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Osaka | Kobe | Kinki Area: Nara | North Kinki | Kii || Kyoto
Osaka Castle and the
Twin 21 building |
Tsutenkaku Tower in the
Shinsekai district |
Tsubasa Makoto, one of the
stars of Takarazuka |
Osaka
After Tokyo and Yokohama, Osaka is the country's third largest city and the commercial
hub of western Japan. In the same way that those two cities seem
to merge in a huge metropolis, it's hard to tell where Osaka ends
and Kobe begins. But usually when people refer to Kansai, they
mean Osaka in particular. It has been an important port city since
the 7th century and also played a large part in the development
of bunraku and kabuki. As with most stereotypes, the one about Osaka people seems to
be true, as the city has a definite commercial buzz to it. The
main commercial area is known as Umeda, in the north around Osaka station. The Umeda Chika Center is
a huge underground maze of shops, markets and restaurants. In
the nearby district of Sonezaki Shinchi is Ohatsu Tenjin Shrine. It was the setting of the famous play Sonezaki Shinju, written by Japan's answer to Shakespeare, Chikamatsu Monzaemon.
The gingko tree-lined Mido Suji Boulevard runs 4km south, passing
through the popular Shinsaibashi shopping area, the Soemoncho entertainment district and the Dotombori area, which is full of theaters and restaurants. Osaka people
are often called kuidaore, meaning they eat until they make themselves bankrupt. Well,
this area has no shortage of restaurants to do it in. It's also
here that you'll find the Shin-Kabukiza theater and the National Bunraku Theater. Further south, in the Shinsekai district, is the 103m-high Tsutenkaku Tower, a well-known symbol of Osaka. The neighboring Tennoji Park includes a zoo and the Osaka Municipal Museum of Fine Arts.
In the east of the city is Osaka Castle, originally built in 1566 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the scene of famous battles between his son and Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1614~5. The extensive castle grounds also house the City Museum
and several surviving castle towers - the tower keep is a 1931
concrete reconstruction. Other points of interest include: Osaka Dome, completed in 1997 and home to the Kintetsu Buffaloes baseball team; Tempozan Harbor Village, a waterfront development; Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, one of the world's largest; Sumiyoshi Shrine, which according
to legend was founded by the empress Jingu in the 3rd century;
the site of World Expo '70 in Bampaku Kinen-koen, a huge park which is now a recreational
and cultural center; and Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, midway between Osaka and Kobe. Built in 1924
as Japan's first real stadium, the 70,000-seat Koshien is the
venue of the high school baseball tournaments and home of the
Hanshin Tigers baseball team.
A crab restaurant in the
Dotombori district |
The Shin-kabukiza
Theater |
The night skyline of
Kobe Port |
Kobe
Kobe is the capital of Hyogo Prefecture and one of Japan's oldest
and largest ports. The city compares favorably with Osaka, like
Yokohama does with Tokyo, in that it is easier to see on foot,
less crowded and more cosmopolitan. It has long had a foreign
influence and many western-style buildings can be seen in the
city, especially in the Kitano area in the north of the city. The Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 devastated Kobe but few signs of the damage remain. Kobe Port and the reclaimed Port Island are popular spots on the waterfront. The distinctive 108m-high
Port Tower is shaped like a tsuzumi drum and has an excellent view of the
city. For an even better panorama of the city and port, take a
cable car to the summit of Mt. Rokko. This view, especially after dark, is one of the most famous
in Japan. For shopping and going out in Kobe, the Sannomiya and Motomachi districts are best.
There are also some good onsen (hot springs) in the area, the most famous being Arima Onsen, 40 minutes by bus from Sannomiya station. The spring water from
Mt. Rokko is also the source of inspiration for some excellent
local sake. Towns like Higashigo, Nakago and Nishigo are known for their
breweries. About 20km to the northeast is the town of Takarazuka,
famous for its theater school. The girls-only, military academy-like
school turns out actresses for the theater company of the same
name, which puts on musical performances both at the 3,000 seat
theater here and at another in Tokyo. Fans of the company are
almost entirely female and when describing them the word fanatical
is not at all out of place. Kobe is also home to the Orix Buffaloes baseball team.
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