Osaka
Japan
- Safety rating
- 9.3/10
- Best time to visit
- Spring (late March–April) for cherry blossoms and autumn (October–November) for foliage and mild weather.
- Population
- 19.3M
Overview
Osaka is Japan's exuberant kitchen, a warm, gregarious metropolis famous for street food, neon-soaked Dotonbori, and a love of good times. Less formal than Tokyo, it pairs a grand reconstructed castle with buzzing arcades and comedy culture. Its motto might as well be 'eat until you drop.'
Top attractions
See Osaka Castle, the neon canals of Dotonbori, Universal Studios Japan, and the Kuromon Ichiba food market.
Getting around
An efficient subway and JR loop line, plus walkable entertainment districts, make the city easy to navigate.