PRESS KIT OSAKA Downtown Japan OSAKA CONVENTION & TOURISM BUREAU OSAKA Tokyo PRESS CONTACTS Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau (Ms.) Aria AOYAMA: [email protected] GENERAL ENQUIRIES: [email protected] TEL: 06-6282-5914 (From overseas: +81-6-6282-5914) FAX: 06-6282-5915 (From overseas: +81-6-6282-5915) ADDRESS: 5F Resona Semba Bldg. 4-4-21, Minamisemba, Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0081, Japan CONTENTS INTRODUCTION SPORTS & LEISURE 4 Osaka: The Downtown of Japan 26 Outdoor Pursuits THE PEOPLE OSAKA WITH KIDS 6 Defining the Osaka Spirit 28 Family-friendly Entertainment FACT SHEET SPIRITUAL OSAKA 8 Osaka Facts at a Glance 30 Osaka’s Temples & Shrines KANSAI AREA MAP MONOZUKURI 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites 32 Made in Osaka GASTRONOMY POP CULTURE 12 The Nation’s Kitchen 34 Manga, Maid Cafés & Karaoke CULTURE DAY TRIPS FROM OSAKA 16 1,400 Years of Tradition 36 Exploring Kansai ONE YEAR IN OSAKA OSAKA: DID YOU KNOW? 18 Seasonal Highlights 38 Bite-sized Facts 48 HOURS IN OSAKA OSAKA NEIGHBORHOODS 20 Weekend Tour Suggestions 40 Exploring Osaka by Area OSAKA AFTER DARK TOURISM FACTSHEET 22 City Nightlife 42 Osaka Tourism at a Glance OSAKA ARCHITECTURE VISITOR SERVICES & OCTB 24 Osaka’s Iconic Buildings 43 About the OCTB PRESS KIT Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau 3 INTRODUCTION The Downtown of Japan Osaka, ‘the nation’s kitchen,’ is Japan’s friendliest city and the country’s top spot to eat, drink, and party. It is also as quirky as a city comes. To the naked eye of a tourist, Osaka is a kaleidoscope of neon lights, kitsch trinket shops, and giant plastic food sculptures, but there are many opportunities to get below the surface and discover more of Osaka’s true character and its centuries-long history. Osaka is many things all at once; a melting pot of Osaka is also known as Japan’s capital of enter- cultures, ideas, and personalities, all of which stems tainment. Many traditional forms of entertainment, from its history as a port city and the gateway such as Noh, Bunraku, and Kabuki were developed of trade in Japan. Osaka was the first capital of on the culturally fertile grounds of Osaka. The city Japan, established in the 7th Century. Since then, it is also said to be the birthplace of jazz in Japan. In continued to play a central role, serving as the key recent times, manzai comedy has been associated port city through which the finest of goods from with the Osaka region, and manzai comedians around Japan and the world were carried into the often speak in the Kansai dialect during their acts. later capitals of Nara and Kyoto. Naturally, because Osaka is heavily embedded in the booming world of its history as a trade hub, it became a diverse city of Japanese pop culture. Many of the big Japa- of different kinds of people from all kinds of places nese-pop-culture trends, such as Gothic Lolita, who brought different ideas, values, and treasures were born in the underground clubs of Osaka, with them. Many inventions that were birthed and made their way onto the streets of Tokyo and in and around the Osaka region, such as karaoke, subsequently around the world. conveyor-belt sushi, and cup noodles, have spread Osaka invites visitors from far and wide to throughout the world and become universally venture into the labyrinths of alleyways and back- popular. It is therefore no surprise that many know streets to discover the soul of this city. Osaka as the Treasure Box City. 4 Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau PRESS KIT A City of Merchants Historically the gateway of trade in Japan, the entrepreneurial spirit lives Monozukuri on in Osaka’s labyrinth of shopping A arcades, markets and the people Hub The Nation’s themselves Kitchen Osaka’s traditional manufacturing industries produce everything from With 91 Michelin starred traditional steel knives to hi- restaurants and 142 awarded a tech components Bib Gourmand, Osaka truly is an epicurean paradise FACES of OSAKA The Gateway The Melting to West Japan Pot of Japan, and Asia Osaka is the geographic center and hub of the Kansai area With communities of people which brings together economy, from all kinds of backgrounds history, and culture to create a A 24 Hour and cultures, it is undoubtedly region with diverse appeal Destination Osaka’s diversity that creates its unique charm Osaka can be accessed and enjoyed at any hour thanks to its 24-hour international airport. KIX handles 1,200 flights per week connecting to 67 cities in 20 countries PRESS KIT Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau 5 PEOPLE Defining the Osaka Spirit Osakans have their own swagger. Dare to compare them to Tokyoites and they will be quick to point out the differences. “Tokyo people are cool, impersonal and bureaucratic,” they might say. “We here in Osaka are warm and friendly.” It is true that Osaka’s locals are refreshingly outgoing and colorful, compared with their more reserved The Baseball Fanatic Ryuzo Moriyama (Owner of Gosakudon - an izakaya counterparts in Tokyo and Kyoto. The theory is that for Hanshin Tigers’ fans) it is because of Osaka’s history as a merchant city; Merchants consider everyone a potential customer “Despite the rivalry between the Giants and they don’t want to run the risk of losing anyone’s and Tigers, there’s a lot of love between business, so they go out of their way to be friendly. us as baseball fanatics. Baseball is about But what else makes them uniquely Osakan? Four camaraderie. Mix that with Osaka, a city people from five different walks of life explain what I love, and you have being a native of Osaka means to them. something special.” The Chef Takoyaki vendor Photo: © Celia Polkinghorne Photo: Osakans are outgoing, down- “ to-earth, and play by their own rules. That’s the best thing about us.” Photo: © Daniel Lee Photo: 6 Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau PRESS KIT Famous Osakans Hiroshi Ishiguro and Minoru Asada are well-known for making android robots. Asada is a Professor in the Department of Adaptive Machine Systems at Osaka University’s Graduate School of Engineering. Ishiguro has been developing robots for 12 years at Osaka University, where he is the director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory. Photo: © Jason Haidar Photo: He has created look-alike versions of celebrities such as storyteller The Entrepeneur Katsura Beicho and supervised the MJ, Fedup clothing store development of a robot for cross- dressing TV star Matsuko Deluxe. “Hip-hop is about freedom of expression, which mirrors our style here in Amemura. We like the American hip-hop look but give it our Godai Tomoatsu (1836–1885) was own flavor. That’s the true Osaka style, showing your individuality.” one of the students smuggled out of Japan’s Bakumatsu period in 1865 to study in Great Britain. He returned to become Japan’s leading entrepreneur of the early Meiji period. He devoted himself to industrial and trading businesses in order to develop Japan’s economy. He founded the Osaka Chamber of Commerce in 1880 as well as the Osaka Stock Exchange, serving as chairman at both institutions, and also a business school, that later became Osaka University. Tadao Ando is a self-taught architect born in Osaka. He has won many The Artist awards for his work. His architectural Grind Pencil style is described as the “haiku” “I saved money any way effect; the use of simple yet complex I could. I used all my design and emphasis on empty space spare time and money to highlight the beauty of simplicity. on creating art. Many Tadao Ando works that can be seen Osakans will make huge in Osaka include the Church of sacrifices to become Light, Chikatsu-Asuka Historical great at whatever it is Museum, Fukoku Life, and the House they want to contribute in Hamadera. to their community.” Photo: © Jason Haidar Photo: PRESS KIT Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau 7 OSAKA FACT SHEET OSAKA CITY 225.21km2 Area & ♂ 2,665,314 Osaka City OSAKA PREFECTURE Population 1,905km2 ♂ 8,865,245 With a municipal area of no more than 0.1% of Japan’s land area, the City of Osaka TOKYO contains the nation’s third largest population 2,191km2 Tokyo and the second largest number of employees ♂ 13,159,388 and business establishments. JAPAN Osaka 377,970km2 Prefecture ♂ 128,057,352 Economy (Unit: billion US dollars) The US 16,768 China 9,469 GDP Comparisons: Japan 4,899 World’s Major Economies / Regions and Osaka Germany 3,636 France 2,807 The GRP (Gross Regional Product) of Osaka City totals The UK 2,523 18,700 billion yen, accounting for 3.95% of Japan’s South Korea 1,304 GDP (FY 2011). Osaka’s GRP is comparable with major Osaka Prefecture 378 South Africa 351 economies, similar to New Zealand’s GDP. Osaka City 193 New Zealand 182 NOTE: • The Kansai region covers six prefectures: Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Wakayama, Nara and Shiga. • The figures of Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City are calculated on the assumption that their growth rates in 2011 are the same as the annual growth of the national GDP from 2011 to 2013. Source: The Outline of Osaka Economy 2015. Infrastructure Well-Developed Urban Infrastructure Located at the center of Japan’s land, sea, and air transportation networks, Osaka City provides an ideal environment for business, logistics, and tourism. Its sophisticated transportation infrastructure ensures excellent accessibility to and from not only major domestic cities but also cities in China and the rest of Asia. Aviation Shinkansen Expressway SAPPORO 1h 50mins 50mins 1h 2h 30mins NAGOYA NAGOYA TOKYO TOKYO 4h TOKYO FUKUOKA OSAKA FUKUOKA OSAKA FUKUOKA HIROSHIMA 2h 1h 6h 2h 30mins OSAKA 7h 30mins 8 Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau PRESS KIT Industry Greenfield Life Sciences Monozukuri Intellectual Cluster Kansai is one of the largest Clustered in Kansai are a large Monozukuri is the business The Kansai region is home hubs for the development and number of pharmaceutical- of ‘making things’.