Modern and very busy transportation station
by rmiya84778
Nankai Station, Hub of Osaka. The Rapido Express Train has route here that takes you direct to Kansai Airport. Taking this train can be memorable experiance. When you get your ticket. boarding begins at exact time and will leave at exact time. Very effiecent service! Seats very comfortable. At front of each car, there is tick-a-tape messages describing service, then when traveling news bulletins will be shown. In English and Japanese. Phone service available along with snacks on numbered trains only. This is where I will arrive from Kansai Airport. Takes about 45 minutes to arrive from Kansai Airport non-stop. I have so many memories of this station . So many good shops and restaurants.
Osaka Shopping is a BLAST!
by mikegr
If you happen to be wandering around the shops in the Nankai Namba area of Osaka near the Takashimaya department store, watch out for this rocket, for which there is no apparent reason.
It's very big, incredibly silly, ridiculously out-of-place. And typically Osaka.
Delicious Hot & Spicy Food Here!
by vic&michael about The Elephant Cafe
So, if you're in Japan, and you get a little sick of Japanese food, and you are looking for a lot of flavour and spice, go to The Elephant Cafe!! You can order Indian, Thai, Indonesian,.. they make many different types of hot and spicy foods! And, it is so delicious! You can also get cocktails, coffees, teas, wines, and juices here. I reccomend the Tom Yum soup (hot and sour, watch out for the mind-burning chillis in the soup!!), and the nasi-goreng (spicy fried rice with egg on top). Yum. Everytime I think about going to Osaka, I want to go and eat here.
Osaka Aquarium
by mikegr
A must see in Osaka is the Aquarium, located 5 minutes walk from Osakako station on the Chuo line.
The building is impressive and allows you to spiral down around a massive central tank and 13 others, enabling you to see the animals at different depths.
The entry charge of 2000 yen may seem a little expensive, but it is well worth it.
Try to get to the Aquarium in the afternoon during the week - school parties tend to have left by then - in the morning it can be a nightmare!
On my most recent visit i went at 6pm (the Aquarium is open until 8) - this left us just about enough time to get round the exhibits comfortably. the big advantage was that we had the place virtually to ourselves. The disadvantage was that the lights were dimmed on the penguins exhibit and there was no activity from them or the sea lions who also seemed to have settled for the night.
Peace Osaka
by Rabbityama
Peace Osaka is a museum dedicated to promoting peace through exhibits of war, namely WWII. It features a lot of information about Osaka city in WWII, particularly the bombings of Osaka, for locals and others who are interested. The main feature however, is the displays and videos about Japanese agression in China, Korea, and Southeast Asia. While the Japanese are often criticized for downplaying their own role in WWII, this museum has some graphic displays and the information does not glaze over anything. You can watch the videos in English. The museum also features information and some artifacts from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, ending with images from important historic events and people worldwide.
It is interesting to see a museum that is meant to showcase the negative things that its own nation did during war. I have not heard of any in the United States.
Entrance is 250 yen.
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National Museum of Art
National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku)
Tempozan Wheel
A View of the Castles' Square
