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JAPAN

Osaka

A city alive with flavor and fun.

Popular keywords#Architecture#Food, markets & local products#Local sightseeing & town walks#Protection from misfortune#Crafts & pottery#Culture & history#Art museum#Antique & Buddhist art#Museum
yusuke · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Kishiwada

Kishiki Jinja

The shrine into which the danjiri floats are hauled. Known for yarimawashi, taking the corners at full speed.

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Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert · CC BY 4.0 ↗
Osaka

Shitennoji Garan

The oldest state temple in Japan. It gave its name to the Shitennoji layout, running in a straight line from south to north.

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そらみみ · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
Osaka

Sumiyoshi-zukuri

One of the oldest styles of shrine architecture. Four halls, all National Treasures.

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Imperial Japanese Commission to the Pa… · Public domain

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Introduced by city, ward, town and village within the prefecture.

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OsakaShrines & Temples, Architecture · 51 entriesSakaiArt & Crafts, Museums · 9 entriesHigashiosakaShrines & Temples, Museums · 4 entriesIkedaShrines & Temples, Architecture · 4 entriesSuitaMuseums, Contemporary Art · 4 entriesMinohShrines & Temples, Nature & Scenery · 3 entries
FEATUREOsaka now (autumn)Midosuji Avenue and the surrounding hills take on autumn hues.See the feature 663highland · CC BY 2.5
Watch BunrakuExperience the refined puppet theater tradition that flourished in Osaka.Eat Through DotonboriSample takoyaki and okonomiyaki beneath Dotonbori's famous neon signs.Explore Osaka CastleTrace Osaka's history through the castle museum and expansive grounds.

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JAPAN GUIDE

Things worth knowing about Japan

No worries even on a first trip to Japan. Useful things to know, explained clearly.

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Q. What do people get wrong about IC cards (Suica, PASMO) in Japan?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete. The answ…

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Q. What do people get wrong about coin lockers and luggage forwarding in Japan?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete. The answ…

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Q. What do people get wrong about Golden Week, Obon and New Year travel?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete. The answ…

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REGIONAL SPECIALTIES

Meet the Japan you don't know yet.

It is not only the big cities. The regions are full of charm, and special experiences you can only have in each place are waiting.

Naniwa ShuzoItsuo Art MuseumMinoo Falls

Value Village

Japan's value, to the world.

Regional culture, tradition, food, sightseeing, nature and people. A directory that delivers the appeal of each to the whole world.

About Value Village
Value VillageLocal Value, Global Reach.
The photo is a generated image for concept purposes.

INSTAGRAM / 6

Official and local Instagram photos

Local governments, tourism accounts and local posts are shown with official embeds. Photos are not stored on Value Village; they link to the original posts.

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@maido_osaka_bobOpen post
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@maido_osaka_bobOpen post
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@maido_osaka_bobOpen post
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@maido_osaka_bobOpen post
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@maido_osaka_bobOpen post

THINGS TO DO / 6

Things to do in this prefecture

Choose from what you can only do here.

01Eat Through DotonboriSample takoyaki and okonomiyaki beneath Dotonbori's famous neon signs.See related entries →Carlquist, Sherwin John, 1930-2021 · CC BY 4.002Explore Osaka CastleTrace Osaka's history through the castle museum and expansive grounds.See related entries →肖红军 · CC BY-SA 3.003Stroll Through ShinsekaiExplore retro shopping streets beneath the landmark Tsutenkaku Tower.See related entries →Sakai Yayoi · CC004Cruise the Water MetropolisSee Osaka's bridges and skyline from its network of waterways.See related entries →Carlquist, Sherwin John, 1930-2021 · CC BY 4.005Watch BunrakuExperience the refined puppet theater tradition that flourished in Osaka.See related entries →CC BY-SA 3.006Walk to Minoh FallsFollow a forested valley trail to the scenic Minoh Falls.See related entries →Carlquist, Sherwin John, 1930-2021 · CC BY 4.0

NEED TO KNOW

At a glance

  • AirportKansai International Airport
  • ShinkansenShin-Osaka Station
  • From TokyoAbout 2 hours 30 minutes to Shin-Osaka Station by shinkansen
  • Best seasonMarch–May and October–November
  • Local specialtiesTakoyaki · Okonomiyaki · Kushikatsu
  • Typical temperatureSummer: around 29°C / Winter: around 5°C

See all 305 entries in this prefecture →

BEST TIME TO TRAVEL

What each season brings

LOCAL FOOD / 18

Local food

What people have long eaten in this place. We collect the dishes themselves, not restaurants.

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Takoyaki

Balls of wheat batter mixed with dashi, each with a piece of octopus inside, cooked in a special round-moulded iron pan.

Area：Throughout Osaka Prefecture

Source：Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau

Kushikatsu

Meat and vegetables on skewers, coated in thin batter and breadcrumbs and deep-fried.

Area：Osaka (Shinsekai and elsewhere)

Source：Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau

Hakozushi (Box-Pressed Sushi)

Sushi pressed into a square wooden mould with the toppings and vinegared rice layered inside.

Area：Osaka

Source：Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau

MICHI-NO-EKI / 10

Michi-no-Eki roadside stations

RestInformationLocal links

Rest facilities registered by Japan's national government. Each has parking and toilets open 24 hours, and by definition includes a facility that sells local products. This is where the making and the food of this prefecture can actually be bought.

  • ChihayaakasakaChihayaakasaka, Minamikawachi DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
  • Chikatsu Asuka-no-Sato TaishiTaishi, Minamikawachi DistrictRegistered August 1996Official site
  • Nose (Kuri-no-Sato)Nose, Toyono DistrictRegistered August 2000Official site
  • KananKanan, Minamikawachi DistrictRegistered August 2003Official site
  • Shiratori-no-Sato HabikinoHabikinoRegistered August 2006Official site
  • Izumi Yamaai-no-SatoIzumiRegistered May 2008Official site
  • Totto Park KoshimaMisaki, Sennan DistrictRegistered March 2009Official site
  • Aisai LandKishiwadaRegistered March 2011Official site
  • Okukawachi Kuromaro-no-SatoKawachinaganoRegistered April 2017Official site
  • MisakiMisaki, Sennan DistrictOfficial site

Source: MLIT register of Michi-no-Eki

LOCAL ACCOUNTS / 5

People posting this city's food

Japanese-language accounts that post this city's food, day after day. They are not made for overseas audiences.

These are third-party accounts. They are not affiliated with Value Village and this is not an endorsement.

CITIES & TOWNS / 22

Find by city or town

Sorted by number of entries. Start from the name of a town.

Osaka 51Sakai 9Higashiosaka 4Ikeda 4Suita 4Minoh 3Fujiidera 3Kawachinagano 3Kishiwada 3Takatsuki 2Kaizuka 1Habikino 1Katano 1Osakasayama 1Taishi 1Nose 1Sakai and others 1Tondabayashi 1
See other cities and towns（4）

INTERESTS / 13

Find by interest

Only the interests found in this prefecture.

Where locals eat!2 entries

HOTReservation requiredTasty

To the list Sumiyoshi Taisha · Carlquist, Sherwin John, 1930-2021 · CC BY 4.0

Shrines & Temples36 entries

Sumiyoshi Taisha ／ Shitennoji

To the list Minoo Falls · 663highland · CC BY 2.5

Nature & Scenery5 entries

Minoo Falls ／ Umeda Sky Building Floating Garden Observatory

To the list Dotonbori · Type specimen · CC BY-SA 3.0

Historic Districts16 entries

Dotonbori ／ Kuromon Market

To the list Mozu Kofun · 国土地理院 · Attribution

Castles & History2 entries

Mozu Kofun ／ Osaka-jo

To the list Sakai Cutlery · Gpwitteveen · CC BY-SA 4.0

Architecture22 entries

Sakai Cutlery ／ Osaka Castle

To the list Tsutenkaku · Sakai Yayoi · CC0

Museums16 entries

Tsutenkaku ／ Kaiyukan

To the list Kishiwada Danjiri · Stemu2000 www.stefansblog.com · Public domain

Art & Crafts25 entries

Kishiwada Danjiri ／ Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts

To the list Mozu-Furuichi Kofun · Asset utilitist · CC0

Contemporary Art4 entries

Mozu-Furuichi Kofun ／ Daisen Kofun

To the list Nakanoshima · Sakai Yayoi · CC0

Craft Experiences61 entries

Nakanoshima ／ Panasonic Museum

To the list The Garden Oriental Osaka · 聖石大戦ぶぅぶぅ · CC BY-SA 4.0

Culture & History10 entries

The Garden Oriental Osaka ／ Kaiyodo Figure Museum Miraiza Osaka Castle

To the list Tenjin Matsuri · jetsun · CC BY-SA 3.0

Festivals1 entries

Tenjin Matsuri

To the list Ezaki Glico Ezaki Memorial Hall · Bakkai - Bakkai撮影<レタッチ済> · CC BY 3.0

Food & Markets39 entries

Ezaki Glico Ezaki Memorial Hall ／ Ezaki Glico Osaka Headquarters

To the list Satsukiyama Zoo · pelican · CC BY-SA 2.0

Experiences47 entries

Satsukiyama Zoo ／ Rinkai Sports Center

To the list

HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights of this prefecture

From entries with clearly licensed photos.

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Shrines & Temples
Osaka

Sumiyoshi Taisha

Its four main halls are National Treasures, preserving sumiyoshi-zukuri, a building style from before Buddhism reached Japan: straight roofs with no upward curve. The way the Japanese built before Chinese influence survives here. Worship begins by crossing the steeply arched drum bridge.

See details

SMILE NEWS / 136

Smile news from Japan and the world

Stories that lift your spirits a little, collected with their sources.

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Osaka

Polar bear to move to Osaka's Tennoji Zoo

Ikoro, a 17-year-old male polar bear, will move from Ueno Zoo to Tennoji Zoo, likely between late October and mid-November. The aim is breeding with Hou, the zoo's 5-year-old female.

source: Tennoji Zoo
Patagonia National Park, Chile

Women rangers return Darwin's rheas to the wild in Chile

In Chile's Patagonia National Park, a women-led ranger team returned 13 Darwin's rheas to the wild in April 2026. Working with the Rewilding Chile Foundation, they care for the birds around the clock; surveys once estimated only about 11 to 15 remained.

source: Mongabay
Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe

New 210-million-year-old dinosaur species named from Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba shore

A new dinosaur species, Musango matusadonaensis, has been described from rocks about 210 million years old in Matusadona National Park on the shore of Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. The bipedal, not-yet-adult animal was about 4.5 metres long, and the find suggests Zimbabwe's dinosaur fauna differed from South Africa's.

source: Phys.org (The Conversation)

INSTAGRAM / OSAKA GOURMET / 2

Osaka's must-eat picks!

Restaurants to try now, from Tokyo's Instagram food media. Shop details are shown as posted. Tap a photo or name to open the poster's Instagram. "Halal certified" marks restaurants listed as certified on Halal Gourmet Japan.

CafeTasty
View on Instagram ↗
Horiuchi Kajitsuen Grand Front Osaka Branch (fig parfait) · Osaka · @kyon_tokiiroOpen post
CafeHOTReservation required
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Smørrebrød KITCHEN (Grand Green Osaka) · Osaka · @kyon_tokiiroOpen post

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INSTAGRAM

Explore on Instagram

Hashtags often used for this area. Each opens the tag page on Instagram.

#大阪府Osaka Prefecture

SEASONS & EVENTS

Seasons & events

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BEFORE YOU GO

Before you go

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Q1Q. What do people get wrong about IC cards (Suica, PASMO) in Japan?Q2Q. What do people get wrong about coin lockers and luggage forwarding in Japan?Q3Q. What do people get wrong about Golden Week, Obon and New Year travel?

TRAVEL

Transport & stays

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Photos of Osaka

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OsakaEnlarge ↗
OsakaLaitche · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image and source ↗Display size adjusted. The enlarged view shows the whole photo.

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yusuke · CC BY-SA 4.0