Osaka

Located in the west of Honshu, Osaka is offering many sights and is certainly worth a visit. It is one of the largest cities in Japan, and known to be a friendly, easy-going city. Home to almost nine million people and powered by an economy that exceeds Hong Kong's and Thailand's, Osaka is an impressive place. There are relatively fewer historical sights, but the nightlife is extensive, with fabulous restaurants and Osaka is an excellent place for shopping. The city is a growing and energized metropolis with its own distinct commercial culture and regional identity. Although it may appear to fall behind the sophistication of Tokyo, or the cultural refinement and traditional ways of nearby Kyoto, Osaka more than makes up for this with its own enthusiastic view of modernity. The city is bursting with street culture, vast underground shopping malls and futuristic architectural see-sides. Another defining characteristic of the city are Osaka’s people. They are friendly and outgoing and know how to enjoy good food and entertainment. The people are also very proud of their local dialect, which they consider more warm and expressive than classic Japanese. When visiting Osaka be advised to sort out your time in order to select the sites in the city that you wish to visit and the near by trips that would interest you as the area is full of interesting places wort a day's visit. Top city attractions include the aquarium, Osaka Castle, Universal Studios Japan and the futuristic Floating Garden Observatory. After a recent period of urban redevelopment that vastly improved many areas of the city, Osaka became a great place to explore urban Japan in general. Osaka is also a dream base for exploring the Kansai region, with Kyoto's World Heritage Sites, Nara's temples and Koya-san's eerie graves, which are within 90 minutes by train. A stay in Osaka can easily be enriched with visits to nearby Kobe, Nara and Kyoto. Kobe is an international city with pack of ethnic restaurants and even a Chinatown, Kyoto is the ancient capital full of historical temples, while Nara is smaller, intimate city, but was the first imperial capital of Japan. And don't forget - there are tons more of attractions, activities and interesting places to see in Osaka, visit them and write here at HolidayStreets.com about their beauty and mystery!