanging around all night drinking and skateboarding themselves into exhaustion.

Den Den town, a stone’s throw away, is the electronics district, with all the gadgets and electronic gear you can conceivably want to satisfy your geeky tendencies — at discounted prices (but check for English instruction manuals).

Hustle and bustle of Umeda

The Tennoji area to the south, is home to Universal Studios (2-1-33 Sakurajima, Konohana-ku, tel: +81 (6) 4790 7000), with rollercoaster rides, shopping and eating areas, and the super spa complex, Spa World (3-4-23 Ebisu-higashi, Naniwa-ku, tel: +81 (6) 6631 0001), next door. Lauded as the world’s biggest spa, it houses a Roman Empire’s worth of baths, a rooftop water world with pools and waterslides, and Asian and European style baths.

The seaside development Osaka Bay area is where you can scan the city in perspective. The Giant Ferris Wheel (Daikanransha, 1-1-10 Kaigan-dori, Minato-ku, tel: +81 (6) 6657 6222) that resides by the water is one of the world’s biggest and offers a spectacular 112-metre high view of the city, to as far as neighbouring Kobe.

Osaka Dome dazzles

The nearby Osaka Aquarium (1-1-10 Kaigan-dori, Minatoku, tel: +81 (6) 6576 5501) houses the world’s biggest aquarium tank, holding 11,000 tons of water, and a multitude of creatures from penguins and sea otters to a giant whale. This isn’t just for the kids — adults will find the labyrinth of glass tunnels and alien-like creatures downright fascinating.

The adjoining Suntory Museum complex (1-5-10 Kaigandori, Minato-ku , tel: +81 (6) 6577 0001 ) is one of Osaka’s best museums and houses an impressive collection of modern art and glass artworks. The building itself is one example of the superb architectural feats built to dazzle over Osaka.

Structures of beauty

Temple lanterns in Namba

Osaka has some of the most incredible contemporary structures Japan has to offer and design buffs will have no shortage of gorgeous monuments to be inspired by. Starting with Kansai Airport (1-banchi, Senshu-kuko Kita, Izumisanoshi, tel: +81 (7) 2455 2500), the formidable curved edifice created by the world-renowned architect Renzo Piano is nothing short of a masterpiece of contemporary architecture.

Catch the buzz of Dotonbori’s neon

Osaka is also home to Tadao Ando, Japan’s most famous and prolific architect. Many of his brilliant works can be found throughout the city, including the impressive Church of Light, Sayamaike Historical Museum, Row House (Azuma house) in Sumiyoshi, Tomishima House, as well as a dozen more works scattered across the city. Check books such as Taschen’s (www.taschen.com)Tadao Ando’s Complete Works to discover some of his beautiful modernist works that utilise light and shadows. His exquisite sensibilities render each of his buildings a work of art.

The Sky Building is a marvel of
modern architecture

The glitz of the modern city is offset by the many temples and shrines that hide in the metropolis, one of these being Sumiyoshi Taisha (2-9-89 Sumiyoshi, Sumiyoshi-ku, tel: +81 (6) 6672 0753). Being one of the few Shinto shrines built before the advent of Buddhism in Japan, it has a distinct vermillion-coloured cypress structure and is home to several gorgeous festivals during the year.

Dazzled by dolls

A small temple in Namba

One of the highlights of an Osaka visit is the Bunraku puppet theatre. A top cultural attraction are the 1.5m-tall puppets that are cleverly manipulated to give uncanny human-like movements. The National Bunraku Theatre (1-12-10 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, tel: +81 (6) 6212 2531) popularised the 300-year-old art form into the sophisticated guise it takes today. While the style is not specific to Osaka, some of the most skilled puppeteers can be seen here.

Kabuki, another type of traditional performance with dramatic costumes and theatrics, is also popular and the traditional Shochiku-za Kabuki Theatre (1-9-19 Dotonbori, tel: +81 (6) 6214 2211/2200 for reservations) has been beautifully restored.

The locals like it fresh

Delight in Osaka dumplings

Famous for having superb food that is also affordable, locals demand chefs use the freshest ingredients, who often utilise the seafood from the Seto inland sea — some of Japan’s best.

Osaka is great for walking around and finding small eateries to try out local delicacies. You can spend your entire visit eating at the various Japanese-style eateries that offer local treats such as takoyaki (fried octopus dumplings), and kitsune udon, served in a clear broth garnished with fried tofu.

Showtime at Dotonbori
Gokuraku Shotengai The Dotonbori Gokuraku Shotengai (Osaka Food Theme Park, 1-8-22, Chuo-Ku, Dotonbori, tel: +81 (6) 6212 5515), while obviously geared towards tourists, is surprisingly not as cheesy as it sounds, and is loads of fun. The entire complex is created to have a traditional feel and there are nightly musical shows and a vast array of incredibly affordable food stalls selling grilled squid, Japanese sweets, ramen as well as okonomiyaki (a type of savoury, stuffed pancake that is an Osaka specialty).

For a great sushi experience, Uoshin (1-1-3 Kita-ku, Umeda, Osaka-mae Dai san Bld., B2 Floor, tel: +81 (6) 6345 6211) serves delicious sushi that cannot be beaten for generous servings — massive slabs of melt-in-the-mouth toro and salmon cover a small mound of rice. The taste of the superbly fresh seafood can be truly savoured as the best ingredients are used — at very affordable prices.

For superb udon, the upscale Tsuru-ton-tan (1-1-19 Sonezaki-sinchi, Front Garden Bld., Kita-ku, tel: +81 (6) 4799 1111) with its romantic canal-side location and traditional setting is recommended. Individual tatami-floored rooms are elegantly decorated with ikebana and traditional arts, and the udon is exquisite with numerous variations served.

Party’til dawn

Osakans are famous
for their vibrant
personalities

Osaka also boasts some of Japan’s best nightlife. The city comes alive when the sun sets, with a population that loves to take it easy and have a good time.

From the jazz bars that line the labyrinth of streets on Dotonbori to the multitude of live music houses scattered around Amerika-mura and its surrounds, Osaka people are definitely all about having a good time. Being an incredibly social and outgoing city, all age groups are catered for.

The area around Ebisu bridge lights up at night and becomes a frenzy of neon-lit action. Mazes of narrow roads lined with tiny Japanese-style bars and pubs, jazz bars as well as high-end restaurants and cocktail lounges, crisscross a tree-lined canal that has glimpses of old Japan, such as small Buddha statues and shrines lit by paper lanterns.

Upscale bars worth having a look at are the Blue Note jazz bar (B1, Ax Bld., 2-3-21 Sonezaki-Shinichi, tel: +81 (6) 6342 7722) in Namba, as well as Windows on the World on the 35th floor of the Hilton hotel (1-8-8 Umeda Kita-ku, tel: +81 (6) 6347 7111) and Tovola36 on the 36th floor of the Swissôtel Nankai Osaka (5-1-60 Namba, Chuo-ku, tel: +81 (6) 6646 5125), both with gorgeous sweeping views of the city.

Amerika Village is a parade of
the latest in funky Osaka fashionOsaka has an excellent nightclub scene with a multitude of clubs, from the heaving Pure (B1/Fl., Diamond Bld., 2-3-12 Soemon-cho, Chuo-ku, tel: +81 (6) 6214 6600) to international hotspots like Sam and Dave Umeda (4-15-19 Nishi-Tenma, tel: +81 (06) 6365 1688) with its crisp sound system. The city is also renowned for its wild band scene, with some of Japan’s top rock and underground bands. One hot spot is the park adjacent to the Castle, which hosts excellent live outdoor shows every Sunday with local amateur bands who are, if not good, at least highly entertaining. It is such places that the true essence of Japanese hospitality and character can be found and shouldn’t be missed on a trip to Japan.

Jetstar flies to Osaka from Brisbane and Sydney*, visit www.jetstar.com