Osaka
Encyclopedia
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu
, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law
, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture
and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto
, Osaka and Kobe
. Located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay
,
Osaka is the third largest city by population after Tokyo
(special wards) and Yokohama
.
Keihanshin is the second largest area in Japan by population and one of the largest metropolitan areas highly ranked in the world, with nearly 18 million people, and by GDP
the second largest area in Japan and the seventh largest area in the world.
Historically the commercial centre of Japan, Osaka functions as one of the command centers for the Japanese economy. The ratio between daytime and night time population is 141%, the highest in Japan, highlighting its status as an economic center. Its nighttime population is 2.6 million, the third in the country, but in daytime the population surges to 3.7 million, second only after Tokyo. (Totalling the Special wards of Tokyo
, which is not a single incorporated city, for statistical purposes. See the Tokyo
article for more information on the definition and makeup of Tokyo.) Osaka used to be referred to as the in feudal Edo period because it was the centre of trading for rice, creating the first modern future exchange market in the world.
It is believed that what is today the Uehonmachi area consisted of a peninsular land, with an inland sea in the east. During the Yayoi period
, permanent habitation on the plains grew as rice farming became popular.
By the Kofun period
, Osaka developed into a hub port connecting the region to the western part of Japan. The large numbers, and the increasing size, of tomb mounds found in the plains of Osaka are seen as evidence of political-power concentration, leading to the formation of a state.
built his palace, the Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace
in Osaka, making this area the capital (Naniwa-kyō). The place that became the modern city was by this time called Naniwa. This name, and derived forms, are still in use for districts in central Osaka such as Naniwa
(浪速) and Namba
(難波). Although the capital was moved to Asuka
(in Nara Prefecture
today) in 655, Naniwa remained a vital connection, by land and sea, between Yamato
(modern day Nara Prefecture
), Korea
, and China
.
In 744, Naniwa once again became the capital by order of Emperor Shōmu
. Naniwa ceased to be the capital in 745, when the Imperial Court moved back to Heijō-kyō
(now Nara
). The seaport function was gradually taken over by neighboring lands by the end of Nara period, but it remained a lively center of river, channel, and land transportation between Heian-kyō
(Kyoto today) and other destinations.
Buddhist sect set up their headquarters in the heavily fortified Ishiyama Hongan-ji
on the site of the old Naniwa imperial palace. Oda Nobunaga
started a siege of the temple in 1570. After a decade, the monks finally surrendered, and the temple was razed, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi
constructed Osaka Castle
in its place.
Osaka was, for a long time, Japan's most important economic center, with a large percentage of the population belonging to the merchant class (see Four divisions of society
). Over the course of the Edo period
(1603–1867), Osaka grew into one of Japan's major cities and returned to its ancient role as a lively and important port. Its popular culture was closely related to ukiyo-e
depictions of life in Edo
.
By 1780 Osaka was sponsoring a vibrant cultural life, as typified by its famous Kabuki
theaters and bunraku
puppet theaters.
In 1837, Ōshio Heihachirō
, a low-ranking samurai, led a peasant insurrection in response to the city's unwillingness to support the many poor and suffering families in the area. Approximately one-quarter of the city was razed before shogunal officials put down the rebellion, after which Ōshio killed himself.
Osaka was opened to foreign trade by the government of the Bakufu at the same time as Hyōgo (modern Kobe
) on 1 January 1868, just before the advent of the Boshin War
and the Meiji Restoration
.
Osaka residents were stereotyped in Edo literature from at least the 18th century. Jippenisha Ikku in 1802 depicted Osakans as stingy almost beyond belief. In 1809 the derogatory term "Kamigata zeeroku" was used by Edo residents to characterize inhabitants of the Osaka region in terms of calculation, shrewdness, lack of civic spirit, and the vulgarity of Osaka dialect. Edo writers aspired to samurai culture, and saw themselves as poor but generous, chaste, and public spirited. Edo writers by contrast saw "zeeroku" as obsequious apprentices, stingy, greedy, gluttonous, and lewd. To some degree Osaka residents are stigmatized by Tokyo observers in much the same way down to the present, especially in terms of gluttony. As a famous saying has it, "Osaka wa kuidaore" (Osaka people eat 'til they drop).
and Nishi
wards. Later, the city went through three major expansions to reach its current size of 222 km².
Osaka was the industrial center most clearly defined in the development of capitalism in Japan. The rapid industrialization attracted many Korean immigrants, who set up a life apart for themselves. The political system was pluralistic, with a strong emphasis on promoting industrialization and modernization. Literacy was high and the educational system expanded rapidly, producing a middle class with a taste for literature and a willingness to support the arts.
Like its European and American counterparts, Osaka displayed slums, unemployment, and poverty. In Japan it was here that municipal government first introduced a comprehensive system of poor relief, copied in part from British models. Osaka policymakers stressed the importance of family formation and mutual assistance as the best way to combat poverty. This minimized the cost of welfare programs.
The devastation during World War II
was enormous, as fleets of American B-29 bombers blasted away on a regular basis in the last year of the war. Many people fled and most of the industrial districts were severely damaged. However the city quickly rebuilt its infrastructure after 1945 and regained its status as a major industrial and cultural center.
It is unclear when this name gained prominence over Naniwa, but the oldest usage of the name dates back to a 1496 text. Osaka, now written 大阪, was formerly written using a different second kanji
as 大坂 prior to 1870. At the time, the partisans for the Meiji Restoration wished to avoid the second kanji being implicitly read as "士反," meaning samurai rebellion. The old writing is still in very limited use to emphasize history, but the second kanji 阪 is now universally considered referring to Osaka city and prefecture only, to distinguish it from homonyms in other Japanese prefectures.
. It is otherwise completely surrounded by more than ten smaller cities, all of them in Osaka Prefecture
, with one exception: the city of Amagasaki, belonging to Hyōgo Prefecture
, in the northwest. The city occupies a larger area (about 13%) than any other city or village within Osaka Prefecture. When the city was established in 1889, the city occupied roughly what today are the wards of Chuo and Nishi, with only 15.27 square kilometres (3,773 acre) size, and grew into today's 222.3 square kilometres (54,931 acre) over several expansions. The biggest leap was in 1925, when 126.01 square kilometres (31,138 acre) was claimed through an expansion. The highest point in Osaka is in Tsurumi-ku
at 37.5 metres (123 ft) Tokyo Peil, and the lowest point is in Nishiyodogawa-ku
at -2.2 m Tokyo Peil.
zone (Köppen
Cfa), with four distinct seasons. Its winters are generally mild, with January being the coldest month having an average high of 9.3 °C (49 °F). The city rarely sees snowfall during the winter. Spring in Osaka starts off mild, but ends up being hot and humid. It also tends to be Osaka’s wettest season, with the Tsuyu
or rainy season occurring between late May to early July. Summers are very hot and humid. In the months of July and August, the average daily high temperature approaches 35 °C (95 °F), while average nighttime temperatures typically hover around 25 °C (77 °F). Fall in Osaka sees a cooling trend, with the early part of the season resembling summer while the latter part of fall resembling winter.
Central Osaka is often divided into two areas referred to as Kita (キタ, lit. north
) and Minami (ミナミ, lit. south
), at either end of the major thoroughfare Midōsuji
. Kita is roughly the area surrounding the business and retail district of Umeda
. Minami is home to the Namba
, Shinsaibashi
, and Dōtonbori
shopping districts. The entertainment district around Dōtonbori Bridge with its famous giant mechanical crab, Triangle Park, and Amerikamura
("America Village") is in Minami. In Yodoyabashi and Honmachi, between Kita and Minami, is the traditional business area where courts and national/regional headquarters of major banks are located. The newer business area is in the Osaka Business Park located nearby Osaka Castle. Business districts have also formed around the secondary rail termini, such as Tennoji Station
and Kyobashi Station
.
“The 808 bridges of Naniwa” was an expression in old Japan for awe and wonder, an adage known across the land. “808” was a large number which symbolized the idea of “uncountable”. In the Edo period there were only about 200 bridges. Since Osaka is crossed by a number of rivers and canals, many bridges were built with specific names, and the areas surrounding the bridges were often referred to by the names of the bridges, too. Some of the waterways, such as the Nagahori canal, have been filled in, while others still remain. In 1925, there were actually 1629 bridges in Osaka but with the filling in of canals and rivers, as of April 2003, the number has dropped to 872, 760 of which are currently managed by Osaka City.
(ku):
There were 99,775 registered foreigners, the two largest groups being Korean (71,015) and Chinese (11,848). Ikuno
, with its Tsuruhashi district, is the home to one of the largest population of Korean residents in Japan, with 27,466 registered zainichi Koreans.
. Of the many other particularities that characterize Osaka-ben
, an example is the use of the suffix hen instead of nai in the negative of verbs.
. The Council has eighty-nine seats, allocated to the twenty-four wards proportional to their population and re-elected by the citizens every four years. The Council elects its President and Vice President. Toshifumi Tagaya (LDP
) is the current and 104th President since May 2008. The Mayor of the city is directly elected by the citizens every four years as well, in accordance with the Local Autonomy Law. Toru Hashimoto
, former governor of Osaka Prefecture
is the 19th mayor of Osaka since 2011. The mayor is supported by two Vice Mayors, currently Akira Morishita and Takashi Kashiwagi, who are appointed by him in accordance with the city bylaw.
Osaka also houses several agencies of the Japanese Government. Below is a list of Governmental Offices housed in Osaka.
The gross city product of Osaka in fiscal year 2004 was ¥21.3 trillion, an increase of 1.2% over the previous year. The figure accounts for about 55% of the total output in the Osaka Prefecture and 26.5% in the Kinki region. In 2004, commerce, services, and manufacturing have been the three major industries, accounting for 30%, 26%, and 11% of the total, respectively. The per capita income in the city was about ¥3.3 million, 10% higher than that of the Osaka Prefecture.
MasterCard
Worldwide reported that Osaka ranks 19th among the world's leading cities and plays an important role in the global economy.
The GDP in the greater Osaka area (Osaka and Kobe
) is $341 billion. Osaka, along with Paris and London, has one of the most productive hinterland
s in the world.
Historically, Osaka was the center of commerce in Japan, especially in the middle and pre-modern ages. Nomura Securities, the first brokerage firm in Japan, was founded in the city in 1925, and Osaka still houses a leading futures exchange. Many major companies have since moved their main offices to Tokyo. However, several major companies, such as Panasonic
, Sharp
, and Sanyo
, are still headquartered in Osaka. Recently, the city began a program, headed by mayor Junichi Seki, to attract domestic and foreign investment.
The Osaka Securities Exchange
, specializing in derivatives such as Nikkei 225
futures, is based in Osaka. The merger with JASDAQ will help the Osaka Securities Exchange become the largest exchange in Japan for start-up companies.
According to a U.S. study, Osaka is the second most expensive city for expatriate employees in the world and in Japan behind Tokyo
. It jumped up nine places from 11th place in 2008. Osaka was the 8th most expensive city in 2007.
Kansai International Airport
(IATA: KIX) handles all scheduled international passenger flights, some domestic flights, and most cargo flights. It is on an artificial island
that sits off-shore in Osaka Bay and is administratively part of the nearby town of Tajiri
. The airport is linked by a bus
and train
service into the center of the city and major suburbs.
Osaka International Airport
(IATA:ITM), on the border of the cities of Itami
and Toyonaka
, houses most of the domestic services, some international cargo flights, and international VIP charters from and to the metropolitan region.
, Tianjin
, Korea
, and until recently Taiwan
. Osaka's domestic ferry services include regular service to ports such as Kitakyushu, Kagoshima, Miyazaki
and Okinawa.
Shipping plays the crucial role for the freight coming in and out of the area nationally and internationally, and Greater Osaka areas exports and imported raw materials span the globe, with no one port dominating. Though the port of Kobe was in the 1970s the busiest in the world by containers handled, it no longer ranks among the top twenty worldwide. Kansai area is home to 5 existing LNG terminals.
San Francisco, United States (since 1967) Melbourne
, Australia (since 1974) Le Havre
, France (since 1980) Shanghai
, China (since 1981) Valparaíso
, Chile (since 1983) Kanpur, India (since 1996) Busan
, South Korea (since 1985) Ho Chi Minh City
, Vietnam (since 1994)
, Namba
, Tennoji, Kyobashi
, and Yodoyabashi.
JR Central and JR West operate high-speed trains on the Tōkaidō-Sanyō Shinkansen
line. Shin-Ōsaka Station
is the Shinkansen
terminal in Osaka. This station is connected to Ōsaka Station
at Umeda
by the JR Kyoto Line
and the subway Midōsuji Line. All Shinkansen trains including Nozomi
stop at Shin-Ōsaka Station and provide access to other major cities in Japan, such as Kyoto, Nagoya, Yokohama, and Tokyo to the east, and Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kitakyushu and Fukuoka to the west. On March 12, 2011, JR West and JR Kyushu introduced new Shinkansen services, Mizuho
and Sakura
, linking Osaka with Kumamoto, Kagoshima, and other cities in central and south Kyushu
.
and private lines connect Osaka and its suburbs. The commuter rail network of JR West is called the Urban Network. Major stations on the JR Osaka Loop Line
include Osaka (Umeda)
, Tennōji
, Tsuruhashi
, and Kyōbashi
. JR West competes with such private rail operators as Keihan Electric Railway
, Hankyu Railway
, Hanshin Railway, Kintetsu Corporation, and Nankai Electric Railway
. The Keihan
and Hankyu
lines connect to Kyoto; the Hanshin and Hankyu
lines connect to Kobe; the Kintetsu
lines connect to Nara
, Yoshino
, Ise
and Nagoya; and the Nankai lines connect to Osaka's southern suburbs and Kansai International Airport
as well as Wakayama and Mt. Koya. Many lines in Greater Osaka accept either ICOCA
or PiTaPa
contactless smart card
s for payment.
The Osaka Municipal Subway
system is a part of Osaka's extensive rapid transit system. The metro system alone ranks 8th in the world by annual passenger ridership, serving over 912 million people annually (a quarter of Greater Osaka Rail System's 4 billion annual riders), despite being only 8 of more than 70 lines in the metro area (see map).
(the City Bus), as well as by group companies of Hankyu, Hanshin and Kintetsu. The City runs a dense network covering much parts of the city. The fare for the regular buses is a flat rate of 200 yen, or 100 yen for the smaller "Red Bus" looplines operated within segmented areas of the city. The other bus companies provide their services in supplement to their railway networks.
shopping arcades, built both above- and underground. Shōtengai are seen across Japan, and Osaka has the longest one in the country. The Tenjinbashi-suji arcade stretches from the road approaching the Temmangu shrine
and continues for 2.6 km going north to south. The type of stores along the arcade includes commodities, clothing, and catering outlets.
Other shopping areas are Den Den Town
, the electronic and manga/anime district, which is comparable to Akihabara; and the Umeda
district, which has the Hankyu Sanbangai shopping mall and Yodobashi Camera
, a huge electrical appliance store that offers a vast range of fashion stores, restaurants, and a Shonen Jump store.
Osaka is known for its food, as supported by the saying "Dress (in kimonos) till you drop in Kyoto, eat till you drop in Osaka" (京の着倒れ、大阪の食い倒れ) – more literally, "Kyoto (residents) are (financially) ruined by (overspending on) clothing, Osakans are ruined by spending on food". Regional cuisine includes okonomiyaki
(pan-fried batter cake), takoyaki
(octopus
dumpling
s), udon
(a noodle dish), as well as the traditional oshizushi (pressed sushi), particularly .
Other shopping districts include:
.
The National Museum of Art
(NMAO) is a subterranean Japanese and international art museum, housing mainly collections from the post-war era and regularly welcoming temporary exhibitions. Osaka Science Museum
is in a five storied building next to the National Museum of Art, with a planetarium and an OMNIMAX
theatre. The Museum of Oriental Ceramics holds more than 2,000 pieces of ceramics, from China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam, featuring displays of some of their Korean celadon
under natural light. Osaka Municipal Museum of Art is inside Tennōji park, housing over 8,000 pieces of Japanese and Chinese paintings and sculptures. The Osaka Maritime Museum
, opened in 2000, is accessible only through an underwater tunnel into its dome. The Osaka Museum of History, opened in 2001, is located in a 13-story modern building providing a view of Osaka Castle
. Its exhibits cover the history of Osaka from pre-history to the present day. Osaka Museum of Natural History houses a collection related to natural history and life.
Osaka hosts four professional sport teams: one of them is the Orix Buffaloes
, a Nippon Professional Baseball team, playing its home games at Kyocera Dome Osaka
. Another baseball team, the Hanshin Tigers
, although based in Nishinomiya
, Hyōgo
, plays a part of its home games in Kyocera Dome Osaka
as well, when their homeground Kōshien Stadium
is occupied with the annual National High School Baseball Championship
games during summer season. There are two J.League clubs, Gamba Osaka
, plays its home games at Osaka Expo '70 Stadium
.
Another club Cerezo Osaka
, plays its home games at Nagai Stadium
. The city is home to Osaka Evessa
, a basketball team that plays in the bj league
. Evessa has won the first three championships of the league since its establishment. Kintetsu Liners
, a rugby union
team, play in the Top League
. After winning promotion in 2008-09, they will again remain in the competition for the 2009-10 season. Their base is the Hanazono Rugby Stadium
.
The Sangatsubasho (三月場所 sangatsu basho, literally March ring), one of the six regular tournaments of professional Sumo
is held annually in Osaka at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium.
Another major annual sporting event that takes place is Osaka is Osaka International Ladies Marathon. Held usually at the end of January every year, the 42.195 km race starts from Nagai Stadium, runs through Nakanoshima
, Midōsuji
and Osaka castle
park, and returns to the stadium. Another yearly event held at Nagai Stadium is the Osaka Gran Prix Athletics games operated by the International Association of Athletics Federations
(IAAF) in May. The Osaka GP is the only IAAF games annually held in Japan.
Osaka serves as one of the media hubs for Japan, housing headquarters of many media-related companies. Abundant television production takes place in the city and
every nationwide TV network (with the exception of TXN network) registers its secondary-key station in Osaka. All five nationwide newspaper majors also house their regional headquarters, and most local newspapers nationwide have branches in Osaka. However major film productions are uncommon in the city. Most major films are produced in nearby Kyoto
or in Tokyo
. The Ad Council Japan is based in Osaka.
, the Mainichi Shimbun
, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun
, the Sankei Shimbun
and the Yomiuri Shimbun
, have their regional headquarters in Osaka and issue their regional editions. Furthermore, Osaka houses Osaka Nichi-nichi Shimbun, its newspaper press. Other newspaper related companies located in Osaka include include, the regional headquarters of FujiSankei Business i.;Houchi Shimbunsha; Nikkan Sports
;Sports Nippon
, and offices of Kyodo News
Jiji Press
; Reuters
; Bloomberg L.P.
.
(ANN
), Kansai Telecasting Corporation
(FNN
), Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc.
(JNN), Television Osaka, Inc. (TXN
) and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation
(NNN
), headquartered in Osaka. NHK
has also its regional station based in the city. AM Radio services are provided by NHK as well as the ABC Radio (Asahi Broadcasting Corporation), MBS Radio (Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc.) and Radio Osaka (Osaka Broadcasting Corporation
) and headquartered in the city. FM services are available from NHK, FM Osaka
, FM802
and FM Cocolo
, the last providing programs in multiple languages including English.
As of February 2009, the city is fully covered by terrestrial digital TV broadcasts
Public elementary and junior high schools in Osaka are operated by the city of Osaka. Its supervisory organization on educational matters is Osaka City Board of Education. Likewise, public high schools are operated by the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education
.
Osaka city once had a large number of universities
and high schools, but because of growing campuses and the need for larger area, many chose to move to the suburbs, including Osaka University
.
San Francisco, United States (since 1957) São Paulo
, Brazil (since 1969) Chicago
, United States (since 1973) Shanghai
, China (since 1974) Melbourne
, Australia (since 1974) Saint Petersburg
, Russia (since 1979) Milan
, Italy (since 1981) Hamburg
, Germany (since 1989) Kanpur, India (since 1998)
Osaka also has the following friendship and cooperation cities. Buenos Aires
, Argentina (since 1998) Budapest
, Hungary (since 1998) Busan
, South Korea (since 2008)
Auckland
, New Zealand Bangkok
, Thailand Ho Chi Minh City
, Vietnam Hong Kong
Jakarta
, Indonesia Kuala Lumpur
, Malaysia Manila
, Philippines Melbourne
, Australia Mumbai
, India Seoul
, South Korea Shanghai
, China Singapore
Tianjin
, China
, as well in the Gamera movie, Gamera vs. Barugon
.
Also in Azumanga Daioh, there is a character named Osaka, who speaks in the Osaka dialect.
Lovely Complex (both the manga and the anime) is a love comedy that takes place in Sakai, Osaka.
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law
Local Autonomy Law
The Local Autonomy Law of Japan was passed as Law No. 67 on April 17, 1947, an Act of Devolution that established most of Japan's contemporary local government structures, including prefectures, municipalities and other entities....
, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Osaka and Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
. Located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay
Osaka Bay
Osaka Bay is a bay in western Japan. As an eastern part of the Inland Sea, it is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Kii Channel and from the neighbor western part of the Inland Sea by the Akashi Strait...
,
Osaka is the third largest city by population after Tokyo
Special wards of Tokyo
The are 23 municipalities that together make up the core and the most populous part of Tokyo, Japan. Together, they occupy the land that was the city of Tokyo before it was abolished in 1943. The special wards' structure was established under the Japanese Local Autonomy Law and is unique to...
(special wards) and Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
.
Keihanshin is the second largest area in Japan by population and one of the largest metropolitan areas highly ranked in the world, with nearly 18 million people, and by GDP
Gross domestic product
Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....
the second largest area in Japan and the seventh largest area in the world.
Historically the commercial centre of Japan, Osaka functions as one of the command centers for the Japanese economy. The ratio between daytime and night time population is 141%, the highest in Japan, highlighting its status as an economic center. Its nighttime population is 2.6 million, the third in the country, but in daytime the population surges to 3.7 million, second only after Tokyo. (Totalling the Special wards of Tokyo
Special wards of Tokyo
The are 23 municipalities that together make up the core and the most populous part of Tokyo, Japan. Together, they occupy the land that was the city of Tokyo before it was abolished in 1943. The special wards' structure was established under the Japanese Local Autonomy Law and is unique to...
, which is not a single incorporated city, for statistical purposes. See the Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
article for more information on the definition and makeup of Tokyo.) Osaka used to be referred to as the in feudal Edo period because it was the centre of trading for rice, creating the first modern future exchange market in the world.
Prehistory to the Kofun period
Some of the earliest signs of habitation in the area of Osaka were found at the , with its shell mounds, including sea oysters and buried human skeletons from the 5th–6th centuries BC.It is believed that what is today the Uehonmachi area consisted of a peninsular land, with an inland sea in the east. During the Yayoi period
Yayoi period
The is an Iron Age era in the history of Japan traditionally dated 300 BC to 300 AD. It is named after the neighbourhood of Tokyo where archaeologists first uncovered artifacts and features from that era. Distinguishing characteristics of the Yayoi period include the appearance of new...
, permanent habitation on the plains grew as rice farming became popular.
By the Kofun period
Kofun period
The is an era in the history of Japan from around 250 to 538. It follows the Yayoi period. The word kofun is Japanese for the type of burial mounds dating from this era. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes referred to collectively as the Yamato period...
, Osaka developed into a hub port connecting the region to the western part of Japan. The large numbers, and the increasing size, of tomb mounds found in the plains of Osaka are seen as evidence of political-power concentration, leading to the formation of a state.
Asuka and Nara period
In 645, Emperor KōtokuEmperor Kotoku
was the 36th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.The years of his reign lasted from 645 through 654.-Traditional narrative:Before Kōtoku ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was or...
built his palace, the Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace
Naniwa Nagara-Toyosaki Palace
, or in short, is a historical Japanese palace which was located in present-day central Osaka city. The Palace of this period is also sometimes referred to as the Former Naniwa Palace, as opposed to the Latter Naniwa Palace in 744....
in Osaka, making this area the capital (Naniwa-kyō). The place that became the modern city was by this time called Naniwa. This name, and derived forms, are still in use for districts in central Osaka such as Naniwa
Naniwa-ku, Osaka
is one of 24 wards of Osaka City, Japan. It has an area of 4.37 km², and a population of 51,567.- General information :Largely a residential area itself, Naniwa-ku is adjacent to and has in recent years blurred into the Namba district, which is south Osaka City's transport hub and centre of...
(浪速) and Namba
Namba
is a district of Osaka, Japan. Namba is regarded as the center of so-called Minami area of Osaka. Its name is one of variations on the former name of Osaka, Naniwa...
(難波). Although the capital was moved to Asuka
Asuka, Yamato
was one of the Imperial capitals of Japan during the Asuka period , which takes its name from this place. It is located in the present-day village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture....
(in Nara Prefecture
Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....
today) in 655, Naniwa remained a vital connection, by land and sea, between Yamato
Yamato Province
was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. It was also called . At first, the name was written with one different character , and for about ten years after 737, this was revised to use more desirable characters . The final revision was made in...
(modern day Nara Prefecture
Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....
), Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
In 744, Naniwa once again became the capital by order of Emperor Shōmu
Emperor Shomu
was the 45th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 723.-Traditional narrative:...
. Naniwa ceased to be the capital in 745, when the Imperial Court moved back to Heijō-kyō
Heijo-kyo
Heijō-kyō , was the capital city of Japan during most of the Nara period, from 710–40 and again from 745–84. The Palace site is a listed UNESCO World Heritage together with other places in the city of Nara Heijō-kyō (平城京, also Heizei-kyō, sometimes Nara no miyako), was the capital city of Japan...
(now Nara
Nara, Nara
is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
). The seaport function was gradually taken over by neighboring lands by the end of Nara period, but it remained a lively center of river, channel, and land transportation between Heian-kyō
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
(Kyoto today) and other destinations.
Heian to Edo period
In 1496, the Jōdo ShinshūJodo Shinshu
, also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Today, Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan.-Shinran :...
Buddhist sect set up their headquarters in the heavily fortified Ishiyama Hongan-ji
Ishiyama Hongan-ji
For other uses, see Ishiyama .The ' was the primary fortress of the Ikkō-ikki, mobs of warrior monks and peasants who opposed samurai rule. It was established in 1496, at the mouth of the Yodo River, on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea. At the time, this was just outside of the remains of the...
on the site of the old Naniwa imperial palace. Oda Nobunaga
Oda Nobunaga
was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the shogunate in the late 16th century, which ruled Japan until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi...
started a siege of the temple in 1570. After a decade, the monks finally surrendered, and the temple was razed, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
constructed Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle
is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan.Originally called Ozakajō, it is one of Japan's most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.-Description:...
in its place.
Osaka was, for a long time, Japan's most important economic center, with a large percentage of the population belonging to the merchant class (see Four divisions of society
Four divisions of society
The four divisions of society refers to the model of society in ancient China and was a meritocratic social class system in China, and other subsequently influenced Confucian societies. The four castes—gentry, farmers, artisans and merchants—are combined to form the term Shìnónggōngshāng...
). Over the course of the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
(1603–1867), Osaka grew into one of Japan's major cities and returned to its ancient role as a lively and important port. Its popular culture was closely related to ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e
' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...
depictions of life in Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
.
By 1780 Osaka was sponsoring a vibrant cultural life, as typified by its famous Kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
theaters and bunraku
Bunraku
, also known as Ningyō jōruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:* Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai—puppeteers* Tayū—the chanters* Shamisen players...
puppet theaters.
In 1837, Ōshio Heihachirō
Oshio Heihachiro
was a former yoriki and a Neo-Confucianism scholar of the Ōyōmei school in Osaka. He is best remembered for his fierce opposition to the Tokugawa shogunate...
, a low-ranking samurai, led a peasant insurrection in response to the city's unwillingness to support the many poor and suffering families in the area. Approximately one-quarter of the city was razed before shogunal officials put down the rebellion, after which Ōshio killed himself.
Osaka was opened to foreign trade by the government of the Bakufu at the same time as Hyōgo (modern Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
) on 1 January 1868, just before the advent of the Boshin War
Boshin War
The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
and the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
.
Osaka residents were stereotyped in Edo literature from at least the 18th century. Jippenisha Ikku in 1802 depicted Osakans as stingy almost beyond belief. In 1809 the derogatory term "Kamigata zeeroku" was used by Edo residents to characterize inhabitants of the Osaka region in terms of calculation, shrewdness, lack of civic spirit, and the vulgarity of Osaka dialect. Edo writers aspired to samurai culture, and saw themselves as poor but generous, chaste, and public spirited. Edo writers by contrast saw "zeeroku" as obsequious apprentices, stingy, greedy, gluttonous, and lewd. To some degree Osaka residents are stigmatized by Tokyo observers in much the same way down to the present, especially in terms of gluttony. As a famous saying has it, "Osaka wa kuidaore" (Osaka people eat 'til they drop).
Modern Osaka
The modern municipality was established in 1889 by government ordinance, with an initial area of 15 km², overlapping today's ChūōChuo-ku, Osaka
, Osaka is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It has an area of 8.88 km2, and a population of 60,085. It houses Osaka's financial district, as well as the Osaka Prefecture offices and principal shopping and tourist areas.-Diplomatic missions:...
and Nishi
Nishi-ku, Osaka
is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is in the west of central Osaka , and is generally flat. 80% of the area was destroyed by bombing in World War II, and was not regenerated until the mid 1960s....
wards. Later, the city went through three major expansions to reach its current size of 222 km².
Osaka was the industrial center most clearly defined in the development of capitalism in Japan. The rapid industrialization attracted many Korean immigrants, who set up a life apart for themselves. The political system was pluralistic, with a strong emphasis on promoting industrialization and modernization. Literacy was high and the educational system expanded rapidly, producing a middle class with a taste for literature and a willingness to support the arts.
Like its European and American counterparts, Osaka displayed slums, unemployment, and poverty. In Japan it was here that municipal government first introduced a comprehensive system of poor relief, copied in part from British models. Osaka policymakers stressed the importance of family formation and mutual assistance as the best way to combat poverty. This minimized the cost of welfare programs.
The devastation during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was enormous, as fleets of American B-29 bombers blasted away on a regular basis in the last year of the war. Many people fled and most of the industrial districts were severely damaged. However the city quickly rebuilt its infrastructure after 1945 and regained its status as a major industrial and cultural center.
Derivation of name
"Osaka" literally means "large hill" or "large slope."It is unclear when this name gained prominence over Naniwa, but the oldest usage of the name dates back to a 1496 text. Osaka, now written 大阪, was formerly written using a different second kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
as 大坂 prior to 1870. At the time, the partisans for the Meiji Restoration wished to avoid the second kanji being implicitly read as "士反," meaning samurai rebellion. The old writing is still in very limited use to emphasize history, but the second kanji 阪 is now universally considered referring to Osaka city and prefecture only, to distinguish it from homonyms in other Japanese prefectures.
Geography
The city of Osaka has its west side open to Osaka BayOsaka Bay
Osaka Bay is a bay in western Japan. As an eastern part of the Inland Sea, it is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Kii Channel and from the neighbor western part of the Inland Sea by the Akashi Strait...
. It is otherwise completely surrounded by more than ten smaller cities, all of them in Osaka Prefecture
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
, with one exception: the city of Amagasaki, belonging to Hyōgo Prefecture
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, in the northwest. The city occupies a larger area (about 13%) than any other city or village within Osaka Prefecture. When the city was established in 1889, the city occupied roughly what today are the wards of Chuo and Nishi, with only 15.27 square kilometres (3,773 acre) size, and grew into today's 222.3 square kilometres (54,931 acre) over several expansions. The biggest leap was in 1925, when 126.01 square kilometres (31,138 acre) was claimed through an expansion. The highest point in Osaka is in Tsurumi-ku
Tsurumi-ku, Osaka
is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is best known for its large parkland, Tsurumi-Ryokuchi, the site of the 1990 International Garden Exposition.-External links:*...
at 37.5 metres (123 ft) Tokyo Peil, and the lowest point is in Nishiyodogawa-ku
Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka
is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.Nishoyodogawa has the headquarters of Ezaki Glico.-External links:*...
at -2.2 m Tokyo Peil.
Climate
Osaka belongs to the humid subtropical climateHumid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
zone (Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfa), with four distinct seasons. Its winters are generally mild, with January being the coldest month having an average high of 9.3 °C (49 °F). The city rarely sees snowfall during the winter. Spring in Osaka starts off mild, but ends up being hot and humid. It also tends to be Osaka’s wettest season, with the Tsuyu
East Asian rainy season
The East Asian rainy season, commonly called the plum rain , is caused by precipitation along a persistent stationary front known as the Meiyu front for nearly two months during the late spring and early summer between eastern China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan...
or rainy season occurring between late May to early July. Summers are very hot and humid. In the months of July and August, the average daily high temperature approaches 35 °C (95 °F), while average nighttime temperatures typically hover around 25 °C (77 °F). Fall in Osaka sees a cooling trend, with the early part of the season resembling summer while the latter part of fall resembling winter.
Cityscape
Neighborhoods
North
North is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.North is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the top side of a map is north....
) and Minami (ミナミ, lit. south
South
South is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.South is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the bottom side of a map is south....
), at either end of the major thoroughfare Midōsuji
Midosuji
Boulevard is the primary main street in central Osaka, Japan. It runs north-south, passing Umeda, Shinsaibashi, Dōtonbori, Ame-mura, and Namba districts. Underneath the street is the Midōsuji Line subway.-History:...
. Kita is roughly the area surrounding the business and retail district of Umeda
Umeda
Umeda is the main commercial and central business district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, best known as the city's main northern railway terminus .Umeda is a large traffic hub, as well as the principal office and hotel district...
. Minami is home to the Namba
Namba
is a district of Osaka, Japan. Namba is regarded as the center of so-called Minami area of Osaka. Its name is one of variations on the former name of Osaka, Naniwa...
, Shinsaibashi
Shinsaibashi
Shinsaibashi is a district in the Chūō-ku ward of Osaka, Japan and the city's main shopping area. It centers around Shinsaibashi-suji, a covered shopping street, that is north of Dōtonbori and parallel and east of Mido-suji street. Associated with Shinsaibashi, and west of Mido-suji street, is...
, and Dōtonbori
Dotonbori
is one of the principal tourist destinations in Osaka, Japan. It is a single street, running alongside the Dōtonbori canal between the Dōtonboribashi Bridge and the Nipponbashi Bridge in the Namba ward of Osaka...
shopping districts. The entertainment district around Dōtonbori Bridge with its famous giant mechanical crab, Triangle Park, and Amerikamura
Amerikamura
Amerikamura is usually referred to by locals as "Ame-mura." It is a sizable retail and entertainment area near Shinsaibashi in the Minami district of Osaka, Japan....
("America Village") is in Minami. In Yodoyabashi and Honmachi, between Kita and Minami, is the traditional business area where courts and national/regional headquarters of major banks are located. The newer business area is in the Osaka Business Park located nearby Osaka Castle. Business districts have also formed around the secondary rail termini, such as Tennoji Station
Tennoji Station
is a train station on the JR West Osaka Loop Line, Hanwa Line, Yamatoji Line, Osaka Municipal Subway Midōsuji Line, and Tanimachi Line, located in Tennōji-ku and Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, and is a train station on the tram Hankai Uemachi Line in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan...
and Kyobashi Station
Kyobashi Station (Osaka)
Kyobashi Station is a train station in the Kyōbashi district of Jōtō-ku and Miyakojima-ku Osaka, Japan.-Lines:*JR West**Osaka Loop Line**Gakkentoshi Line **JR Tōzai Line...
.
“The 808 bridges of Naniwa” was an expression in old Japan for awe and wonder, an adage known across the land. “808” was a large number which symbolized the idea of “uncountable”. In the Edo period there were only about 200 bridges. Since Osaka is crossed by a number of rivers and canals, many bridges were built with specific names, and the areas surrounding the bridges were often referred to by the names of the bridges, too. Some of the waterways, such as the Nagahori canal, have been filled in, while others still remain. In 1925, there were actually 1629 bridges in Osaka but with the filling in of canals and rivers, as of April 2003, the number has dropped to 872, 760 of which are currently managed by Osaka City.
Wards
Osaka has 24 wardsWards of Japan
A is a subdivision of one of the cities of Japan that is large enough to have been designated by government ordinance. Wards are used to subdivide each city designated by government ordinance...
(ku):
- Abeno-kuAbeno-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is located in southern Osaka city and has a population of over 107,000. In the northern part of Abeno, Abenobashi, there is the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line which terminates at Abenobashi Station, the Midōsuji Line and Tanimachi Line of the Osaka Municipal...
- Asahi-kuAsahi-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is located in the northeast of the city, near the satellite town of Moriguchi. It was split off from Higashinari in 1932...
- Chūō-kuChuo-ku, Osaka, Osaka is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It has an area of 8.88 km2, and a population of 60,085. It houses Osaka's financial district, as well as the Osaka Prefecture offices and principal shopping and tourist areas.-Diplomatic missions:...
- Fukushima-kuFukushima-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka city, Japan.The ward is primarily a residential quarter, but has some office buildings and a commercial district, as well as factories and wholesale businesses....
- Higashinari-kuHigashinari-ku, OsakaHigashinari-ku is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.-External links:*...
- Higashisumiyoshi-kuHigashisumiyoshi-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.-Train stations:JR West*Kansai Main Line : Tobu-shijo-mae Station*Higashisumiyoshi-ku is also close to stations on the Hanwa Line, , and in Abeno-ku.Kintetsu...
- Higashiyodogawa-kuHigashiyodogawa-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.Higashiyodogawa-ku is located in the north-east part of Osaka city.The population of Higashiyodogawa-ku is 181,535....
- Hirano-kuHirano-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards which make up the city of Osaka, and is located in the southeast of the city. It is the largest Osaka ward in population and the only ward to have over 200,000 residents.-Geography:...
- Ikuno-kuIkuno-ku, Osakaright|thumb|300px|A typical residential area of Ikuno-ku is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.The area of Ikuno-ku is well-known for the large number of Korean-Japanese citizens living there, as well as for its large number of yakiniku restaurants...
- Jōtō-kuJoto-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.-External links:*...
- Kita-kuKita-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.-Economy:West Japan Railway Company has its headquarters in Kita-ku. Nihon Bussan has its headquarters in Kita-ku. Dentsu and Yomiuri Shimbun have branch offices in Kita-ku. Mazda has an office in the Umeda Sky Building Tower East. Air France has an office on the...
- administrative center - Konohana-kuKonohana-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka city, Japan.-External links:*...
- Minato-kuMinato-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It has an area of 7.9 km², and a population of 84,961. Minato-ku literally translated means Harbor Ward.- Landmarks :*Kaiyukan *Port of Osaka*Tempozan Harbor Village*Modern Transportation Museum...
- Miyakojima-kuMiyakojima-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.-External links:*...
- Naniwa-kuNaniwa-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka City, Japan. It has an area of 4.37 km², and a population of 51,567.- General information :Largely a residential area itself, Naniwa-ku is adjacent to and has in recent years blurred into the Namba district, which is south Osaka City's transport hub and centre of...
- Nishi-kuNishi-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is in the west of central Osaka , and is generally flat. 80% of the area was destroyed by bombing in World War II, and was not regenerated until the mid 1960s....
- Nishinari-kuNishinari-ku, Osakais one of the 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It contains some shopping and entertainment areas beloved to many Osakans, e.g. Shinsekai and Tamade. It lies directly south of the Namba transport hub and extends further south toward Sumiyoshi Park. It is served by the Nankai Railway lines as well as the...
- Nishiyodogawa-kuNishiyodogawa-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.Nishoyodogawa has the headquarters of Ezaki Glico.-External links:*...
- Suminoe-kuSuminoe-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. Stretching along the south-west border of Osaka, it is adjacent to Minato-ku, Taisho-ku and Nishinari-ku to the north and Sumiyoshi-ku to the east...
- Sumiyoshi-kuSumiyoshi-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is located on the southern part of the Uemachi Plateau, in the southern most part of Osaka City, and is separated from Sakai City's Sakai-ku and Kita-ku by the Yamato River...
- Taishō-kuTaisho-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. As of October 1, 2006, the ward has an estimated population of 72,742 and the total area is 9.43 km². - Transport :...
- Tennōji-kuTennoji-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is named after the Shitennō-ji , which is located in the ward.-General information:...
- Tsurumi-kuTsurumi-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is best known for its large parkland, Tsurumi-Ryokuchi, the site of the 1990 International Garden Exposition.-External links:*...
- Yodogawa-kuYodogawa-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is located in the north of the city.-Economy:Nissin Foods has its corporate headquarters in Yodogawa-ku. The company moved to its current headquarters in 1977, when the construction of the building was completed....
Demographics
According to the census in 2005, there were 2,628,811 residents in Osaka, an increase of 30,037 or 1.2% from 2000. There were 1,280,325 households with approximately 2.1 persons per household. The population density was 11,836 persons per km². The Great Kanto Earthquake caused a mass migration to Osaka between 1920 and 1930, and the city became Japan's largest city in 1930 with 2,453,573 people, outnumbering even Tokyo, which had a population of 2,070,913. The population peaked at 3,252,340 in 1940, and had a post-war peak of 3,156,222 in 1965, but continued to decrease since, as the residents moved out to the suburbs.There were 99,775 registered foreigners, the two largest groups being Korean (71,015) and Chinese (11,848). Ikuno
Ikuno-ku, Osaka
right|thumb|300px|A typical residential area of Ikuno-ku is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan.The area of Ikuno-ku is well-known for the large number of Korean-Japanese citizens living there, as well as for its large number of yakiniku restaurants...
, with its Tsuruhashi district, is the home to one of the largest population of Korean residents in Japan, with 27,466 registered zainichi Koreans.
Dialect
The commonly spoken dialect of this area is Osaka-benKansai-ben
The is a group of Japanese dialects in the Kansai region of Japan. In technical term,it is called ; Kansai is also known as "Kinki", hence the alternative term. They are typified by the speech of Osaka, the major city of Kansai, which is referred to specifically as Osaka-ben...
. Of the many other particularities that characterize Osaka-ben
Kansai-ben
The is a group of Japanese dialects in the Kansai region of Japan. In technical term,it is called ; Kansai is also known as "Kinki", hence the alternative term. They are typified by the speech of Osaka, the major city of Kansai, which is referred to specifically as Osaka-ben...
, an example is the use of the suffix hen instead of nai in the negative of verbs.
Politics
The Osaka City Council is the city's local government formed under the Local Autonomy LawLocal Autonomy Law
The Local Autonomy Law of Japan was passed as Law No. 67 on April 17, 1947, an Act of Devolution that established most of Japan's contemporary local government structures, including prefectures, municipalities and other entities....
. The Council has eighty-nine seats, allocated to the twenty-four wards proportional to their population and re-elected by the citizens every four years. The Council elects its President and Vice President. Toshifumi Tagaya (LDP
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
) is the current and 104th President since May 2008. The Mayor of the city is directly elected by the citizens every four years as well, in accordance with the Local Autonomy Law. Toru Hashimoto
Toru Hashimoto
is a Japanese lawyer and commentator on legal matters. He was the 52nd Governor of Osaka Prefecture and is the president of the Osaka Restoration Association...
, former governor of Osaka Prefecture
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
is the 19th mayor of Osaka since 2011. The mayor is supported by two Vice Mayors, currently Akira Morishita and Takashi Kashiwagi, who are appointed by him in accordance with the city bylaw.
Osaka also houses several agencies of the Japanese Government. Below is a list of Governmental Offices housed in Osaka.
- Japan Coast Guard, Fifth Regional HeadquartersJapan Coast GuardThe , formerly the Maritime Safety Agency, is the Japanese coast guard. Comprising about 12,000 personnel, it is under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and is responsible for the protection the coast-lines of Japan...
- Japan Fair Trade Commission; Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku Office
- Kinki Regional Finance Bureau
- Kinki Regional Economy, Trade and Industry Bureau
- Kinki Regional Transportation Bureau
- Kinki Communications Bureau
- Kinki Regional Development Bureau
- Kinki Regional Police BureauNational Police Agency (Japan)The is an agency administered by the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office in the cabinet of Japan, and is the central coordinating agency of the Japanese police system....
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Osaka OfficeMinistry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)The is a cabinet level ministry of Japan responsible for the country's foreign relations.The ministry is due to the second term of the third article of the National Government Organization Act , and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Establishment Act establishes the ministry...
- Osaka Customs
- Osaka District Court
- Osaka Family Court
- Osaka High Court
- Osaka Immigration
- Osaka Labour Bureau
- Osaka Meteorological Observatory
- Osaka Public Prosecutors Office
- Osaka Regional Aerospace Bureau
- Osaka Regional Law Bureau
- Osaka Regional Taxation Bureau
- Osaka Summary Court
Economy
See also Companies based in OsakaMasterCard
MasterCard
Mastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...
Worldwide reported that Osaka ranks 19th among the world's leading cities and plays an important role in the global economy.
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
) is $341 billion. Osaka, along with Paris and London, has one of the most productive hinterland
Hinterland
The hinterland is the land or district behind a coast or the shoreline of a river. Specifically, by the doctrine of the hinterland, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast. The area from which products are delivered to a port for...
s in the world.
Historically, Osaka was the center of commerce in Japan, especially in the middle and pre-modern ages. Nomura Securities, the first brokerage firm in Japan, was founded in the city in 1925, and Osaka still houses a leading futures exchange. Many major companies have since moved their main offices to Tokyo. However, several major companies, such as Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
, Sharp
Sharp Corporation
is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 55,580 people worldwide as of June 2011. The company was founded in September 1912 and takes its name from one of its founder's first...
, and Sanyo
Sanyo
is a major electronics company and member of the Fortune 500 whose headquarters is located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo targets the middle of the market and has over 230 Subsidiaries and Affiliates....
, are still headquartered in Osaka. Recently, the city began a program, headed by mayor Junichi Seki, to attract domestic and foreign investment.
The Osaka Securities Exchange
Osaka Securities Exchange
is the second largest securities exchange in Japan, in terms of amount of business handled. As of 31 December 2007, the Osaka Securities Exchange had 477 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of $212 billion. The Nikkei 225 Futures, introduced at the Osaka Securities Exchange in...
, specializing in derivatives such as Nikkei 225
Nikkei 225
The , more commonly called the Nikkei, the Nikkei index, or the Nikkei Stock Average , is a stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange . It has been calculated daily by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper since 1950. It is a price-weighted average , and the components are reviewed once a year...
futures, is based in Osaka. The merger with JASDAQ will help the Osaka Securities Exchange become the largest exchange in Japan for start-up companies.
According to a U.S. study, Osaka is the second most expensive city for expatriate employees in the world and in Japan behind Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. It jumped up nine places from 11th place in 2008. Osaka was the 8th most expensive city in 2007.
Transportation
Air
Osaka is served by two airports outside the city.Kansai International Airport
Kansai International Airport
is an international airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, southwest of Ōsaka Station, located within three municipalities, including Izumisano , Sennan , and Tajiri , in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The airport is off the Honshu shore. The airport serves as an...
(IATA: KIX) handles all scheduled international passenger flights, some domestic flights, and most cargo flights. It is on an artificial island
Artificial island
An artificial island or man-made island is an island or archipelago that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means...
that sits off-shore in Osaka Bay and is administratively part of the nearby town of Tajiri
Tajiri, Osaka
is a town located in Sennan District, Osaka, Japan.As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of 7,909 and a density of 1,595 persons per km². The total area is 4.96 km².It is the smallest town in Osaka Prefecture...
. The airport is linked by a bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
and train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
service into the center of the city and major suburbs.
Osaka International Airport
Osaka International Airport
or Osaka-Itami International Airport is the primary domestic airport for the Kansai region of Japan, including the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is classified as a first class airport....
(IATA:ITM), on the border of the cities of Itami
Itami, Hyogo
is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city had an estimated population of 194,488 and a population density of 7,790 persons per km². The total area is 24.97 km².The center of Itami became a wealthy town by the middle of Sengoku period...
and Toyonaka
Toyonaka, Osaka
is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan.As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 388,633 and a population density of 10,680 persons per km². The total area is 36.38 km²...
, houses most of the domestic services, some international cargo flights, and international VIP charters from and to the metropolitan region.
Sea
The port of Osaka serves as a shipping hub for the Kansai region along with the port of Kobe.Ferry
Osaka's international ferry connections are far greater than Tokyo's, mostly due to geography. There are international ferries that leave Osaka for ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, and until recently Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. Osaka's domestic ferry services include regular service to ports such as Kitakyushu, Kagoshima, Miyazaki
Miyazaki, Miyazaki
is the capital city of Miyazaki Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. Located on the coast and perforated by several rivers, Miyazaki City enjoys scenic views of both ocean and nearby, verdant mountains...
and Okinawa.
Shipping
- Port of Osaka
- Port of KobePort of KobeThe Port of Kobe is a Japanese maritime port in Kobe, Hyōgo in the greater Osaka area, backgrounded by the Hanshin Industrial Region.Located at a foothill of the range of Mount Rokkō, flat lands are limited and constructions of artificial islands have carried out, to make Port Island, Rokko...
- Port of SakaiSakai, Osakais a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the Medieval era.Following the February 2005 annexation of the town of Mihara, from Minamikawachi District, the city has grown further and is now the fourteenth most populous city in...
-Senboku (In Osaka Prefecture) - Port of HimejiHimeji, Hyogois a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 535,945, with 206,409 households. The total area is 534.43 km².- History :...
Sister ports
The Port of Osaka has the following sister ports.San Francisco, United States (since 1967) Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia (since 1974) Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
, France (since 1980) Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China (since 1981) Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, Chile (since 1983) Kanpur, India (since 1996) Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, South Korea (since 1985) Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
, Vietnam (since 1994)
Rail
Greater Osaka has an extensive network of railway lines, comparable to that of Greater Tokyo. Main rail terminals in the city include, UmedaUmeda
Umeda is the main commercial and central business district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, best known as the city's main northern railway terminus .Umeda is a large traffic hub, as well as the principal office and hotel district...
, Namba
Namba
is a district of Osaka, Japan. Namba is regarded as the center of so-called Minami area of Osaka. Its name is one of variations on the former name of Osaka, Naniwa...
, Tennoji, Kyobashi
Kyobashi
is the name of a bridge as well as the geographical region around it. Two regions with this name exist in Japan, one is in Tokyo and one lies in Osaka. It refers to a bridge connecting roads to the capital in castle towns.-Tokyo:...
, and Yodoyabashi.
High speed rail
Sanyō Shinkansen
The is a line of the Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail network, connecting Shin-Ōsaka in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka, the two largest cities in western Japan...
line. Shin-Ōsaka Station
Shin-Osaka Station
is a train station in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is the western terminus of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, and the eastern terminus of the Sanyō Shinkansen. The lines are physically joined, and many trains offer through service....
is the Shinkansen
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
terminal in Osaka. This station is connected to Ōsaka Station
Osaka Station
is a station on the West Japan Railway Company located in the Umeda district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is the city's main rail terminal in the north....
at Umeda
Umeda
Umeda is the main commercial and central business district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, best known as the city's main northern railway terminus .Umeda is a large traffic hub, as well as the principal office and hotel district...
by the JR Kyoto Line
JR Kyoto Line
The is the common name of a portion of the Tōkaidō Main Line, between Kyoto Station and Osaka Station. The line is one of commuter rail lines and services in Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, owned and operated by West Japan Railway Company ....
and the subway Midōsuji Line. All Shinkansen trains including Nozomi
Nozomi (Shinkansen)
is the fastest train service running on the Tōkaidō/Sanyō Shinkansen in Japan. The service stops at only the largest stations, and along the stretch between Shin-Osaka and Hakata, Nozomi services using N700 series equipment reach speeds of...
stop at Shin-Ōsaka Station and provide access to other major cities in Japan, such as Kyoto, Nagoya, Yokohama, and Tokyo to the east, and Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Kitakyushu and Fukuoka to the west. On March 12, 2011, JR West and JR Kyushu introduced new Shinkansen services, Mizuho
Mizuho (train)
The is a limited-stop shinkansen service operated between Shin-Ōsaka and Kagoshima in Japan since 12 March 2011, following the completion of the Kyūshū Shinkansen.-History:...
and Sakura
Sakura (train)
The is a high-speed shinkansen service operated between and Kagoshima in Japan since 12 March 2011. It was formerly a limited express sleeper train service operated by JR Kyushu, which ran from to and in Kyūshū, Japan...
, linking Osaka with Kumamoto, Kagoshima, and other cities in central and south Kyushu
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
.
Commuter rail
Both JR WestWest Japan Railway Company
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group companies and operates in western Honshū. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka.-History:...
and private lines connect Osaka and its suburbs. The commuter rail network of JR West is called the Urban Network. Major stations on the JR Osaka Loop Line
Osaka Loop Line
The is a railway line in Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company . It encircles central Osaka.The second loop line, the Osaka Higashi Line, from Hanaten to Kyuhoji was opened on March 15, 2008, and the line from Shigino to Shin-Ōsaka is planned to open in 2020.-Outline:This loop line consists...
include Osaka (Umeda)
Osaka Station
is a station on the West Japan Railway Company located in the Umeda district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is the city's main rail terminal in the north....
, Tennōji
Tennoji Station
is a train station on the JR West Osaka Loop Line, Hanwa Line, Yamatoji Line, Osaka Municipal Subway Midōsuji Line, and Tanimachi Line, located in Tennōji-ku and Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, and is a train station on the tram Hankai Uemachi Line in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan...
, Tsuruhashi
Tsuruhashi Station
-Layout:The station on the Kintetsu lines has two island platforms serving four tracks on the second level.-Adjacent stations:-West Japan Railway Company :1-1, Shimoajihara-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka-Layout:...
, and Kyōbashi
Kyobashi Station (Osaka)
Kyobashi Station is a train station in the Kyōbashi district of Jōtō-ku and Miyakojima-ku Osaka, Japan.-Lines:*JR West**Osaka Loop Line**Gakkentoshi Line **JR Tōzai Line...
. JR West competes with such private rail operators as Keihan Electric Railway
Keihan Electric Railway
is a Japanese railway operator in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Prefectures. It is known as , or .-History:Keihan started its operation between Osaka and Kyoto in 1910. It was the first electric railway to connect these two cities, and the first line on the left bank of Yodo River...
, Hankyu Railway
Hankyu Railway
is a Japanese private railway that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region and is one of major businesses operated by Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc. The railway's main terminal is at Umeda Station in Osaka...
, Hanshin Railway, Kintetsu Corporation, and Nankai Electric Railway
Nankai Electric Railway
is a private railway in Japan. IC cards are accepted.Nankai Railway Company was founded on June 16, 1884, then became one of the companies that merge to form Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. in 1944. However Kin-nichi transferred the former Nankai Railway Company Lines to present Nankai Electric...
. The Keihan
Keihan Electric Railway
is a Japanese railway operator in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Prefectures. It is known as , or .-History:Keihan started its operation between Osaka and Kyoto in 1910. It was the first electric railway to connect these two cities, and the first line on the left bank of Yodo River...
and Hankyu
Hankyu Railway
is a Japanese private railway that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region and is one of major businesses operated by Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc. The railway's main terminal is at Umeda Station in Osaka...
lines connect to Kyoto; the Hanshin and Hankyu
Hankyu Kobe Line
The of Hankyu Railway is one of the three major commuter heavy rail line in the Keihanshin conurbation of Japan. It links the urban centres of Osaka and Kobe by connecting the major stations of Umeda in Osaka and Sannomiya in Kobe....
lines connect to Kobe; the Kintetsu
Kintetsu
, named Kinki Nippon Railway Co., Ltd. in English until June 27, 2003, is a Japanese rail transit corporation commonly known as . It is the largest non-JR railway in Japan. Its complex network of lines connects Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Tsu and Ise...
lines connect to Nara
Nara, Nara
is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
, Yoshino
Yoshino, Nara
is a town located in Yoshino District, Nara Prefecture, Japan.As of September 1, 2007, the town had an estimated population of 9397 and a density of 97.93 persons per km². The total area was 95.65 km².-Geography:...
, Ise
Ise, Mie
, formerly called Ujiyamada , is a city located in eastern Mie Prefecture, on the island of Honshū, Japan.Ise is home to Ise Grand Shrine, the most sacred Shintō Shrine in Japan, and is thus a very popular destination for tourists. The city has a long-standing nickname—Shinto —that roughly means...
and Nagoya; and the Nankai lines connect to Osaka's southern suburbs and Kansai International Airport
Kansai International Airport
is an international airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay, southwest of Ōsaka Station, located within three municipalities, including Izumisano , Sennan , and Tajiri , in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The airport is off the Honshu shore. The airport serves as an...
as well as Wakayama and Mt. Koya. Many lines in Greater Osaka accept either ICOCA
ICOCA
The card is a rechargeable contactless smart card used on JR West rail network in Japan. The card was launched on November 1, 2003 for usage on the Urban Network, which encompasses the major cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe...
or PiTaPa
PiTaPa
is a contactless smart card ticketing and electronic money system used in the Kansai region of Japan. The name PiTaPa is an acronym of "Postpay IC for Touch and Pay"...
contactless smart card
Smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
s for payment.
Municipal subway
Osaka Municipal Subway
is the metro network in the city of Osaka, Japan, forming an integral part of the extensive mass transit system of Greater Osaka , having 125 out of the 1,108 rail stations in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto region. In 2010 the greater Osaka region had 13 million rail passengers daily of which the Osaka...
system is a part of Osaka's extensive rapid transit system. The metro system alone ranks 8th in the world by annual passenger ridership, serving over 912 million people annually (a quarter of Greater Osaka Rail System's 4 billion annual riders), despite being only 8 of more than 70 lines in the metro area (see map).
Bus
Regular bus services are provided by Osaka Municipal Transportation BureauOsaka Municipal Transportation Bureau
Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau is a public department of transportation of the city of Osaka, Japan, which operates the municipal subway lines, the New Tram and city buses.-Current:...
(the City Bus), as well as by group companies of Hankyu, Hanshin and Kintetsu. The City runs a dense network covering much parts of the city. The fare for the regular buses is a flat rate of 200 yen, or 100 yen for the smaller "Red Bus" looplines operated within segmented areas of the city. The other bus companies provide their services in supplement to their railway networks.
Culture and lifestyle
Shopping and culinary
Osaka has a large number of wholesalers and retail shops: 25,228 and 34,707 respectively in 2004, according to the city statistics. A lot of them are concentrated in the wards of Chuō (10,468 shops) and Kita (6,335 shops). Types of shops varies from malls to conventional shōtengaiShotengai
A shōtengai is a style of Japanese commercial district running along a certain street. Shōtengai often connect to the nearest train station. Most suburbs and towns of Japan have shōtengai of varying size, and larger shōtengai may take the form of covered arcades that are blocked off to traffic...
shopping arcades, built both above- and underground. Shōtengai are seen across Japan, and Osaka has the longest one in the country. The Tenjinbashi-suji arcade stretches from the road approaching the Temmangu shrine
Osaka Temmangu Shrine
The is a Shinto shrine founded in AD 949 in Osaka. The Tenjin Festival is held here annually.-The nearest stations:*Ōsakatemmangū Station on the West Japan Railway Company JR Tōzai Line...
and continues for 2.6 km going north to south. The type of stores along the arcade includes commodities, clothing, and catering outlets.
Other shopping areas are Den Den Town
Nipponbashi
is a shopping district of Naniwa Ward, Osaka, Japan. The area is centered along Sakaisuji Avenue, extending from the Ebisu-chō Interchange of the Hanshin Expressway in the south, to Nansan-dōri in the north...
, the electronic and manga/anime district, which is comparable to Akihabara; and the Umeda
Umeda
Umeda is the main commercial and central business district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, best known as the city's main northern railway terminus .Umeda is a large traffic hub, as well as the principal office and hotel district...
district, which has the Hankyu Sanbangai shopping mall and Yodobashi Camera
Yodobashi Camera
Yodobashi Camera Co.,Ltd. is a chain store mainly selling electronic products. Currently, there are 21 stores in Japan. It also maintains two online stores in China; one with a limited selection of products from its Japanese online store through SBI VeriTrans that supports payments by UnionPay,...
, a huge electrical appliance store that offers a vast range of fashion stores, restaurants, and a Shonen Jump store.
Osaka is known for its food, as supported by the saying "Dress (in kimonos) till you drop in Kyoto, eat till you drop in Osaka" (京の着倒れ、大阪の食い倒れ) – more literally, "Kyoto (residents) are (financially) ruined by (overspending on) clothing, Osakans are ruined by spending on food". Regional cuisine includes okonomiyaki
Okonomiyaki
is a Japanese dish containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" . Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the...
(pan-fried batter cake), takoyaki
Takoyaki
is a popular ball-shaped Japanese dumpling or more like a savory pancake made of batter and cooked in a special takoyaki pan...
(octopus
Octopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
dumpling
Dumpling
Dumplings are cooked balls of dough. They are based on flour, potatoes or bread, and may include meat, fish, vegetables, or sweets. They may be cooked by boiling, steaming, simmering, frying, or baking. They may have a filling, or there may be other ingredients mixed into the dough. Dumplings may...
s), udon
Udon
is a type of thick wheat-flour noodle of Japanese cuisine.Udon is usually served hot as noodle soup in its simplest form as kake udon, in a mildly flavoured broth called kakejiru which is made of dashi, soy sauce , and mirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions...
(a noodle dish), as well as the traditional oshizushi (pressed sushi), particularly .
Other shopping districts include:
- American Village (Amerika-mura or "Ame-mura")AmerikamuraAmerikamura is usually referred to by locals as "Ame-mura." It is a sizable retail and entertainment area near Shinsaibashi in the Minami district of Osaka, Japan....
– fashion for young people - DōtonboriDotonboriis one of the principal tourist destinations in Osaka, Japan. It is a single street, running alongside the Dōtonbori canal between the Dōtonboribashi Bridge and the Nipponbashi Bridge in the Namba ward of Osaka...
– part of Namba district and considered heart of the city - NambaNambais a district of Osaka, Japan. Namba is regarded as the center of so-called Minami area of Osaka. Its name is one of variations on the former name of Osaka, Naniwa...
– main shopping, sightseeing, and restaurant area - ShinsaibashiShinsaibashiShinsaibashi is a district in the Chūō-ku ward of Osaka, Japan and the city's main shopping area. It centers around Shinsaibashi-suji, a covered shopping street, that is north of Dōtonbori and parallel and east of Mido-suji street. Associated with Shinsaibashi, and west of Mido-suji street, is...
– luxury goods and department stores - UmedaUmedaUmeda is the main commercial and central business district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, best known as the city's main northern railway terminus .Umeda is a large traffic hub, as well as the principal office and hotel district...
– theaters, boutiques, and department stores near the train station
Entertainment and performing arts
- Osaka is home to the National Bunraku TheatreNational Bunraku TheatreThe is a complex consisting of two halls and an exhibition room, located in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The complex was opened in 1984 as the fourth national theatre of the country, to become the headquarters of bunraku...
, where traditional puppet plays, bunrakuBunraku, also known as Ningyō jōruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:* Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai—puppeteers* Tayū—the chanters* Shamisen players...
, are performed. - At Osaka Shouchiku-za, close to Namba station, kabuki can be enjoyed as well as manzaiManzaiis a traditional style of stand-up comedy in Japanese culture, which usually involves two performers —a straight man and a funny man —trading jokes at great speed...
. Nearby is the Shin-kabuki-za, where enkaEnkais a popular Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern enka, however, is a relatively recent musical form which arose in the context of such postwar expressions of modern Japanese nonmaterial nationalism as nihonjinron, while adopting a more...
concerts and Japanese dramas are performed. - YoshimotoYoshimoto Kogyois a major Japanese entertainment conglomerate, with its headquarters based in Osaka. It was founded in 1912 as a traditional theatre, and has since grown to be one of the most influential companies in Japan, employing most of Japan's popular owarai talent, producing and promoting the shows they...
, a Japanese entertainment conglomarate operates two halls in the city for manzai and other comedy shows: the Namba Grand Kagetsu and the Kyōbashi Kagetsu halls. - The Hanjō-tei opened in 2006, dedicated to rakugoRakugois a Japanese verbal entertainment. The lone sits on the stage, called the . Using only a paper fan and a small cloth as props, and without standing up from the seiza sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long and complicated comical story...
. The theatre is in the TemmangūOsaka-Temmangu Stationis a train station on the West Japan Railway Company JR Tōzai Line in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan. The station's location is close to the Osaka Temmangu Shrine.-Lines:*West Japan Railway Company JR Tōzai Line*Osaka Municipal Subway...
area. - Umeda Arts TheaterUmeda Arts Theateris a Japanese theater located at Chayamachi Applause in Chayamachi, Kita-ku, Osaka, operated by Umeda Arts Theater Co., Ltd. It opened in 1992.-Access:*Hankyu Umeda Station - approx. 3 minutes from Chayamachiguchi Gate on foot...
opened in 2005 after relocating from its former 46-year-old Umeda Koma Theater. The theater has a main hall with 1,905 seats and a smaller theater-drama hall with 898 seats. Umeda Arts Theatre stages various type of performances including musicals, music concerts, dramas, rakugo, and others. - The Symphony Hall, built in 1982, is the first hall in Japan designed specially for classical music concerts. The Hall was opened with a concert by the Osaka Philharmonic OrchestraOsaka Philharmonic OrchestraThe is a classical orchestra based in Osaka, Japan. Founded in 1947 as the Kansai Symphony Orchestra, it took its current name in 1960. Founder Takashi Asahina conducted the orchestra for 55 years from its creation until 2001....
, which is based in the city. Orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic have played here during their world tours as well. - Osaka-jō HallOsaka-jo Hall, or Osaka Castle Hall, is a multi-purpose arena, in the Kyōbashi area, of Osaka, Japan. The hall opened in 1983 and can seat up to 16,000 people...
is a multi-purpose arena in Osaka-jō park with a capacity for up to 16,000 people. The hall has hosted numerous events and concerts including both Japanese and international artists. - Near City Hall in Nakanoshima, is Osaka Central Public Hall, a Neo-RenaissanceNeo-RenaissanceRenaissance Revival is an all-encompassing designation that covers many 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Grecian nor Gothic but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of classicizing Italian modes...
-style building first opened in 1918. Re-opened in 2002 after major restoration, it serves as a multi-purpose rental facility for citizen events. - The Osaka Shiki Theatre is one of the nine private halls operated nationwide by the Shiki TheatreShiki Theatre Companyis one of Japan's best-known and largest theatre companies. Shiki Theatre Company employs over 800 actors and staff, and stages about 2800 performances a year. Shiki Theatre Company operates nine theaters for their exclusive use. Originally, they staged classic plays by Jean Anouilh or Jean...
, staging straight plays and musicals. - Festival HallFestival Hall, Osakawas a concert hall, in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan. The Hall seats 2,709 patrons and is home to the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra.It was run by the Asahi Building Co., Ltd., a Japanese real estate company controlling properties of the Asahi Shimbun Company, and is housed in the Shin Asahi Building, an...
was a hall hosting various performances including nohNoh, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
, kyogenKyogenis a form of traditional Japanese comic theater. It developed alongside Noh, was performed along with Noh as an intermission of sorts between Noh acts, on the same Noh stage, and retains close links to Noh in the modern day; therefore, it is sometimes designated Noh-kyōgen...
, kabuki, ballets as well as classic concerts. The Bolshoi Ballet and the PhilharmoniaPhilharmoniaThe Philharmonia Orchestra is one of the leading orchestras in Great Britain, based in London. Since 1995, it has been based in the Royal Festival Hall. In Britain it is also the resident orchestra at De Montfort Hall, Leicester and the Corn Exchange, Bedford, as well as The Anvil, Basingstoke...
are among the many that were welcomed on stage in the past. The hall has closed at the end of 2008, planned to re-open in 2013 in a new facility.
Annual festivals
One of the most famous festivals held in Osaka, the Tenjin-matsuri is held on July 24 and 25. Other festivals in Osaka include the Aizen-matsuri, Shōryō-e and Tōka-Ebisu. Furthermore, Osaka annually hosts the Kansai International Film FestivalKansai International Film Festival
The Kansai International Film Festival is a film festival in Osaka, Japan.The festival was started in 2007 and founded by Kansai Time Out writer, Matthew Kaufman, and Kobe-based film director, Darryl Knickrehm. The festival featured a lineup of "Japanese films made by foreign filmmakers." It was...
.
Museum and galleries
See also: Museums in OsakaNational Museum of Art, Osaka
The is a subterranean Japanese art museum located on the island of Nakanoshima, located between the Dōjima River and the Tosabori River, about 5 minutes west of Higobashi Station in central Osaka....
(NMAO) is a subterranean Japanese and international art museum, housing mainly collections from the post-war era and regularly welcoming temporary exhibitions. Osaka Science Museum
Osaka Science Museum
The is a science museum in Naka-no-shima, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan. The museum is located between the Dōjima River and the Tosabori River, above Osaka's subterranean National Museum of Art. Opened in 1989, the museum was constructed to mark the 100th anniversary of Osaka City. The construction was...
is in a five storied building next to the National Museum of Art, with a planetarium and an OMNIMAX
Omnimax
Omnimax may refer to:* A variation of the IMAX film format that is projected on an angled dome* A shorthand expression for a deity that is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and/or omnibenevolent...
theatre. The Museum of Oriental Ceramics holds more than 2,000 pieces of ceramics, from China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam, featuring displays of some of their Korean celadon
Celadon
Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of a specific color, also called celadon. This type of ware was invented in ancient China, such as in the Zhejiang province...
under natural light. Osaka Municipal Museum of Art is inside Tennōji park, housing over 8,000 pieces of Japanese and Chinese paintings and sculptures. The Osaka Maritime Museum
Osaka Maritime Museum
The is a maritime museum in Osaka, Japan. It was opened by the Mayor of Osaka City on 14 July 2000 having started on site in March 1998. Designed by architect Paul Andreu with engineering design by Arup and Tohata. the museum was built on reclaimed land in the Bay of Osaka at a cost of 12.8bn yen,...
, opened in 2000, is accessible only through an underwater tunnel into its dome. The Osaka Museum of History, opened in 2001, is located in a 13-story modern building providing a view of Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle
is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan.Originally called Ozakajō, it is one of Japan's most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.-Description:...
. Its exhibits cover the history of Osaka from pre-history to the present day. Osaka Museum of Natural History houses a collection related to natural history and life.
Sports
Orix Buffaloes
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Osaka and Kobe, Japan. They play in the Pacific League. The team is owned by the Orix Group, a leading diversified financial services company based in Tokyo....
, a Nippon Professional Baseball team, playing its home games at Kyocera Dome Osaka
Osaka Dome
Osaka Dome is a baseball stadium located in Osaka, Japan. Beginning in 1997, the stadium was the home field of the Kintetsu Buffaloes. In 2005, the stadium became one of the homes of the Orix Buffaloes, a result of the merger between the Orix Blue Wave and Kintetsu Buffaloes. Prior to the Osaka...
. Another baseball team, the Hanshin Tigers
Hanshin Tigers
The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team based in Koshien, Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, and are in the Central League. Hanshin Electric Railway Co., Ltd., the subsidiary of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc., owns the Hanshin Tigers directly...
, although based in Nishinomiya
Nishinomiya, Hyogo
is a city located in Hyōgo, Japan, between the cities of Ōsaka and Kōbe. On April 1, 2005, the city of Nishinomiya celebrated its 80th anniversary. It is best known as the home of Kōshien Stadium, where the Hanshin Tigers baseball team plays home games and where Japan's annual high school baseball...
, Hyōgo
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, plays a part of its home games in Kyocera Dome Osaka
Osaka Dome
Osaka Dome is a baseball stadium located in Osaka, Japan. Beginning in 1997, the stadium was the home field of the Kintetsu Buffaloes. In 2005, the stadium became one of the homes of the Orix Buffaloes, a result of the merger between the Orix Blue Wave and Kintetsu Buffaloes. Prior to the Osaka...
as well, when their homeground Kōshien Stadium
Koshien Stadium
is a baseball park located near Kobe in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The stadium was built to host the national high school baseball tournaments, and opened on April 1, 1924. It was the largest stadium in Asia at the time it was completed, with a capacity of 55,000.The name Kōshien comes...
is occupied with the annual National High School Baseball Championship
National High School Baseball Championship
The National High School Baseball Championship of Japan, commonly known as "Summer Kōshien" , is an annual nationwide high school baseball tournament...
games during summer season. There are two J.League clubs, Gamba Osaka
Gamba Osaka
is a Japanese professional association football club, currently playing in the J. League Division 1. The team's name comes from the Italian word "gamba" meaning "leg" and the Japanese , meaning "to do your best" or "to stand firm". Located in Suita, Osaka, the team's home stadium is Osaka Expo '70...
, plays its home games at Osaka Expo '70 Stadium
Osaka Expo '70 Stadium
is an athletic stadium in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is in the Expo Commemoration Park, the site of Expo '70. The stadium is the home ground of J. League club Gamba Osaka.The stadium's north end is terraced and is used by Gamba's most vocal supporters....
.
Another club Cerezo Osaka
Cerezo Osaka
is a J. League Division 1 association football team. The team name Cerezo means cherry tree in Spanish, which is also the flower of Ōsaka city....
, plays its home games at Nagai Stadium
Nagai Stadium
is an athletic stadium in Osaka, Japan. It is the home ground of J. League club Cerezo Osaka. The stadium has a seating capacity of 50,000.-History:...
. The city is home to Osaka Evessa
Osaka Evessa
Osaka Evessa is a professional basketball team playing in the bj league, the top-tier professional basketball league of Japan. The team is operated by the Human Group Sports Entertainment Company.The team is named after Ebisu....
, a basketball team that plays in the bj league
Bj league
The bj league is a professional basketball league in Japan that began on November 5, 2005. The ten team league is divided into two conferences, the Eastern Conference, and the Western Conference. It had its inaugural All-Star game in 2006. One of its major sponsors is Spalding.The bj league...
. Evessa has won the first three championships of the league since its establishment. Kintetsu Liners
Kintetsu Liners
Kintetsu Liners rugby team are a Japanese rugby union team owned by Kintetsu Corporation which was founded in 1929. They have won the All-Japan Championship three times as an amateur team...
, a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team, play in the Top League
Top League
The Top League is a professional rugby union league created by the Japan Rugby Football Union to drive up the overall standard and popularity of the sport in the country and improve the results of the Japan national rugby union team. The first season was 2003-04 and featured 12 teams...
. After winning promotion in 2008-09, they will again remain in the competition for the 2009-10 season. Their base is the Hanazono Rugby Stadium
Kintetsu Hanazono rugby stadium
Kintetsu Hanazono Rugby Stadium in Higashiosaka is the oldest dedicated rugby union stadium in Japan. Owned by Kintetsu Corporation, it opened in 1929 and has a capacity of 30,000...
.
The Sangatsubasho (三月場所 sangatsu basho, literally March ring), one of the six regular tournaments of professional Sumo
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
is held annually in Osaka at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium.
Another major annual sporting event that takes place is Osaka is Osaka International Ladies Marathon. Held usually at the end of January every year, the 42.195 km race starts from Nagai Stadium, runs through Nakanoshima
Nakanoshima
Nakanoshima is a 3 km long and 50 hectares narrow sandbank in Kita-ku, Osaka city, Japan, that divides the Kyū-Yodo River into the Tosabori and Dōjima rivers...
, Midōsuji
Midosuji
Boulevard is the primary main street in central Osaka, Japan. It runs north-south, passing Umeda, Shinsaibashi, Dōtonbori, Ame-mura, and Namba districts. Underneath the street is the Midōsuji Line subway.-History:...
and Osaka castle
Osaka Castle
is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan.Originally called Ozakajō, it is one of Japan's most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.-Description:...
park, and returns to the stadium. Another yearly event held at Nagai Stadium is the Osaka Gran Prix Athletics games operated by the International Association of Athletics Federations
International Association of Athletics Federations
The International Association of Athletics Federations is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. It was founded in 1912 at its first congress in Stockholm, Sweden by representatives from 17 national athletics federations as the International Amateur Athletics Federation...
(IAAF) in May. The Osaka GP is the only IAAF games annually held in Japan.
Media
every nationwide TV network (with the exception of TXN network) registers its secondary-key station in Osaka. All five nationwide newspaper majors also house their regional headquarters, and most local newspapers nationwide have branches in Osaka. However major film productions are uncommon in the city. Most major films are produced in nearby Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
or in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. The Ad Council Japan is based in Osaka.
Newspapers
All the five nationwide newspaper majors of Japan, the Asahi ShimbunAsahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
, the Mainichi Shimbun
Mainichi Shimbun
The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by .-History:The history of the Mainichi Shimbun begins with founding of two papers during the Meiji period. The Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun was founded first, in 1872. The Mainichi claims that it is the oldest existing Japanese daily newspaper...
, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun
Nihon Keizai Shimbun
is one of the largest media corporations in Japan. Nikkei specializes in publishing financial, business and industry news. Its main news publications include:* Nihon Keizai Shimbun , a leading economic newspaper....
, the Sankei Shimbun
Sankei Shimbun
is a daily newspaper in Japan published by the . It has the sixth highest circulation for a newspaper in Japan, and is considered as one of the five "national" newspapers...
and the Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
, have their regional headquarters in Osaka and issue their regional editions. Furthermore, Osaka houses Osaka Nichi-nichi Shimbun, its newspaper press. Other newspaper related companies located in Osaka include include, the regional headquarters of FujiSankei Business i.;Houchi Shimbunsha; Nikkan Sports
Nikkan Sports
is the first-launched Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1946.It has a circulation of 1,965,000, and is an affiliate newspaper of Asahi Shimbun.-Companies and regions:...
;Sports Nippon
Sports Nippon
is the first-launched Japanese daily sports newspaper founded in 1948.It is an affiliate newspaper of Mainichi Shimbun.- External links :...
, and offices of Kyodo News
Kyodo News
is a nonprofit cooperative news agency based in Minato, Tokyo. It was established in November 1945 and it distributes news to almost all newspapers, and radio and television networks in Japan. The newspapers using its news have about 50 million subscribers. K. K. Kyodo News is Kyodo News' business...
Jiji Press
Jiji Press
Jiji Press Ltd. is a leading wire service in Japan. Headquartered at Ginza, Chuo, Tokyo, Jiji has 82 branch offices, general bureau and bureau in Japan and 28 general bureau globally. Seizo Wakabayashi is the current President of Jiji Press.-External links:*...
; Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
; Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately held financial software, media, and data company. Bloomberg makes up one third of the $16 billion global financial data market with estimated revenue of $6.9 billion. Bloomberg L.P...
.
Television and radio
The five TV networks are represented by Asahi Broadcasting CorporationAsahi Broadcasting Corporation
is a regional radio and television broadcaster headquartered in Osaka, Japan, serving in the Kansai region.-Offices:*Headquarters: 1-30, Fukushima Itchome, Fukushima-ku, Osaka-shi, Japan...
(ANN
All-Nippon News Network
, or ANN, is a commercial television news network in Japan run by TV Asahi Corporation.-All-Nippon News Network stations:-Remote Controller Buttons of Digital TV:*1: Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting*3: TV Miyazaki*5: 20 ANN stations...
), Kansai Telecasting Corporation
Kansai Telecasting Corporation
, often called or , is a TV station affiliated with Fuji News Network and Fuji Network System in Osaka, serving the Kansai region of Japan...
(FNN
Fuji News Network
Fuji News Network is a commercial television news network in Japan. The network is run by Fuji Television Network, Inc..-Fuji News Network stations:-External links:*...
), Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc.
Mainichi Broadcasting System
is a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc...
(JNN), Television Osaka, Inc. (TXN
TXN
- TV Tokyo Network stations :-External links:*...
) and Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation
Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation
is a TV station joining Nippon News Network and Nippon Television Network System in Osaka Business Park, Osaka, Japan founded as "" on February 13, 1958...
(NNN
Nippon News Network
Nippon News Network is a commercial television news network in Japan. The network is owned by Nippon Television, which itself is controlled by publishing company Yomiuri Shimbun. NNN operates a 24-hour news network, News 24, and its programming is aired on NTV stations.-Nippon News Network...
), headquartered in Osaka. NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
has also its regional station based in the city. AM Radio services are provided by NHK as well as the ABC Radio (Asahi Broadcasting Corporation), MBS Radio (Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc.) and Radio Osaka (Osaka Broadcasting Corporation
Osaka Broadcasting Corporation
is an AM radio station of National Radio Network in Osaka, Japan, and it is known as "Radio Osaka ". It is also a company of Sankei Shimbun Group in Fujisankei Communications Group...
) and headquartered in the city. FM services are available from NHK, FM Osaka
Fm osaka
is a radio station in Osaka, Japan. It is an affiliated station of Japan FM Network .- History of FM OSAKA :On April 1, 1970, FM OSAKA started broadcasting as the first private FM station in Nakanoshima, Osaka nationwide as the only FM radio station affiliated with Japan FM Network in the Kansai...
, FM802
FM802
is a commercial radio station based at Daiwa Building in Tenjimbashi Nichome, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, broadcasting on 80.2 FM from Mount Iimori to Kansai region. As a late comer to the radio broadcasting market, it was a focal point for FM802 to differentiate from existing stations...
and FM Cocolo
FM Cocolo
FM Cocolo is a multilingual FM radio station owned and operated by Kansai Intermedia Corporation, based at the Osaka Prefectural Government Sakishima Building in Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Japan...
, the last providing programs in multiple languages including English.
As of February 2009, the city is fully covered by terrestrial digital TV broadcasts
Publishing companies
Osaka is home to many publishing companies including: Examina, Izumi Shoin, Kaihou Shuppansha, Keihanshin Elmagazine, Seibundo Shuppan, Sougensha, and Toho Shuppan.21st century Osaka
Amusement parks
- Osaka Aquarium KaiyukanOsaka Aquarium KaiyukanThe is an aquarium located in the ward of Minato in Osaka, Japan, near Osaka Bay. It is one of the largest public aquariums in the world, and is a member of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums ....
– an aquariumAquariumAn aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
located in Osaka Bay, containing 35,000 aquatic animals in 14 tanks, the largest of which holds 5,400 tons of water and houses a variety of sea animals including whale sharks. This tank is the world's second-largest aquarium tank, behind the Georgia AquariumGeorgia AquariumThe Georgia Aquarium, located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, at Pemberton Place, is the world's largest aquarium with more than of marine and fresh water housing more than 120,000 animals of 500 different species...
, whose largest tank holds approximately 29,000 tons of water. - Tempozan Ferris Wheel, located next to the aquarium
- Tennōji ZooTennoji Zoois located at Tennōji Park in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan, opened on January 1, 1915.The zoo features adjacent savannah zones for herbivorous and carnivorous animals, which are arranged so that the animals appear to be sharing the same space.-Access:...
- Universal Studios JapanUniversal Studios Japan, located in Osaka, is one of four Universal Studios theme parks, owned and operated by USJ Co., Ltd. . The park is similar to Universal Orlando Resort, since it contains many of the same rides. Most visitors are Japanese tourists or tourists from other Asian countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong,...
- Umeda JoypolisJoypolisJoypolis is an amusement park that was first opened on July 20, 1994 in Yokohama, Japan. Joypolis centres have since opened in several cities in Japan with the parks featuring arcade games and amusement rides based on Sega intellectual properties...
Sega - Shin-Umeda city – an innovative structure that has the floating garden observatory 170 m from the ground, which offers a 360-degree panoramic view of Osaka, popular for photographs, a structure that also houses an underground mall with restaurants and is styled in the early Showa period in the 1920s.
Parks
- Nakanoshima ParkNakanoshima ParkThe Nakanoshima Park is the first public park opened by Osaka in 1891, after its foundation as a city. It is located in Kita ward, on the Nakanoshima sandbank, laying between Dōjima and Tosabori Rivers. The 11 hectares park houses public facilities as Osaka Central Public Hall, Osaka Prefectural...
: About 10.6 haHectareThe hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
. In the vicinity of the City Hall - Osaka CastleOsaka Castleis a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan.Originally called Ozakajō, it is one of Japan's most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.-Description:...
Park: About 106 ha. Includes Osaka-jō Hall, a Japanese apricot garden, and more - Sumiyoshi ParkSumiyoshi ParkSumiyoshi Park is an Osaka prefectural park in Hamaguchi-higashi Itchome, Suminoe-ku, Osaka, Japan.It was registered by Osaka Prefecture in 1873 with Hamadera Park in Nishi-ku, Sakai, and is the oldest park in Osaka.-Access:...
- Tennōji Park: About 28 ha. Includes Tennōji Zoo; an art museum (established by contribution from Sumitomo family in 1936); and a Japanese garden, Keitaku-en (慶沢園). Keitaku-en was constructed in 1908 by Jihei Ogawa (小川治兵衛), an illustrious gardener in Japan. This was originally one of Sumitomo family's gardens until 1921.
- Utsubo ParkUtsubo Parkis a large public, urban park, situated at Utsubo-Hommachi in Nishi-ku, Osaka, Japan.The park was constructed at the site of a former air field of United States Army, so the land is long rectangle shape characteristic of a runway...
- Nagai ParkNagai Parkis a large park located in Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka. Its facilities include three multipurpose sports stadiums, including 50,000-seat Nagai Stadium, a baseball field, Nagai Botanical Garden, which boasts over 1,000 species of trees and flowers, a swimming pool and gymnasium, and a tract of...
The 2007 IAAF World Championships in Athletics2007 World Championships in AthleticsThe 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
were held at Nagai StadiumNagai Stadiumis an athletic stadium in Osaka, Japan. It is the home ground of J. League club Cerezo Osaka. The stadium has a seating capacity of 50,000.-History:...
, located in this park. - Tsurumi-Ryokuchi Park with the Sakuya Konohana KanSakuya Konohana KanThe Sakuya Konohana Kan is a botanical garden set within one of the world's largest greenhouses, located in Tsurumi Ryokuchi park at 2-163 Ryokuchi Koen, Tsurumi-ku, Osaka, Japan...
was the site of the flower expo in 1990.
Temples, shrines, and other historical sites
- Osaka CastleOsaka Castleis a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan.Originally called Ozakajō, it is one of Japan's most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.-Description:...
- Sanko ShrineSanko Shrine' is a Shinto shrine on a hill named in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan.There is a statue of Sanada Yukimura on the grounds and the opening of a tunnel that is said to have once connected to Osaka Castle.-Access:*West Japan Railway Company Osaka Loop Line...
- Shitennō-jiShitenno-jiis a Buddhist temple in Osaka, Japan.Prince Shōtoku is said to have constructed this temple in 593. It is the first Buddhist and oldest officially administered temple in Japan, although the temple buildings have been rebuilt over the centuries. Most of the present structures are from when the...
– The oldest buddhist temple in Japan, established in 593 AD by Prince ShōtokuPrince Shotoku, also known as or , was a semi-legendary regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan who served under Empress Suiko. He was a son of Emperor Yōmei and his younger half-sister Princess Anahobe no Hashihito. His parents were relatives of the ruling Soga clan, and was involved in the defeat... - Sumiyoshi TaishaSumiyoshi Taisha, also known as Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in Sumiyoshi ward in the city of Osaka, Japan. It is the main shrine of all the Sumiyoshi shrines in Japan...
One of the oldest Shinto shrines, built in 211 AD. - Tamatsukuri Inari ShrineTamatsukuri Inari Shrine' is a shrine dedicated to the Shinto kami Inari. The shrine's construction can be traced to 12 BCE, and Inari was enshrined there by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the 1580s to protect Osaka Castle. -Location:...
- Ōsaka Tenmangū Shrine
Entertainment
- Doyama-cho - a homosexual District
- ShinsekaiShinsekaiShinsekai , "New World" in English, is an old neighbourhood located next to south Osaka City's downtown "Minami" area. The neighbourhood was created in 1912 with New York as a model for its southern half and Paris for its northern half...
district and Tsutenkaku TowerTsutenkaku, lit. "Tower Reaching Heaven", owned by Tsūtenkaku Kanko Co., Ltd. is a well-known landmark of Osaka, Japan and advertises Hitachi. It is located in the Shinsekai district of Naniwa-ku, Osaka.... - Tobita red-light districtRed-light districtA red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
Education
Osaka Prefectural Board of Education
Osaka Prefectural Board of Education is a branch of the government of Osaka Prefecture, Japan.The board supervises individual municipal school systems and directly operates public high schools in Osaka prefecture.-Daito:* Nozaki High School...
.
Osaka city once had a large number of universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
and high schools, but because of growing campuses and the need for larger area, many chose to move to the suburbs, including Osaka University
Osaka University
, or , is a major national university located in Osaka, Japan. It is the sixth oldest university in Japan as the Osaka Prefectural Medical College, and formerly one of the Imperial Universities of Japan...
.
- Kansai UniversityKansai University, or , is a private non-sectarian and coeducational university located in Suita, Osaka, Japan and in two other locations: Osaka City; and Takatsuki, Osaka.-History:Kansai University was founded as Kansai Law School in November 1886, in Osaka...
- Osaka City UniversityOsaka City University, abbreviated to , is a public university in Japan. It is located in Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka City.- History :OCU's predecessor was founded in 1880, as the Osaka Commercial Training Institute with donations by local merchants. It developed into Osaka Commercial School in 1885, then was municipalized in...
- Osaka University of EconomicsOsaka University of Economics, is a private university located in Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.- History :It was founded in 1932 as Naniwa Higher Commercial School . A few years later, difficulties fell upon the school and it was about to be abolished. In 1935, with the large donation by Dr...
- Osaka Institute of TechnologyOsaka Institute of Technologyis a private university in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Its main campus is located in Asahi-ku, Osaka City. Another campus is in Hirakata City.- History :...
- Osaka Jogakuin CollegeOsaka Jogakuin Collegeis a private women's university in Osaka city, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.-External links:*...
- Osaka Seikei UniversityOsaka Seikei Universityis a private university in Osaka, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1933. It was chartered as a junior women's college in 1951. In 2003 it became coeducational.-External links:*...
- Soai UniversitySoai Universityis a private university in the city of Osaka, Japan. It was established in 1888, initially as a women's university.Famous people with ties to Soai include alumni Hideo Ishikawa, Haruko Okamoto, Mihoko Shuku, and Yasuhito Sugiyama.-Source:...
- Osaka University of ArtsOsaka University of Artsis a private arts university located in Kanan, Minamikawachi District, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The university was founded in 1945 as , changing its name to in 1957, and then to in 1964...
, Minamikawachi District, OsakaMinamikawachi District, OsakaMinamikawachi is a district located in Osaka, Japan.As of 2009, the district has an estimated population of 37,695 and a density of 491 persons per km²... - Osaka University of Education
- Kinki UniversityKinki University, or , is a private non-sectarian and coeducational university based in Higashiosaka, Osaka, Japan with campuses in five other locations: Nara, Nara; Ōsakasayama, Osaka; Uchita, Wakayama; Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima; and Iizuka, Fukuoka....
Libraries
- International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka
- Osaka Public Nakanoshima Library
International relations
Sister cities
Osaka is twinned with the following cities around the world.San Francisco, United States (since 1957) São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil (since 1969) Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, United States (since 1973) Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China (since 1974) Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia (since 1974) Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia (since 1979) Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy (since 1981) Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany (since 1989) Kanpur, India (since 1998)
Osaka also has the following friendship and cooperation cities. Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina (since 1998) Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary (since 1998) Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
, South Korea (since 2008)
Business partner cities
Osaka's business partnerships are:Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
, Vietnam Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, Indonesia Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, China
In popular culture
Osaka, especially Osaka Castle, have been featured in the Godzilla movie, Godzilla Raids AgainGodzilla Raids Again
, also known in the United States as Gigantis, the Fire Monster, is a 1955 Japanese black-and-white kaiju film directed by Motoyoshi Oda, written by Shigeru Koyama, Shigeaki Hidaka and Takeo Murata, and produced by Toho....
, as well in the Gamera movie, Gamera vs. Barugon
Gamera vs. Barugon
is a 1966 daikaiju eiga featuring the giant turtle Gamera produced and distributed by Daiei Motion Picture Company. The film is the second to feature Gamera. Gamera vs. Barugon was released in the United States by AIP-TV as War of the Monsters, and then later by Sandy Frank as Gamera vs. Barugon...
.
Also in Azumanga Daioh, there is a character named Osaka, who speaks in the Osaka dialect.
Lovely Complex (both the manga and the anime) is a love comedy that takes place in Sakai, Osaka.
See also
Further reading
- Gerstle, C. Andrew. Kabuki Heroes on the Osaka Stage 1780-1830 (2005).
- Hanes, Jeffrey. The City as Subject: Seki Hajime and the Reinvention of Modern Osaka (2002) online edition
- Hauser, William B. "Osaka: a Commercial City in Tokugawa Japan." Urbanism past and Present 1977-1978 (5): 23-36.
- Hein, Carola, et al. Rebuilding Urban Japan after 1945. (2003). 274 pp.
- Hotta, Chisato. "The Construction of the Korean Community in Osaka between 1920 and 1945: A Cross-Cultural Perspective." PhD dissertation U. of Chicago 2005. 498 pp. DAI 2005 65(12): 4680-A. DA3158708 Fulltext: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
- Lockyer, Angus. "The Logic of Spectacle C. 1970," Art History, Sept 2007, Vol. 30 Issue 4, p571-589, on the international exposition held in 1970
- McClain, James L. and Wakita, Osamu, eds. Osaka: The Merchants' Capital of Early Modern Japan. (1999). 295 pp. online edition
- Michelin Red Guide Kyoto Osaka Kobe 2011 (2011)
- Najita, Tetsuo. Visions of Virtue in Tokugawa Japan: The Kaitokudo Merchant Academy of Osaka. (1987). 334 pp. online edition
- Rimmer, Peter J. "Japan's World Cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya or Tokaido Megalopolis?" Development and Change 1986 17(1): 121-157. Issn: 0012-155x
- Ropke, Ian Martin. Historical Dictionary of Osaka and Kyoto. (1999) 273pp
- Ruble, Blair A. Second Metropolis: Pragmatic Pluralism in Gilded Age Chicago, Silver Age Moscow, and Meiji Osaka. (2001). 464 pp.
- Torrance, Richard. "Literacy and Literature in Osaka, 1890-1940," The Journal of Japanese Studies 31#1 (Winter 2005), pp. 27–60 in Project MuseProject MUSEProject MUSE is an online database of current and back issues of peer-reviewed humanities and social sciences journals. It was founded in 1993 by Todd Kelley and Susan Lewis and is a project of the Johns Hopkins University Press and the Milton S. Eisenhower Library. It had support from the Mellon...