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Introduction
Osaka is the second largest city in Japan where you will be
fascinated its unique scenery. Kita is the northern business part
of this highly developed town, while Minami, the southern part,
is known for its bustling entertainment centers which blaze at
night with neon lights. Tennoji area will give you the atmosphere
of downtown Osaka. And Osaka-jo Castle area is famous for its
historical sites. Nakano-shima, on the other hand, is a small
westernized island.
In addition to these of 5 major districts, the bay areas such
as Tempo-zan, Nanko and Maishima, which will hold the 2008 Olympics,
have been developing remarkably as futuristic cities. Now, Osaka
is well prepared for the 2008 Olympics. Kansai International Airport,
OCAT (Osaka City Air Terminal), Osaka Dome and other exciting
attractions are there for you to explore in Osaka.
Attraction Guide
Osaka Municipal Museum of Art
This museum is located within Tennoji Koen park and exhibits many
collections of Chinese paintings and the works of Ogata Korin
(an artist of middle of Yedo period). In addition to its permanent
collections, this museum also displays special and public art
collections.
Admission: 300 yen / Open 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., closed Mondays and
the days after holidays / 06-771-4874
* 5-min. walk from the Tennoji subway station.
Museum
of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka
The museum displays 1,300 pieces of oriental indigo ceramics and
pottery. These ceramics and pottery were produced in China and
Korea in ancient times. The two national treasures and the thirteen
important cultural assets of Japan included in this museum are
worth checking out.
Admission: 500 yen / Open 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., closed Mondays and
the days after holidays / 06-223-0055
* 5-min. walk from the Keihan-yodoya-bashi subway station.
Wahha Kamigata
This entertainment museum specializes in Kamigata entertainment
displays such as rakugo (a popular entertainment), manzai (a cross-talk
comedy) and , shin-kigeki (a comedy show).
Admission: 800 yen / Open weekdays 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., holidays
10 a.m. - 8 p.m., closed every second and fourth Mondays and the
days after holidays / 06-631-0884
* 5-min. walk from the Namba subway station and the Kintetsu-Nankai-namba
Station.
Suntry Museum Tempo-zan
This museum exhibits various kinds of collections such as posters
from other countries or glass art objects. The collections are
changed monthly or seasonally. The giant 3-D IMAX theater here
is definitely worth experiencing.
Admission: 950 yen for Gallery / Open 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., 1,000
yen for theater / Open 11:00 a.m. - 8 p.m., closed Mondays and
the days after holidays / 06-577-0001
* 5-min. walk from the Osaka-ko subway station.
Fujita
Art Museum
This museum exhibits antiques, tea ceremony utensils and over
5,000 other items which belonged to Baron Fujita's family. There
are also nine Japanese national treasures and 45 important assets
within the collection including the scroll of the Murasaki Shikibu
diary. You can also admire its beautiful Japanese garden.
Admission: 700 yen / Open 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (only from the middle
of March through the beginning of June and from the middle of
September through the beginning of December), closed Mondays and
the days after holidays / 06-351-0582
* 5-min. walk from JR Kata-machi Station.
Manno Art
Museum
Visitors can look at Japanese and oriental paintings, lacquered
wares, ceramics, dyed fabrics, and tea ceremony utensils here.
The museum also has a tea-ceremony room although it is located
on the top floor of a business building.
Admission: 500 yen / Open 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (only from the middle
of March through the beginning of July and from the middle of
September through late of December), closed Mondays and the days
after holidays / 06-212-1517
* 3-min. walk from the Shinsai-bashi subway station.
Transportation
By
Air
From Tokyo
Tokyo (Haneda) - Kansai International Airport: 1 hr. 15 min.
From Sapporo
Sapporo (Chitose) - Kansai International Airport: 1 hr. 55 min.
From Sendai
Sendai - Kansai International Airport: 1 hr. 20 min.
From Tokushima
Tokushima - Kansai International Airport: 30 min.
From Fukuoka
Fukuoka - Kansai International Airport: 55 min.
From Kansai International Airport into the city
JR Hanwa-sen Line "Tokkyu Haruka" - Tennoji: 30 min.
JR Hanwa-sen Line "Tokkyu Haruka" - Shin-osaka: 50 min.
JR Kanku-kaisoku - JR Namba: 1 hr.
Nankai Dentetsu "Tokkyu Rapid" - JR Namba: 30 min.
By Limousine Bus
From Kansai International Airport
Osaka Station: 1 hr.
Shin-umeda City: 1 hr. 15 min.
Shinsai-bashi: 1 hr. 10 min.
and connected with other 10 major terminals
Kansai
International Airport
Kansai International Airport was opened in September of 1994 and
is Japan's only 24-hour international airport. This airport handles
some domestic but mostly international flights. The facilities
in this airport are convenient and well organized for the passengers
and visitors. The JR-sen and Nankai-sen Lines offer transportation
to Osaka from the airport. Hotels and shopping are also available
at the airport.
OCAT (Osaka City Air Terminal) was opened in March of 1997 at
Minami
Passengers of international flights are able to check in ahead
of time at OCAT and enjoy a baggage-free trip. OCAT(see the photograph)
is composed of a building with 6 stories above ground and 2 floors
below. JR Namba Station is located in the 2nd basement. The first
basement is an underground passage which is directly connected
to subway "Namba Station". In addition to those transportation
systems, you can travel to 24 major cities all over Japan by express
bus from the 2nd floor bus terminal. Also, there are various kinds
of services available such as the Visitor's Information Center,
Tourist Lobby, Internet Access, foreign embassies, shops, restaurants,
banks, a post office, and more.
By Train
From Tokyo
Tokyo (Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen "Hikari") - Shin-osaka:
3 hrs.
From Nagoya
Nagoya (Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen "Hikari") - Shin-osaka:
1 hr.
From Kyushu areas
Hakata (Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen "Hikari") - Shin-osaka:
3 hrs. 40 min.
Osaka City Transportation System Subway and JR lines provide the
most convenient transportation within the city of Osaka. The "One
day Pass", which you can use to explore the areas of Osaka
in one day, is 850 yen for adults and 430 yen for children. |
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