Osaka pt.1

During my recent trip, I visited Kyoto - the city with the highest concentration of high-class monuments in all of Japan. However, just 40 kilometers southwest lies another large and well-known city: Osaka. While Kyoto is primarily visited for its historic temples, it makes little sense to go to Osaka for that purpose, as the vast majority of its temples have been destroyed, whether by earthquakes, fires, or wars. So what is this city known for, and why does it attract crowds of tourists? I’ll cover that in today’s post.

The trip to Osaka is on the same high-speed rail line as Kyoto and takes just a few minutes longer. In this case, the shinkansen doesn’t pass through the city center but stops at its own station, Shin-Osaka. To reach the center, one must transfer to the subway, which takes us over the Yodo River deeper into the metropolis. Osaka is a very large city - the third most populous in Japan, with about 2.7 million residents. However, when I disembarked in the Naniwa district in the evening, I didn’t feel that. The city seemed relatively calm. Nearby, I spotted one of the iconic points of this part of the city - the Tsutenkaku Tower. As I often do, right after checking in at the hotel and dropping off my luggage, I went for a quick stroll around the area. Osaka has a distinctly different atmosphere than Kyoto; it resembles Tokyo much more, with its high buildings and narrow streets. At times, the impression was almost overwhelming. The mentioned tower spotted ealier by me was located in the shopping district of Shinsekai, which unfortunately felt empty after dark. I encountered only a few drunk salarymen wandering toward the subway... During my walk, I quickly made a sight-seeing plan for the next day. The weather looked promising, so it needed to be taken advantage of...

In the heart of Osaka lies one of the city’s most famous attractions - the Osaka castle. Or rather, the reconstruction of the castle because, as mentioned earlier - most of the monuments in the city have been destroyed. Like many other Japanese castles, this one has a history of numerous repairs and renovations. Its final version was completed ~1995. What is interesting is that the reconstruction was based on photographs and paintings. This replica looks almost exactly like the original from the Edo period, but only outside. To prevent future fires or damage from earthquakes, the building is not constructed in the traditional way. Instead of wood, concrete was primarily used. However, not everything in such a large castle is a copy. The walls and remnants of the moat surrounding it are original. Osaka Castle and its formidable walls must have made a truly great impression. Speaking of the former glory - between years 683 and 745, Osaka was the capital of Japan!

Returning to the castle. The inside of the castle is now a museum. Like in many other cases, it is tourist friendly and both English and Japanese descriptions of museum artifacts are available. Photographing most exhibits is prohibited. What caught my special attention, were the old scrolls which depicted important battles and other historical events. The top floor of the museum features an observation deck. Naturally, a large castle wouldn’t be complete without gardens. Thus, in this case, green areas stretch around it, including a plum grove that must look spectacular during blooming season. The areas surrounding the castle are also very popular among runners - a running track has even been established around part of the moat.

Among the old monuments (if this castle can be categorized as one), Osaka also has two well-known temples, but after my earlier stay in Kyoto, I decided to skip them and explore a different type of attraction. One of the places that is frequently mentioned as a hallmark of Osaka is the Umeda Sky Building. As the name suggests, it is another place with an observation deck. However, this time, it isn’t just a tower. The Umeda Sky Building consists of two skyscrapers connected by an observation terrace with a distinctive circular opening in the center. The building was designed by Hiroshi Hara. Viewed from below, the structure appears quite unusual. Of course, there is a fee to access the top, but the view of the city sprawled around is nice. On the top floor, in addition to the observation deck, there is also a bar and a café, making it a popular meeting spot. There is also a special area for couples, where they can hang a padlock and take a commemorative photo. In my opinion, if someone, like me, has previously visited other similar sites or has limited time, this attraction can certainly be skipped. Of course, if you’re an architecture enthusiast, you may find this spot much more interesting.

Everything I have described so far includes attractions in the form of individual buildings, which do not quite capture the spirit of this city. If we want to see something that truly sets Osaka apart from other cities, it is best to head to two places - the entertainment district of Dōtonbori and the shopping street of Tenjinbashi. Here is where we can experience just how crowded this city can be, and it is the best place to get acquainted with Osaka’s famous street food.

Food is a topic I should have started this post with. Osaka is primarily known for its delicious cuisine. It is not a sected that Japanese people pay a lot of attention to food. No wonder, that Osaka is popular not only among foreigners but also among national tourists. The most well-known dishes are Okonomiyaki and Takoyaki. As you may notice, both dishes contain the word "yaki," which means to fry. In the first case, it refers to Japanese “pancakes.” The full translation of this name is not straightforward and roughly means “grill it as you like,” meaning that you can use almost any ingredient to create your pancake. Osaka’s Okonomiyaki is characterized by all the ingredients being chopped, mixed, and then fried together. The ingredients may include cabbage, other vegetables, meat, and even shrimp or pieces of octopus or squid. A very distinctive feature is the sauce used with it and often (but not always) the Japanese mayonnaise. According to the name, some restaurants in Osaka offer the option to fry it yourself - you pay for a bowl of prepared ingredients and then fry it on a hot plate placed in the table. There are also places where the pancake is prepared by a chef and placed on the plate just to keep warm.

The second well-known dish from Osaka is Takoyaki, which are fried balls of batter and octopus (Tako means octopus). Well-made Takoyaki are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They are prepared in a very characteristically designed plate with indentations for the batter. The chef must carefully (and quickly) turn the batter to form round balls, ensuring the food cooks evenly on all sides. Takoyaki is served with various toppings - sweet sauce, bonito flakes, mayonnaise, or powdered seaweed. A single portion of this dish typically contains 6 to 12 balls, which may look unassuming but can be quite filling.

Of course Osaka offers a much wider range of dishes - this is where omurice (omelet with rice) was invented. Also other fried dishes - kushiage and yakiniku, and also “pressed” sushi are popular here. And all this undoubtedly tastes best in small restaurants that are not a large chain establishments. Many such places can be found in Tenjinbashi and Tenma. Tenjinbashi stretches over two kilometers and is the longest covered shopping street in Japan. Walking through it is impressive, but delving into the small, narrow side streets filled with food stalls is truly an interesting experience.

The second place I previously mentioned is Dōtonbori. During the day, it may be intriguing, but it becomes spectacular only after dark. The abundance of screens, lights, and neon signs is so great that even at night, it’s as bright as during the day, if not brighter. Historically, it was a theater district; however, it doesn't look like one now. Crowds of people squeeze between bars, restaurants, game halls, shops, and “attractions” for adults. At times, the noise is so loud that it’s hard to pinpoint its source. Dōtonbori is located along a river of the same name. Crossing one of the bridges over it, you can spot the very distinctive Glico sign, a most famous symbol of this place.

"Glico Man" was first installed in this location in 1935, and while previous versions were made of neon, the current one is made from LED. Thanks to the diodes, the sign can be easily modified, which happens during various important events.

Of course, this is not all that Osaka has to offer. Such a large city boasts a much broader range of attractions, which will be described in the next post, coming soon!