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Osaka
*** Shopping-Tip: Osaka
Image:OsakaCastleM0783.jpg Osaka_Castle.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|300px|[[Osaka Castle.html" title="Meaning of right|300px|[[Osaka Castle">thumb|right|300px|[[Osaka Castle">right|300px|[[Osaka Castle">thumb|right|300px|[[Osaka Castle
Image:Location OsakaJapan.jpg thumb|right|300px|Location in Japan
{{nihongo|'''Osaka'''|大阪市|''Ōsaka-shi''}} {{Audio|ja-Osaka.ogg|listen}} is the capital of
Osaka Prefecture and the third-largest
Cities of Japan city in
Japan, with a population of 2.7 million. It is located in the
Kansai region of the main island of
Honshu, at the mouth of the
Yodo River on
Osaka Bay.
Osaka is the historical commercial capital of Japan and is still one of
Japan's major industrial centers and ports, the heart of the
Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area, which has a population of 17,510,000. The city's daytime (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) population is second in
Japan after
Tokyo.
History
Osaka city was originally named ''
Naniwa'' (難波), a name which still exists as the names of districts in central Osaka as
Naniwa-ku, Osaka Naniwa (浪速) and
Namba (難波).
Emperor Kotoku Emperor KÅ?toku made this area his capital, and named it Naniwa-no-miya (the Naniwa capital). It has always been a vital connection, by land and sea, between
Yamato Province Yamato (modern day
Nara Prefecture),
Korea, and
China. ''
Settsu Province Settsu'', a former province of Japan, consisted of the northern part of modern Osaka prefecture and the seaside part of
Hyogo Prefecture.
In
1496 the
Jodo Shinshu Buddhist sect set up their headquarters, the heavily fortified Ishiyama Honganji temple, in Ishiyama, today a part of Osaka. In
1576,
Oda Nobunaga started a siege of the temple that went on to last for four years. The monks finally surrendered in
1580, the temple was razed and
Toyotomi Hideyoshi took the place for his own castle,
Osaka Castle.
Osaka was called ''Ōsaka'' (大坂) from the middle ages until the premodern period. In the beginning of
Meiji Era the government renamed the city to ''Ōsaka'' (大阪), which remains its name today. In those days Osaka was the second largest city of Japan and economically the most important, because most of the important markets, rice, exchange and so on were there.
The modern city was designated on
September 1,
1956 by
City designated by government ordinance (Japan) government ordinance.
Attractions
Image:osakaaquarium.jpg Kaiyukan thumb|right|300px|[[Kaiyukan|Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan).html" title="Meaning of Osaka_Aquarium (Kaiyukan).html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|300px|[[Kaiyukan|Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan)">thumb|right|300px|[[Kaiyukan|Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan)">Osaka_Aquarium (Kaiyukan).html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|300px|[[Kaiyukan|Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan)">thumb|right|300px|[[Kaiyukan|Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan)
Central Osaka is divided into two sections:
Kita (北) (
north) and
Minami (å?—) (
south). The
retail district of
Umeda (梅田) is located in Kita, while the
entertainment area around
Dotonbori Bridge with its famous giant motorised crab, Triangle Park and
Amerikamura ("America Village") is in Minami. Minami is also home to the
Shinsaibashi (心斎橋) and
Ebisubashi shopping districts. The central business district, including the courts and major banks, is primarily located in
Yodoyabashi and
Honmachi (本町), between Kita and Minami. Business districts have also formed around the city's secondary rail termini, such as
Tennoji Station (天王寺駅) and
Kyobashi Station (Osaka) Kyobashi Station (京橋駅).
Osaka is known for
bunraku (traditional puppet theatre) and
kabuki theatre, and for
manzai, a more contemporary form of
stand-up comedy.
Tourist attractions include:
*
Osaka Castle
*
Kaiyukan (海�館) - an
aquarium located in Osaka Bay, containing 35,000 aquatic animals in 14 tanks, the largest of which is the world's largest aquarium tank, holding 5,400 tons of water and housing a variety of sea animals including
whale sharks,
* the
Shinsekai district and
Tsutenkaku Tsutenkaku Tower,
* numerous
amusement parks including
Universal Studios Japan,
Expoland, and
Festival Gate, and,
* for the sanitary-minded, the "
Toilets of the World" exhibit in the International Finance Center in
Osaka Business Park (OBP), located just north of
Osaka Castle park.
*
Osaka City Museum
*
Nakanoshima Park
*
Osaka Municipal Oriental Porcelain Museum
*
Osaka Municipal Science Museum
*
Osaka Public Nakanoshima Library
*
Osaka Central Public Hall
*
Amerikamura American Village
*
Shin-Kabuki-za
*
Namba Grand Kagetsu
*
Osaka Prefectural Museum of Kamigata Comedy and Performing Arts
*
Ten'noji Park
*
Ten'noji Zoo
*
National Museum of Art, Osaka
*
Shiten'no Temple
*
Sumiyoshi Park
*
Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine
*
Asia Pacific Trade Center
*
Osaka WTC Building
*
Hiromitsu Ishida's birthplace
*
Den Den Town
*
Osaka Dome
Transport
Image:Osakastation.jpg thumb|300px|right|Osaka Station
Kansai International Airport is the main
airport: it is a rectangular
artificial island which sits off-shore in Osaka Bay and services Osaka and its surrounding satellite cities of
Nara, Nara Nara,
Kobe and
Kyoto.
Kansai is the geographical term for the area of western Honshu surrounding Osaka. The airport is linked by a
bus and
train service into the centre of the city and major suburbs.
Osaka International Airport in
Itami and
Toyonaka still houses most of the domestic service from the metropolitan region: its proximity to the Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto city centers outweighs its noise restrictions.
Besides the
Osaka Municipal Subway system there is a network of both
Japan Railway JR and private lines connecting the suburbs of the city, and Osaka to its neighbours.
Keihan Electric Railway Keihan and
Hankyu Railway Hankyu line connect to Kyoto,
Hanshin Railway Hanshin and
Hankyu Kobe Line Hankyu line connect to Kobe, the
Kintetsu line connects to Nara and
Nagoya, and the
Nankai Railway Nankai line to
Wakayama.
Wards
Osaka has 24
Wards of Japan wards (''ku''), one more than
Tokyo:
Image:Umeda Sky building.jpg right|thumb|Osaka's Umeda Sky Building
*
Abeno-ku, Osaka Abeno-ku
*
Asahi-ku, Osaka Asahi-ku
*
Chuo-ku, Osaka Chuo-ku
*
Fukushima-ku, Osaka Fukushima-ku
*
Higashinari-ku, Osaka Higashinari-ku
*
Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka Higashisumiyoshi-ku
*
Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka Higashiyodogawa-ku
*
Hirano-ku, Osaka Hirano-ku
*
Ikuno-ku, Osaka Ikuno-ku
*
Joto-ku, Osaka Joto-ku
*
Kita-ku, Osaka Kita-ku
*
Konohana-ku, Osaka Konohana-ku
*
Minato-ku, Osaka Minato-ku
*
Miyakojima-ku, Osaka Miyakojima-ku
*
Naniwa-ku, Osaka Naniwa-ku
*
Nishi-ku, Osaka Nishi-ku
*
Nishinari-ku, Osaka Nishinari-ku
*
Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka Nishiyodogawa-ku
*
Suminoe-ku, Osaka Suminoe-ku
*
Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka Sumiyoshi-ku
*
Taisho-ku, Osaka Taisho-ku
*
Tennoji-ku, Osaka Tennoji-ku
*
Tsurumi-ku, Osaka Tsurumi-ku
*
Yodogawa-ku, Osaka Yodogawa-ku
Demographics
As of
2005, the city has an estimated
population of 2,640,097 and the
population density density of 11,894 persons per square kilometre. The total area is 221.30 km².
The people of Osaka speak a dialect of standard Japanese called ''
Kansai-ben Osaka-ben'', characterised, most prominently amongst other particularities, by the use of the suffix ''hen'' instead of ''nai'' in the negative of verbs.
About 118,000 foreign residents are registered in the city. Its 91,500
Korean residents are mainly concentrated around Ikuno Ward, where a famous Korean town, Tsuruhashi, is located.
Economy
Image:OsakaFromOsakaCastleM0742.jpg thumb|300px|Osaka Business Park
Historically, Osaka was the center of Japanese commerce, especially in the middle and premodern ages. Today, many major companies have moved their main offices to
Tokyo, especially from the end of 1990s, but several major companies are still based in Osaka. Below are some of the companies based in Osaka.
Major companies based in Osaka
*
Capcom
*
Daimaru
*
Hankyu Railway
*
Hanshin Electric Railway
*
ITOCHU
*
Kintetsu Corporation
*
Kansai Electric Power Company
*
Keyence
*
Matsushita (Panasonic)
*
Nankai Electric Railway
*
Nissin
*
NOVA (eikaiwa) Nova
*
Osaka Gas
*
Resona Holdings, Inc.
*
Roland Corporation Roland
*
Sharp Corporation Sharp
*
Suntory
*
Takashimaya
*
West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
Education
Public elementary and junior high schools in Osaka are operated by the
Osaka City Board of Education [http://www.city.osaka.jp/kyouiku/english/index.html].
The public high schools are operated by the
Osaka Prefectural Board of Edcuation.
Osaka city has a pretty large amount of
University universities, but fewer than Kyoto or Tokyo. Here is a list of some of the universities:
*
Osaka City University
*
Osaka University of Economics
*
Osaka Institute of Technology
*
Osaka Jogakuin College
*
Osaka Seikei University
*
SOAI University
*
Osaka University of Arts
Culture
Much can be said on the way the people of Osaka are perceived by people outside of Osaka, especially Tokyoites. The large bulk of these attributed features are in fact most of the time just exaggerated stereotypes, brought about by the portrayal of Osaka people by Tokyo television, and the almost extreme dominance of Osaka comedians in the
manzai sphere. While the people of Osaka might embrace some of the stereotypes, and most feel a big divide between them and the Kanto Japanese, many will also be irritated how Tokyoites make fun of Osaka based only on what the Kanto produced TV programmes tell them about the city. A clear example of this was when Tokyo-based (but
Shikoku-born) comedian
Saibara Rieko made a remark on a variety show warning somebody going to Osaka that the tap water in Osaka prefecture is dirty and that they should make sure they didn't drink it. What was only a remark in passing became a big deal to the Osaka Waterworks which invited Saibara to Osaka to perform a blind test and see if she could distinguish local tap water from Tokyo tap water and mineral water. The blind test was televised, but to the disappointment of Osaka Waterworks, Saibara did recognize the Osaka water. Nevertheless, an apology was stated and Saibara said the Osaka water wasn't bad at all.
Some of the common features attributed to Osaka people are being good businessmen, bustling with energy, happy and outgoing.
Osaka is also known for its food, as supported by the saying "Dress (in kimonos) till you drop in
Kyoto, eat till you drop in Osaka" (京��倒れ�大阪�食�倒れ). Osaka regional cuisine includes ''
okonomiyaki'' (pan-fried batter cake), ''
takoyaki'' (
octopus dumplings), ''
udon'' (a noodle dish), as well as regional
sushi and other traditional
Japanese cuisine Japanese foods. It is said that to succeed in the Osaka food service business, the food must taste above-average, have larger servings than normal, be inexpensive and fast.
Being a big, business-based city, Osakans are thought of as always being in a rush. People consider a waiting period of more than 5 minutes too long in most cases. They apparently also walk the fastest in Japan - at an average speed of 1.6 metres per second (surpassing even
Tokyoites who also walk fast at 1.56 metres per second).
Sister cities
Sister Cities of Osaka include:
*{{flagicon|USA}}
San Francisco, California San Francisco,
United States
*{{flagicon|Brazil}}
São Paulo,
Brazil
*{{flagicon|USA}}
Chicago, Illinois Chicago, United States
*{{flagicon|People's Republic of China}}
Shanghai,
China
*{{flagicon|Australia}}
Melbourne,
Australia
*{{flagicon|Russia}}
Saint Petersburg,
Russia
*{{flagicon|Italy}}
Milan,
Italy
*{{flagicon|Germany}}
Hamburg,
Germany
In fiction
* The
Ridley Scott film ''
Black Rain (film) Black Rain'' is set in Osaka.
* The Chairman's factory in "
Memoirs of a Geisha" is in Osaka.
External links
{{commons|Category:Osaka}}
* {{wikitravelpar|Osaka}}
-
Official City of Osaka homepage
-
Osaka Tourist Guide
{{Osaka}}
{{japan}}
----
Category:Cities in Osaka Prefecture
Category:Coastal cities
Category:Osaka
Category:Ports and harbours of Japan
af:Osaka
ar:أوساكا
cs:Ósaka
da:Osaka
de:ÅŒsaka
et:ÅŒsaka
es:Osaka
eo:Osako
eu:Osaka
fa:اوزاکا
fr:ÅŒsaka
gl:Osaca - 大阪市
ko:오사카 시
id:Osaka
is:Osaka
it:Osaka
ka:�ს�კ�
la:Osaca
nl:Osaka
ja:大阪市
no:ÅŒsaka
pl:Osaka
pt:Osaka (cidade)
ru:ОÑ?ака
simple:Osaka
fi:Osaka
sv:Osaka
zh:大阪市
{{Japan article}}
Articles related to the city of '''
Osaka, Osaka Osaka''' in
Osaka Prefecture,
Japan.
Category:Cities in Osaka Prefecture
Category:Kansai region
de:Category:Osaka
ja:Category:大阪市
{| align=center class="toccolours" style="clear: both; width: 80%;"
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{|
|-
| style="width: 40px;" |
| align="center" | '''
Osaka Prefecture Osaka Prefecture'''
| style="width: 1%;" |
Image:PrefSymbol-Osaka.png 40px|Symbol of Osaka Prefecture
|}
|-
! align="center" | Cities
|-
||
Daito, Osaka Daito | Fujiidera, Osaka Fujiidera | Habikino, Osaka Habikino | Hannan, Osaka Hannan | Higashiosaka, Osaka Higashiosaka | Hirakata, Osaka Hirakata | Ibaraki, Osaka Ibaraki | Ikeda, Osaka Ikeda | Izumi, Osaka Izumi | Izumiotsu, Osaka Izumiotsu | Izumisano, Osaka Izumisano | Kadoma, Osaka Kadoma | Kaizuka, Osaka Kaizuka | Kashiwara, Osaka Kashiwara | Katano, Osaka Katano | Kawachinagano, Osaka Kawachinagano | Kishiwada, Osaka Kishiwada | Matsubara, Osaka Matsubara | Minoh, Osaka Minoh | Moriguchi, Osaka Moriguchi | Neyagawa, Osaka Neyagawa | Osaka (capital) .html">Osakasayama, Osaka Osakasayama | Sakai, Osaka Sakai | Sennan, Osaka Sennan | Settsu, Osaka Settsu | Shijonawate, Osaka Shijonawate | Suita, Osaka Suita | Takaishi, Osaka Takaishi | Takatsuki, Osaka Takatsuki | Tondabayashi, Osaka Tondabayashi | Toyonaka, Osaka Toyonaka | Yao, Osaka Yao
|-
! align="center" | Districts
|- align="center"
||
Minamikawachi District, Osaka Minamikawachi | Mishima District, Osaka Mishima | Senboku District, Osaka Senboku | Sennan District, Osaka Sennan | Toyono District, Osaka Toyono
|-
|
{| width="100%"
|-
| style="width: 40px;" |
| align="center" |
''See also: Osaka Prefecture#Towns and villages Towns and villages by district''
| align="right" |
[{{SERVER}}{{localurl:Template:Osaka|action=edit}} edit]
|}
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*** Shopping-Tip: Osaka
