Hotel Nankai Nanba

Isshinji

by tompt

This temple has 'Okotsubutsu', statue of Buddha made of human remains. To produce such a statue the temple needs the remains of 200,000-250,000 humans. The ashes are powered and kneaded into the form of Buddha. Because this temple believes in worshipping the deceased, they decided to make Buddha statues of it. This way the remains are no longer out of sight in graves or cremation urns. The deceased are able to live in Jodo (the pure land), and from Okotsubutsu one can feel the deased closer to himself. The first statue was made in 1887, and after that every 10 years another one. In worldwar II the temple burned down and the statues were lost. After the war they have made another 6 statues now.
The adres of the temple:
2-8-69 Tennohji-ku
Osaka,
543-0062
From the ***ennoji cross the Tanimachi dori and after 5 minutes the temple is at your left.

Subways

by kevarms

Subways are the best way to get around Osaka. With a subway ticket you can transfer to any line. But be aware that if you transfer to a rail line (ie, not the subway) you need to buy another ticket. It's a bit confusing I'm afraid.
It's worth buying a one day pass (Y850)

Garden, Ring, Milky Way

by blacksnail

It's worth paying a visit to this place to see Osaka. I saw the harbour and lots of bridges. And catch the arriving aeroplanes. The elevator is scary, as there is nothing underneath it at 46th floors.

700Yen to get to the 46 Floors, and you can stay as long as you want. Coffee and cakes are not expensive up there. You can use the binoculars up there for free. Can see Osaka Castle using the binoculars clearly.

Osaka Aquarium

by OsakaHatter

This is one very very big fish tank. It's a well laid-out, interesting and informative centre, with a route that winds down around the aquarium, from surface creatures such as otters to the giant spider crabs in the darkest depths. Enroute you'll meet dolphins, penguins and the huge whale shark among others in a collection that represents much of the Pacific rim sealife.

Immerse yourself for a few hours - an honestly delightful way to spend an afternoon and probably one of the few must do activities in Osaka.

In my experience the best time to get there is mid afternoon during the week as the school parties seem to arrive in the morning while the weekends are characterized by swarming crowds.

The aquarium takes about 3 hours to walk around so this should allow you to finish just in time to see the often beautiful sunset across the bay.

I wish we had more time

by muratkorman

"The castle"

Unfortunately we were short in time with my wife to discover Osaka. All we could spare was half a day and we spent this limited time wisely in Osaka Castle. If we could stay longer I could have shared more tips with dear VT members, but my one and only tip will be about Osaka Castle. Still I can say that Osaka has much to offer to visitors who have more time than we have. And the castle... Don't miss your chance to visit even if you have a few hours.