Osaka

Osaka (大阪) is the heart of Japan's second largest metropolitan area, as well as the entire Kansai region. It would be the capital of Japan today if not for a battle that was lost in the year 1600, and Osakans are still angry about it. This leads to Osaka often having a different way of doing things from Tokyo. Most people living in Japan have a clear preference for one or the other.

Getting There from Mie

Getting to Osaka by train is easy, with Kintetsu providing everything from Limited Express to Local trains. There are direct trains from Toba, Ise, Matsusaka and Nabari, and for those coming from other areas of Mie, you'll probably have to change at Ise-Nakagawa station (or Iga-Kanbe if you are coming from Iga). Kintetsu trains run to Kintetsu-Namba station, though some stop 2 stops earlier at Uehonmachi. If you want to link up with the JR Osaka Loop Line, then you'll want to get off at Tsuruhashi station and go up the stairs from the Kintetsu platform to the JR platform.

Getting Around Town

Once in Osaka, the Osaka Loop Line and the Subway can get you to pretty much anywhere you want to go.

• Subway map (to scale)
• Subway map (not to scale)

Food

Osaka is arguably the most delicious city in all of Japan, helped by the Japanese nickname for the city (天下の台所 tenka no daidokoro), roughly meaning "the best food under the sky".

Though the city is famous for things like takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and kushiage, the truth is that just about any single variety of Japanese food is available in Osaka cheaper and better than anywhere else in the country. One of the best reasons to go to Osaka is simply to eat until you drop.

Accommodations

• Capsule Inn Nanba

  Right near Nanba station exit 31 (3 minutes from exit 7). Relatively clean and cheap, takes both men and women.

• Hotel Raizan South

• Asahi Plaza Capsule Hotel

  Cheap and clean, accepts men and women, easy online reservation system. Location in Shinsaibashi's Amerika-mura.

• Hearton Hotel Shinsaibashi

  A nice business hotel in Amerika-mura.

• Toyoko Inn Shinsaibashi

  A nice business hotel in Shinsaibashi, part of the Tokoyo Inn chain. Easy online reservations.