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Sightseeing Overview
It is interesting that in a city not short on enormous skyscrapers, a 400 years old castle (partly reconstructed in the 1990s) makes such an imposing impression. There is something primeval about the huge rocks making up the castle and its walls that visitors can hardly fail to sense.

Osaka Museum of History is located nearby and provides a fascinating view of the city’s development.

On the whole Osaka does museums and all kinds of exhibitions and displays very well, and the massive Kayukan aquarium down by the harbor is no exception. One of the world’s biggest aquariums, it is home to a massive whale shark as well as around 30,000 other sea creatures.

If you fancy a good overview of the city (and are not afraid of heights) head for the open-air Floating Garden Observatory on top of the Umeda Sky Building, 173m (567ft) above ground level. The views are magnificent.

Osaka Science Museum, with its amazing planetarium and various displays of peculiar physical phenomena, offers plenty of displays and activities to hold the interest of adults and kids alike, and so does Osaka’s Universal Studios theme park with its many rides, shows, guided tours, restaurants and cafes.

Visitors interested in Osaka’s temples and shrines should first of all head for the Simiyoshi Taisha Shrine, one of Japan’s oldest shrines and the most famous of the country’s more than 2,000 Sumiyoshi shrines.

Tourist Information
Shin-Osaka Visitors Information Center
3F JR Shin-Osaka Station
Tel: (06) 6305 3311.
Website: www.tourism.city.osaka.jp/en

Umeda Visitors Information Center
JR Osaka Station (Midosuji Gate)
Tel: (06) 6345 2189.

There are visitor information centers at Namba (tel: (06) 6211 3551), Tennoji (tel: (06) 6774 3077) and Universal City Visitors’ Information Center (tel: (06) 4804 3824) as well. Staff at all of these centers can help with information about transport, accommodation and the city’s many attractions. You can also pick up a copy of Osaka Guide at these centers, a bi-monthly guide in English with listings of festivals, events, concerts, exhibits, suggested tourist spots, maps and useful contact numbers.

Passes
The Osaka Unlimited Pass (website: www.lmaga-kansai.com/en) is a sightseeing card that offers unlimited use of trains and buses in Osaka and neighboring areas, as well as free admission to more than 20 popular sightseeing facilities in the region, and special deals at some 130 restaurants, shops and hotels. The pass is available for either 24 or 48 hours.

Key Attractions:

Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle stands tall on the Uemachi Daichi Plateau, the oldest inhabited place in Osaka. The castle and the walls around it form a massive structure. Indeed, with its tall walls (close to 30m/98ft) and wide moats, Osaka Castle is arguably one of Japan’s most imposing castles. There are eight roof dolphins as well as ornamental roof tiles and tiger-shaped reliefs, which are all gilded with gold. The parkland by the castle is very pleasant.

1-1 OsakaJo, Chuo-ku
Tel: (06) 6941 3044.
Website: www.tourism.city.osaka.jp/en/castle
Admission charge (castle), grounds free.

Osaka Museum of History
This excellent museum is located just outside Osaka Castle Park. Each of the floors represents a different period in Osaka’s history, except for the top floor, where the inside of the Naniwanomiya Palace has been recreated. Osaka’s 1,400-year history comes to life thanks to the creative layout and displays at this museum.

4-1-30 Otemae, Chuo-ku
Tel: (06) 6946 5728.
Website: www.mus-his.city.osaka.jp
Admission charge.

Osaka Aquarium ‘Kaiyukan’
The Kaiyukan is one of the largest aquariums in the world. A complex of 15 water tanks centered on a single huge tank holding 5,400 tons of water, it is home to 580 species and 30,000 marine animals from the Pacific Rim. The biggest tank even holds a giant whale shark, the world’s largest fish. This is an amazing aquarium that will fascinate both adults and children.           

1-1-10 Kaigandori, Minato-ku
Tel: (06) 6576 5501.
Website: www.kaiyukan.com/eng/index.htm 
Admission charge.

The Floating Garden Observatory
The observation platform of this observatory connects the two towers of the Umeda Sky Building some 173m (567ft) above ground level. The views of the city are fantastic. In bad weather, the open-air top floor is closed, but the views from one floor below are still great. The most scary bit is the escalator up the last five floors. It crosses over from one tower to the other, giving a strange sensation of moving into open air.           

1-1-88 Oyodo-naka, Kita-ku
Tel: (06) 6440 3855.
Website: www.skybldg.co.jp
Admission charge.

Osaka Science Museum
Opened in 1989, the Osaka Science Museum offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of science by focusing on what we know about the universe and the energy within it. Here you can learn about electricity, the size of the planets and your own reflexes. The museum’s planetarium is able to project 28,000 stars on one of the world’s largest dome screens (with a diameter of 26.5m/87ft).                      

4-2-1 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku
Tel: (06) 6444 5656.
Website: www.sci-museum.kita.osaka.jp
Admission charge.

Further Distractions:

Universal Studios Japan
Osaka’s Universal Studios theme park, the only one outside of the US, features rides and shows associated with Hollywood movies and TV programs. The park’s attractions include a Spiderman ride, a ‘Back To The Future’ ride and a Jurassic Park ride. The park also offers guided tours, themed restaurants and shops selling a wide range of souvenirs.

2-1-33 Sakurajima, Konohana-Ku
Tel: (06) 4790 7000.
Website: www.usj.co.jp/e_top.html
Admission charge.

Sumiyoshi Taisha Grand Shrine
There are more than 2,000 Sumiyoshi shrines in Japan, and this is the most famous of them all. Osaka’s Sumiyoshi Taisha is one of the country’s oldest shrines, established in the third century and hence displaying a kind of original Japanese architecture from the time before outside influences made themselves felt in the country’s buildings.

2-9-89 Sumiyoshi, Sumiyoshi-ku
Tel: (06) 6672 0753.
Website: www.sumiyoshitaisha.net
Free admission.

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