Famous places in Osaka

Dotonbori

The symbol of southern Osaka, it used to be a theater district and the birthplace of Osaka people’s so-called “eating and lying down” food culture. Dotonbori Street is lined with various restaurants and bars, and behind it is the historic Hozenji alleyway, filled with traditional Japanese pubs. Dunton Street is a long restaurant street with many famous snacks, such as Golden Dragon Ramen, Takoyaki, revolving sushi, puffer fish, etc. You can eat everything here, and the taste is really good! In Osaka, known as the Kitchen of Japan, you must not miss the food here. Dotonbori, located near Shinsaibashi, is the representative place to eat in Osaka. Here, the signboards full of various delicacies attract a constant flow of people every day. The most famous big crab signboard is the symbol of Dotonbori. Especially when night comes, the flashing neon lights are even more tempting. In Dotonbori, you can find delicacies from all over Japan. No matter what you want to eat, Dotonbori can give you the most delicious meal. Universal Studios (ユニバーサル?スタジオ?ジャパン) is located in the Osaka Port area and is the first Universal Studios theme park outside the United States. Most of the park's equipment and performances are transplanted from Universal Studios in the United States, providing a variety of rides and performances related to Hollywood blockbusters and TV shows.

Expo Commemorative Park

Located on the east side of Senri Mountain, it is the former site of the 1970 Japan World Expo. It covers an area of ??2.6 million square meters, with a large playground on the south side and a Japanese garden and natural cultural garden on the north side. In addition, there are also cultural facilities such as the National Museum of Ethnology, the International Art Museum, and the Japanese Folk Crafts Museum.

Osaka Castle

Located in the center of Osaka, it is regarded as a symbol of Osaka. Thirteen buildings in the city have been recognized as important cultural heritage by the Japanese government. The magnificent gates and towers built along the moat are particularly eye-catching. The eight owl on the roof of the castle tower, decorative ghost tiles, tiger-shaped reliefs, etc. are all made of gold plating. The Osaka Castle originally built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi was five times its current size. As a result of the investigation in 1959 (Showa 34), it was confirmed that Osaka Castle, built in the early days of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, was buried 10 meters below the castle tower, Ishigakibori and other places. The Osaka Summer Formation screen collected by the castle tower depicts the scene at that time. Because the entire castle was burned down in ancient wars, it was rebuilt by the Tokugawa family.

Osaka

After that, the castle tower and other buildings were completely destroyed by lightning and fire, and it was not rebuilt again until the Showa era. The 12-kilometer-long stone wall outside Osaka Castle used a total of 500,000 stones. These stones were mainly produced in Mount Ikoma and Mount Rokko, and traveled across the ocean from Shodoshima and the Seto Inland Sea. The castle tower rebuilt in 1931 is a reinforced concrete building modeled after the appearance of the castle tower in the Toyotomi period (5 and 8 floors). The 39.8-meter-high castle tower stands on the approximately 13-meter-high castle tower. From the observation deck, you can have a panoramic view of Osaka city. The 2nd to 7th floors of the castle tower are the museum, and the 7th floor analyzes the legend of the castle with the theme of "The Mystery of Osaka Castle".

Shitennoji Temple

Located in the southern area of ??Osaka, it was built by Prince Shotoku, a cultural hero in Japanese history. It is the earliest temple in Japan under the administrative jurisdiction of the government and is regarded by Buddhists as Osaka. Buddhist altar, many activities are held here every year. Shitennoji was built by Prince Shotoku in 593 and is the oldest official temple in Japan. The south gate, central gate, five-story pagoda, golden hall, and lecture hall are lined up in a row from the north to the south. This is the so-called Shitennoji style. , one of the oldest styles in Japan. The temple hall was destroyed by air raids and fires during World War II, and was rebuilt with steel bars in 1936 (Showa 38). There are several entrances to the temple. In addition to the south gate that was rebuilt in 1985 (Showa 60), there are also the west gate, the middle gate, and the east gate. However, judging from the layout of the temple, it is best to enter through the west gate. , the west gate (stone torii) was built in 1294 (the 2nd year of Einin) and is the oldest stone Myojin torii (archway) in Japan.