Sightseeing
Sightseeing
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Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
Recreating the natural environment of the Pacific Ocean, Kaiyukan is one of the world’s largest aquariums, featuring some 580 species and 30,000 specimens. The huge “Pacific” tank houses whale sharks and manta rays, the aquarium’s most popular attractions. The tanks are extensive and suited to all tastes. For instance, in the “Aqua Gate” zone, visitors pass through a tunnel with tropical fish swimming all around them, while the “Antarctica” zone contains penguins.
- From our hotel
- 30 minutes by subway or New Tram
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Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle is one of Japan’s most noteworthy castles. From the observation deck 50 meters above ground, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the castle as well as the surrounding city of Osaka. Known familiarly as “Taiko’s castle,” Osaka Castle’s interior features displays of numerous relics from the life and times of its former occupant, Taiko Hideyoshi. Note: Taiko was a title for a regent
- From our hotel
- Train＋30minutes on foot・15 minutes by car
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Tsutenkaku
Translated literally as the “tower reaching heaven,” Tsutenkaku is a landmark of Osaka’s Shinsekai district. Many visitors go to the statue of Billiken (the “god of things as they ought to be”) on the observation deck to pray for luck in admission to school or fulfillment in love.
- From our hotel
- Train＋15minutes on foot
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Hozenji Yokocho
Despite its location in a bustling shopping area of Minami, a sense of traditional Naniwa (old name for Osaka) calmness pervades Hozenji Yokocho. The Chinese characters that make up the name derive from Kanbi Fujiyama in the west and the third-generation Harudanji Katsura in the east. Located across two east-west alleys 3 meters wide and 80 meters long, the area is filled with long-standing restaurants and bars, shops selling okonomiyaki and skewered meats, and leavened with the quaint sounds of foot traffic passing through cobbled streets. The area is the backdrop for Meoto Zenzai, a novel by Sakunosuke Oda, and the subject of a popular song, the “Moon over Hozenji Yokocho.”
- From our hotel
- 3minutes on foot
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Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Area
This area is lined with shops selling all manner of professional tools and accoutrements to support the thriving restaurant trade. As well as pots, kettles and dishes, the district provides nearly anything needed for the business, including shop curtains, lanterns, signs and food samples. Although traditionally aimed at professionals, many shops welcome general retail customers as well.
- From our hotel
- 5 minutes on foot
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Osaka Nihonbashi Denden Town
Nihonbashi is the “electric town” of western Japan. The town is filled with all manner of specialty shops offering everything from electrical appliances to personal computers, parts and audio shops for aficionados and shops selling figurines and small-scale production model kits.
- From our hotel
- 10minutes on foot
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Tombori River Walk
This event space and promenade emerged along the Dohtonbori Canal in the Osaka Minami area as an appeal to the city’s water-based history. Lanterns adorn the many eating and drinking establishments lining the canal, making an attractive backdrop for a sightseeing boat tour.
- From our hotel
- 5 minutes on foot
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Umeda Sky Building
Selected by U.K. newspaper The Times as one of the “Top 20 Buildings around the World,” Umeda Sky Building’s “floating observatory in the sky” is particularly popular with foreign tourists. Constructed of two linked buildings, the first basement floor houses Takimikoji, lined with food stalls reminiscent of the early Showa era. The edifice serves as a multipurpose facility, also containing offices, an event hall and a movie theater. The observatory on the communication floor linking the buildings at the top provides a 360-degree panorama from which visitors can look out over Osaka from a height of 173 meters.
- From our hotel
- Train＋30 minutes on foot
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Osaka Takoyaki Museum
A must-see recommendation by any Osaka local, the museum comprises five of Osaka’s most well-known takoyaki shops serving up everything from the most orthodox versions of takoyaki to somewhat avant-garde specialties. The museum offers anything and everything to do with takoyaki, whether to eat, see, buy or just enjoy—explaining events for which takoyaki is essential, offering all manner of takoyaki-related products and Osaka souvenirs, and providing displays of utensils and other items.
- From our hotel
- Train＋30 minutes on foot・25 minutes by car
