Osaka – Featured Destination

Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle and the pleasant park grounds surrounding it make for a relaxing escape from the city’s concrete sprawl. Ascend to the top of castle keep tower to look over the expansive castle grounds and neighboring skyscrapers. The original castle was built between 1583 to 1598 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who re-unified Japan in 1590 after a century of civil war. The current castle is a reconstruction of the castle the Tokugawa built to replace Hideyoshi’s castle.

Dotonbori
Dotombori is a symbol of the Minami Area and a mecca for the kuidaore food culture of Osaka. Dozens of restaurants line the Dotomborigawa River, and large famous billboards draw diners’attention. In one of Dotombori’s back streets, Hozenji-Yokocho, small restaurants are located along the stone-paved alley, retaining the flavor and atmosphere of old Osaka.

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
KWithin the Tempozan Harbor Village at the center of the Bay Area, you will find, housed in a structure of remarkable design, the Osaka Aquarium “Kaiyukan,” one of the largest aquariums in the world. Consisting of 15 water tanks centered on a single huge tank holding 5,400 tons of water, it is home to 620 species and 30,000 marine animals from the Pacific Rim-includin jellyfish, sea otters, dolphins, penguins, and even a pair of majestic giant whale sharks.