Japan City Guides: Osaka

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Osaka

Bars, Restaurants, Clubs in Osaka

Osaka City Guide in Chinese

• Japan’s third largest city – 2.6 million in the downtown area.
• historically the merchant capital of the country.
• once known as the ‘Venice of the East’ for its network of canals.
• earthy and friendly, with a ‘work hard, party hard’ style.
• easy to navigate neon metropolis – bars, clubs, eateries & shops agogo.
• flamboyant fashion center with a street-style all its own.
• within an hour of Kyoto, Nara and Kobe.
• Economic engine of the Kansai (western Japan) region.

Things to see and do

Osaka-jo Castle (Kyobashi Station) bands in the park on weekends; Universal Studios Japan; Den-Den Town (electronics shopping area in Daikokucho), Umeda, Shinsaibashi and Namba for shopping and nightlife, Osaka Aquarium.

For a complete list of things to see and do in Osaka click here.

Tourist information centres in Kansai International Airport, JR Osaka Station (tel 06-6345-2189), Shin-Osaka Station (tel 06-6305- 3311), JR Namba Station under the OCAT train terminus (tel 06-6643-2125), Tennoji Station (tel 06-6774-3077).

-International ATMs OCAT Building, Namba; OPA Building Shinsaibashi.

See also
Kansai Time Out magazine (English language) www.kto.co.jp
Kansai Scene magazine (English language) www.kansaiscene.com

Osaka Nagai Stadium

Osaka Nagai Stadium is home to the J-League's Cerezo Osaka. Midosuji Line Subway to Nagai station - more stadium info

Nightlife & Eating Out

Nightlife areas: Umeda, Namba (Nanba), Shinsaibashi and America-mura.
Fine dining, cool bars, jazz and raucous clubbing - Osaka has it all.

Access

Air

9 flights daily from Tokyo (1 hour) to both Osaka Itami Airport and Kansai International. From Kansai International Airport to downtown Osaka in under an hour by JR "Haruka" train, Nankai "rapi:t" train or airport bus. The regular JR kanku kaisoku from Osaka station, Kyobashi, and Namba takes just over an hour and 50 minutes from Tennoji.

Train

Tokyo to Osaka by Tokaido Shinkansen Nozomi super-express (2 hours thirty minutes) or Hikari Shinkansen (2 hours fifty-five minutes) stopping at Kyoto, Nagoya and Hammamatsu. Heading south there are Shinkansen connections to Kobe, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Okayama.

Other rail connections to Kyoto (JR and Hanyku Lines from Umeda and Keihan Line from Yodoyabashi), Kobe (JR and Hankyu Lines from Umeda), Nagoya (Kintetsu from Namba & Tsuruhashi) and Nara (Kintetsu from Namba & Tsuruhashi).

The JR Osaka Loop Line (kanjo-sen) is one of Osaka's main rail arteries and connects with many subway and suburban lines, as well as being close to many of Osaka's main tourist sights.

Bus

There are day and night connections to most large cities in Japan including Tokyo, Nagoya and Nagasaki.

Ferry

Ferry services to Beppu and Miyazaki in Kyushu and Matsuyama in Shikoku. There are also ferries to Shanghai leaving Osaka Nanko twice a month.

Tourist Information

Osaka Visitors' Information Center
Tel: 06 6305 3311
JR Shin Osaka Station

Osaka Tourist Information Center
Tel: 0724 56 6025
Kansai International Airport

Book Hotel Accommodation in Osaka Here

Hotels in Osaka - Bookings
Hostels in Osaka - Hostelworld.com
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Hotels in Osaka - Precision Reservations

Book A Tour of Japan

Tours of Japan - Tokyo, Nikko, Hakone, Kyoto, Nagoya

Rent A Mobile Phone

Rent A Mobile Phone in Osaka

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Osaka Entertainment Guide: bars, restaurants, clubs