Osaka, Japan

Population: 19,010,000 (2023 estimate; includes metro areas)

Area: 86.1 square miles (222.998 square kilometers)

Founded: 1889

Osaka, Japan, is the country’s second-largest city and one of the largest urban centers in the world. The capital of Osaka Prefecture, the city of Osaka boasts a population of roughly 2.69 million within the city itself and just over 19 million in the broader metropolitan region. One of Japan’s most important economic centers, Osaka first emerged as a key regional port during the Kofun period (ca. 300–538 CE) and briefly served as the imperial capital before eventually growing into one of Japan’s largest and most culturally significant cities. In the twenty-first century, Osaka was recognized as a major business center, a critical transportation hub, and Japan’s culinary capital. Osaka is also home to such notable landmarks as Osaka Castle and the Shitennō-ji Buddhist temple.

Landscape

Osaka is situated at the southwestern end of the Japanese archipelago at Osaka Bay on the island of Honshu. Located in Osaka Prefecture, the city lies at the end of the Yodo River, which empties into Osaka Bay. Comprising part of the broader Kansai region, Osaka is positioned adjacent to a number of other notable cities, including Kyoto, Kobe, and Nara.

Although the city itself is quite flat, Osaka is surrounded by mountains on three sides. These ranges include the Rokko Mountains to the north, the Ikoma Mountains to the east, and the Izumi Mountains to the south. Much of the surrounding area is seismically unstable and prone to earthquakes.

Given its geographic location, Osaka has a temperate climate with an average temperature of about 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius). Osaka also typically experiences a great deal of rain, with the city’s annual rainfall estimated to be around 56 inches (1,422 millimeters) per year. Much of the city’s rain comes during its hot, humid summer season, while its winters are usually cold and dry.

Osaka proper is divided into a number of distinct urban hubs. The most important of these is Kita Area, the city’s primary business and transportation district. Also known as Umeda, Kita is home to many hotels, restaurants, and shopping destinations. Osaka’s other major urban hub is Minami Area, which is a shopping and entertaining district home to much of Osaka’s nightlife. The Shin-Osaka Area is best known as the location of the bullet train station through which most people traveling from other parts of Japan pass through on their way in or out of the city. Home to Osaka Castle itself, the Osaka Castle Area is the city’s primary tourism district. Central Osaka Area is mainly an office district. Once a working-class neighborhood, during the first decades of the twenty-first century, Tennoji Area became a trendy urban district due to gentrification.

People

In 2023, the population of Osaka itself was estimated to be around 2.69 million people. According to the same census data, the broader Osaka metropolitan area had a population of approximately 19.01 million people. While the vast majority of Osaka’s residents are of Japanese descent, the city is also home to a large number of people of Korean and Chinese descent. In fact, Osaka is home to one of Japan’s largest populations of Zainichi Koreans, or ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan or have become Japanese citizens. The majority of Osaka’s Zainichi Koreans live in the Tsuruhashi district in the city’s Ikuno ward.

Many people in Osaka speak a unique Japanese dialect known as Osaka-ben. Although similar in many respects to hyojun-go, the standard form of Japanese spoken in Tokyo and most other parts of the country, Osaka-ben includes many words and phrases that are used only in western Japan. One of the most commonly encountered Osaka-ben words is “ookini,” which is essentially the local equivalent of “thank you.” When utilized as an expression of gratitude, “ookini” is commonly used in bars and restaurants to thank customers who have paid their bill. It can also be used apologetically to express being sorry for a mistake, or, in business settings, to express gentle refusal. Another unique word in Osaka-ben is “nambo,” which is an expression used to ask “how much” something costs in bargaining situations.

Culturally, Osaka is known in Japan as a center of comedy and other aspects of the entertainment industry, with its more relaxed culture often contrasted with the more formal atmosphere found in other parts of Japan. The city is also known for its remarkable culinary scene. Often referred to as the Nation’s Kitchen because of its historic roots as the former hub of Japan’s rice trade, Osaka has garnered a well-earned reputation as the country’s top food city. Osaka is home to more than two hundred restaurants appearing on the Michelin Guide for the city, as well as numerous Michelin-starred restaurants.

Economy

Osaka is a major economic hub and one of Japan’s leading financial centers. Most notably, the city is home to the Osaka Securities Exchange, the second-largest securities exchange in Japan. Hundreds of other stock exchange companies are based in Osaka and Osaka Prefecture as well.

Osaka has a diverse, robust economy that includes major businesses from many fields. The city is home to a number of multinational electronics corporations, including Panasonic and Sharp. Many skilled manufacturers in the pharmaceutical, chemical, machinery, construction, and food industries are also based in Osaka. The distribution industry, which includes trading houses, specialized trading companies, and department stores, and the financial and services industries also have a strong presence in the city. Many businesses that are part of high-tech sectors like communications, new materials, and biotechnology are also based in Osaka. Osaka is also counted among Japan’s top port cities and responsible for handling a large portion of the country’s annual imports and exports.

Thanks to its thriving market, Osaka is ranked as one of Japan’s and the world’s most economically successful cities. In 2021 Osaka’s gross regional product (GRP) was estimated to be approximately $181 billion, which meant that the city was responsible for about 3.7 percent of Japan’s total gross domestic product (GDP).

Landmarks

Osaka has many noteworthy landmarks and tourist attractions. Foremost among these is Osaka Castle, an iconic reconstruction of a sixteenth-century castle that once played a key part in Japan’s unification during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Rebuilt in its current form in 1931, Osaka Castle houses a museum and is neighbored by the Nishinomaru Garden, a sprawling lawn garden with hundreds of cherry trees, a tea house, and the former Osaka Guest House.

Another of Osaka’s major landmarks is Shitennō-ji Temple. Japan’s oldest Buddhist temple, Shitennō-ji was founded by Prince Shotoku in 593 CE. While the temple’s various buildings were destroyed by fire several times over the course of its long history, the current structure was built according to the original sixth-century design. Visitors may tour the temple grounds at no cost, but an admission fee is required to enter the inner precinct. Adjacent to Shitennō-ji Temple is the Gokuraku-jodo Garden and a treasure house where many of the temple’s paintings and other artifacts are on public display.

Osaka’s Sumiyoshi Taisha is the most prominent—and one of the oldest—of the more than two thousand Sumiyoshi shrines in Japan. Originally built in the third century, Sumiyoshi Taisha stands as a unique example of Sumiyoshi-zukuri shrine architecture. Sumiyoshi Taisha is ranked as one of Japan’s most-visited shrines.

In terms of modern tourist attractions, Osaka is best known as the home of Universal Studios Japan, the first Universal Studios theme park built in Asia. Since its opening in 2001, Universal Studios Japan has been one of Japan’s most popular amusement parks. Located next to the park is Universal Citywalk Osaka, which is a large shopping mall with numerous stores and restaurants, as well as several Universal hotels.

The Osaka Aquarium is another of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. Situated in the Tempozan Harbor Village, the aquarium displays a wide variety of sea life from around the Pacific Rim.

One of the most famous locales of Osaka’s vibrant culinary scene is the Kuromon Market, a massive covered public market in the city’s Minami section. The Kuromon Market is home to many shops where customers can purchase fish, meat, produce, and other foods. With a history that stretches back to the Edo period, the market is one of Osaka’s most beloved cultural institutions.

History

Osaka has always been one of Japan’s most important ports and economic centers. As early as the sixth century, the city was a hub for trade with China and Korea. Emperor Kotoku chose Osaka to serve as his capital in 645 CE and built the Naniwa-no-Miya Palace there. Through most of the fourteenth century, Osaka endured a long series of wars that might have completely leveled the city if not for the eventual construction of the Ishiyama Honganji Temple in 1496. Built to function as a fortress, the temple helped keep warlords away and protected the city from further destruction.

Osaka first gained special prominence in the late sixteenth century thanks to the legendary warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Upon unifying Japan in the aftermath of a long period of civil war, Hideyoshi selected Osaka as the home of his new castle. As merchants established businesses around the castle, Osaka gradually developed into a bustling hub of economic activity. In the early seventeenth century, shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu moved the Japanese capital to what would eventually become Tokyo. In doing so, he largely turned his attention away from Osaka, which meant that the lack of government interference made it possible for merchants in the city to thrive. As a result, Osaka emerged as Japan’s leading rice distribution hub during the Edo period. It was then that the city was first referred to as Japan’s Kitchen. It was also during this time that Osaka became home of the Dōjima Rice Exchange, which served as the epicenter of Japan’s intricate system of rice brokers. This system was something of an early precursor to Japan’s modern banking system. As a result, the presence of the Dōjima Rice Exchange further solidified Osaka’s standing as one of the nation’s leading economic hubs.

Thanks to its economic advances, Osaka was able to develop its own unique culture over time. For example, Osaka gave birth to new forms of art and culture that everyone was free to enjoy—something that was previously uncommon in traditional Japanese culture. Some of these new art forms included jorurui puppet theater, noh theater, and an Osakan brand of kabuki theater. Osaka also contributed significantly to the development of education in Japan. A school called Tekijuku, where students could study Western science and medicine, opened in the city in 1838. Later in the nineteenth century, Tekijuku alumni were instrumental in opening Japan to the world when the country finally ended its long isolation.

During the Meiji Reformation in the late nineteenth century, Osaka began to decline as Tokyo became Japan’s most powerful city. In an effort to boost its struggling economy, Osaka attempted to recreate itself as an industrial hub. Before long, the city was packed with factories that pumped clouds of thick black smoke into the skies. Choked by pollution, Osaka was soon referred to by mocking nicknames like “the City of Smoke,” or “Manchester of the East.”

Osaka’s reputation began to improve when the city was officially incorporated as a municipality in 1889. In 1903, Osaka became the first Japanese city to have a municipal streetcar system. Despite losing the title of Japan’s most populous city to Tokyo, Osaka continued to lead the country’s modernization. Unfortunately, the city suffered major setbacks during World War II (1939–45). Over the course of the war, Osaka was devastated by American bombing raids that often targeted its commercial and industrial districts. Once the war was over, however, Osaka quickly bounced back to once again become a major economic hub. Since that time, Osaka has consistently been one of the Japan’s most important and successful cities.

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