Osaka

Osaka Prefecture (大阪府 Ōsaka-fu) is in the Kansai region of Japan.

Understand

Osaka Prefecture covers the plains around Osaka and forms the heart of the Kansai region, with nearly 9 million residents. Along with Kyoto Prefecture, it's one of only two "urban prefectures" (府 fu) in Japan, reflecting the heavily suburban, densely populated nature of the region.

Tourist information site

Osaka Info is the official multilingual guide site, jointly run by the prefecture and the capital city.

Cities

• 1 Osaka - the city that gives the prefecture its name
• 2 Sakai - known for the Nintoku-ryō Tumulus, a giant ancient tomb
• 3 Ibaraki - North eastern suburban city
• 4 Ikeda - Northwestern suburban city
• 5 Kadoma - Northeastern suburban city; headquarters of Panasonic
• 6 Minō - Suburban city that lies in the north end of Osaka basin
• 7 Suita - Northern suburban city whose part of it comprises a part of the large "new town" of Senri
• 8 Takatsuki - halfway between Osaka and Kyoto, known for one of Japan's largest burial mounds (kofun) and the Suntory Yamazaki distillery
• 9 Hirakata
• 10 Toyonaka - Northern suburban city whose part of it comprises a part of the large "new town" of Senri
• 11 Yao

Other destinations

Nintoku Tombs in Sakai

• 1 Kishiwada
• 2 Sennan
• 3 Hannan
• 4 Tondabayashi
• 5 Fujiidera
• 6 Chihaya-Akasaka
• 7 Kawachi-Nagano
• 8 Izumi

Get in

• 1 Kansai International Airport (KIX ^IATA).  
• 2 Osaka International Airport (Itami Airport, ITM ^IATA).  

See

Kishiwada Castle

• Enter Osaka Castle, a reconstruction of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's castle (Osaka)
• Pay homage at the Nintoku Tombs, the largest burial mounds in the nation (Sakai and the southern part of the prefecture). There are a huge number of them, and 45 have been listed as a world heritage site by the name Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group: Mounded Tombs of Ancient Japan
• Marvel at the Tower of the Sun in Expo Park (Suita)
• Escape the city with a stroll to Minoh Falls (Minoh)
• Enjoy the exhibits at the National Art Museum (Osaka)
• Learn more about one of the inventors of the tea ceremony, Sen no Rikyu in his hometown and visit Nanshuji Temple where he studied (Sakai)
• Wander the historic area in Tondabayashi
• Visit the largest Yayoi culture museum and Yayoi village in the country (Izumi)
• Stare in awe at the tiger shark and other fish at the Kaiyukan Aquarium (Osaka)

Learn

There are a number of Japanese language schools in and around Osaka. Included among these are Japanese language programs offered by the YMCA and the YWCA.

Osaka has many universities, although its schools generally have less of an international reputation than those in Tokyo. Note that universities in Kyoto and Kobe are also close to Osaka.

• Kansai Foreign Language University (関西外国語大学 Kansai Gaikokugo Daigaku), better known as Kansai Gaidai, is located in Hirakata City, east of Osaka City and has exchange programs with a number of universities overseas.
• Kansai University (関西大学 Kansai Daigaku) has its main campuses in Suita City and Takatsuki City, in northern Osaka Prefecture.
• Osaka University (大阪大学 Osaka Daigaku) is the city's most prestigious university, dating back to the formation of the national university system in the late 1800s. It has two campuses in Suita and Toyonaka cities, north of Umeda.
• Kinki University (近畿大学 Kinki Daigaku) also being called `Kindai` is the biggest University at Kinki area. Located at Higashi Osaka-shi, North-east of Osaka.

Eat

Osaka is famed in Japan for its culinary delights. See Osaka#Eat for a rundown of the most popular dishes.

Drink

Yamazaki Single Malt is distilled at the Yamazaki distillery on the outskirts of Takatsuki, just across the prefectural line from Kyoto.