Osaka, Osaka
Osaka City (Japanese. 大阪市; Ōsaka-shi) is the third-largest city in Japan, with a population of 2.7 million. It is located on the island of Honshu, at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay. The city is one of Japan's major industrial centers and ports, as well as the capital of Osaka prefecture.
It is a central part to the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.
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2 Attractions 3 Transportation 4 Geography 5 Demography 6 Economy 7 External links |
Osaka city was named originally Naniwa. In this name this area appears in
early Japanese historical documents. It is a connection by land and sea,
from Yamato area (today Nara prefecture) beyond the Western Japan
to Korea and China.
An ancient emperor Shomu settled
his capital, named Naniwa-no-miya (The Capital of Naniwa) and made his palace
and a big port. Also a guesthouse for foreign agents was built there.
The name Settsu has also been used, but this is in fact a former province of Japan, consisting of the northern part of modern Osaka prefecture and the seaside part of Hyogo prefecture.
In 1496 the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist sect set up their headquarters, the heavily fortified Ishiyama Honganji temple, in Ishiyama, today a part of Osaka. In 1576, Oda Nobunaga started a siege of the temple that went on to last for four years. The monks finally surrendered in 1580, the temple was razed and Toyotomi Hideyoshi took the place for
his own castle, Osaka Castle.
Osaka was called Ozaka (大坂) from the middle age until the premodern period. In the beginning of Meiji Era the government renamed the city to Osaka, which remains its name today. In those days Osaka was the second largest city of Japan and economically the most important, because most of the important markets, rice, exchange and so on
were there.
The recent city was designated on September 1, 1956 by government ordinance.
Tennoji district of Osaka
Central Osaka is divided into two sections: Kita (north) and Minami (south). The retail district of Umeda is located in Kita, while the entertainment area around Dotonbori Bridge (with its famous enormous motorised crab), Triangle Park and Amerikamura ("America Village") is in Minami. Minami is also home to the Shinsaibashi and Tenjinbashi shopping districts. The central business district, including the courts and major banks, is primarily located in Yodoyabashi and Hommachi, between Kita and Minami. Business districts have also formed around the city's secondary rail terminii, such as Tennoji Station and Kyobashi Station.
Osaka is known for bunraku (a type of puppetry) and kabuki theatre. Tourist attractions include:
Osaka regional cuisine includes okonomiyaki (a type of pancake), takoyaki (octopus dumplings), udon (a noodle dish), as well as regional sushi and other traditional Japanese foods.
Kansai International Airport is the main airport: it is a man-made rectangular island which sits off-shore in Osaka Bay and services Osaka and its surrounding satellite cities of Nara, Kobe and Kyoto. Kansai is the geographical term for the area of western Honshu surrounding Osaka. The airport is linked by a bus and train service into the centre of the city and major suburbs.
Osaka International Airport in Itami and Toyonaka still houses most of the domestic service from the metropolitan region: its proximity to the Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto city centers outweighs its noise restrictions.
The mass transportation system of Osaka is first-rate: Besides the subway system there is a network of both government (JR) and private lines connecting the suburbs of the city, and Osaka to its neighbours. Keihan and Hankyu line connect to Kyoto, Hanshin and Hankyu line connect to Kobe, the Kintetsu line connects to Nara and Nagoya, and the Nankai line to Wakayama.
The city was founded on April 1, 1889.
The people of Osaka speak a variation of standard Japanese called Osaka-ben, characterised by, most prominently amongst other particularities, the use of the suffix hen instead of nai in the negative of verbs.
Osaka people are considered by other Japanese to be rowdy and boisterous with a robust and coarse sense of humour, befitting people engaged in the commercial life of the region.
Historically, Osaka was the center of Japanese commerce, especially in the middle and premodern ages. Today, most major companies have moved their main offices to Tokyo, especially from the end of 1990s, but several major companies are still based in Osaka, including Daimaru, Hankyu, Hanshin, Sharp Electronics, and the West Japan Railway Company.
In additon, Matsushita (Panasonic) is based in nearby Kadoma.History
Attractions
Transportation
Geography
Osaka has following wards: Abeno-ku, Asahi-ku, Chuo-ku, Fukushima-ku, Higashinari-ku, Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Higashiyodogawa-ku, Hirano-ku, Ikuno-ku, Joto-ku, Kita-ku, Konohana-ku, Minato-ku, Miyakojima-ku, Naniwa-ku, Nishi-ku, Nishinari-ku, Nishiyodogawa-ku, Suminoe-ku, Sumiyoshi-ku, Taisho-ku, Tennoji-ku, Tsurumi-ku and Yodogawa-ku.Demography
As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 2,624,129 and the density of 11,857.79 persons per km². The total area is 221.30 km².Economy
