Fraser Residence Nankai Osaka

the ceremony in shrine Nr.1

by globetrott

I show you here some of my photos that I took in shrine Nr.1 while they had their ceremony. We really did not want to go there first, but we were again and again invited by the friendly people there to step in and take a seat, so we finally gave up our hesitation.
NObody there spoke any english nor did we know any word of japanese but their guestures were clear and their smile was as well.
We stayed there for 10 minutes before we silently left again.

Clean Subways

by shadowmon

Clean Subways in the area. no grime or dirt anywhere and very well lit even in the middle of the night (when there are no trains running) didnt see any homeless or thugs in the subways either.

It seems that a lot of hotels have direct links into their local subway system from the hotel directly, as I mentioned in the department store thing, If you are near a subway line, everyone seems to have an elevator going directly down to the subway.

Kaiyukan aquarium

by lowailing138

Kaiyukan aquarium has 15 tall tanks rising up 8 floors and each tank represents a different habitat such as the " Ring of Fire" and " Ring of Life", over 30,000 creatures can be observed in the tanks.

A view from the Skybuilding is worth seeing.

by worldkiwi

The Umeda Skybuilding is well worth a visit. It's just a short walk from Osaka Central Station and the Hankyu Station. Entrance is JPY700 for adults. On the open roof top you are 173m above Osaka and you have 360 degrees views. Just below the open deck there is the obilgatory cafe and shop. The unusual the elevators that you have to ride for the last part of the journey to the top (or first part going down), are a highlight.

OSAKA

by kimbee_vergara

The urban equivalent of the Elephant Man, OSAKA, Japan's third largest city after Tokyo and Yokohama, yearns to be loved despite its ugliness. It may well lack the pockets of beauty and refinement found in nearby Kyoto , but beyond the unrelenting concrete cityscape, Osaka is a vibrant metropolis, inhabited by famously easy-going citizens with a taste for the good things in life.

The handsomely renovated castle, Osaka-jo, dominates Osaka's heart just as it did centuries ago, while the venerable ***enno-ji and Sumiyoshi Taisha hark back to the city's past importance as a religious centre. In contrast, bizarre modern buildings, such as the spaceship-like Osaka Dome sports stadium and the fantastic aquarium at the Tempozan Harbour Village, thrust forth from the urban sprawl like shiny gems; they have recently been joined by a large-scale theme park, Universal Studios Japan.

Osaka also feels a more welcoming place for foreigners. It has Japan's largest community of Koreans and a growing gaijin population. There's also a willingness to face up to uncomfortable social issues, exemplified by the city's admirable civil rights museum, Liberty Osaka, which among other things focuses on Japan's untouchables, the Burakumin.

But what is really special about Osaka is its people, who speak one of Japan's more earthy dialects, Osaka-ben, and are as friendly as Kyoto folk can be frosty. Osakans may greet each other saying "Mo kari-makka?" (Are you making any money?), but they also know how to enjoy themselves once work has stopped. Whereas Tokyo has shut down its once thriving Harajuku band scene, Osakans still thrash out rock tunes by the castle every Sunday, while across town in Tennoji-Koen, you'll find entertaining al fresco karaoke song-and-dance shows. Downtown Shinsaibashi is an eternal fancy-dress parade of matronly shoppers and boozy bons viveurs, where bequiffed lads cast their nets for mini-skirted girls on the Ebisu-bashi (fishing bridge). In a city which cultivated high arts, such as Bunraku puppetry, the locals also have a gift for lowlife comedy; Takeshi "Beat" Kitano, the internationally famous film director, started his career as a comedian in Osaka, while "Knock" Yokoyama, another retired funny man, was elected prefectural governor in the late 1990s, before resigning over a sexual harassment case in late 1999. Osaka is also one of Japan's great food cities, but Osakans are not precious about their cuisine, a typical local dish being takoyaki, battered octopus balls, usually sold as a street snack.

If you want to escape Osaka's urban landscape and preoccupations for a day, take a trip out to Takarazuka, home of the eponymous musical drama troupe. As well as taking in one of the all-female troupe's glitzy shows, you can check out the imaginative artwork at the Tezuka Osamu Manga Museum, a showcase for local artist Tezuka, widely regarded as the god of manga (comic books).