Osaka

[jamu]

Traveling to Osaka to visit a close friend.My first trip to Japan , any tips or guidance on what to see and do ?

[sdbri]

Originally Posted by jamu

Traveling to Osaka to visit a close friend.My first trip to Japan , any tips or guidance on what to see and do ?

See Kyoto, which is right next to Osaka. Walk around downtown Osaka at Umeda and you'll be sure to see some interesting stores.

I'd suggest you request an Osaka brochure from their tourist info department. I gave them a call (internationally), got someone who spoke English, and they mailed me a brochure in 2 weeks. This is your "menu". I could recommend a ton of places but don't know what you're interested in (ex. arcades, restaurants, shops, etc..). If you just want to see a little of everything, get the brochure and walk around all the top areas listed. That's what I did and it was a lot of fun!

[MMM]

Day trip to Nara and go to Nara Park and see the Great Buddha.

Minami (Namba and Shinsaibashi) is great for shopping and people watching. Go to Ame-mura in Shinsaibashi. The area around Nampa-bashi (the Glico sign) is also great for people watching, buying souvenirs, and most importantly, eating and drinking.

Depending on what your interests are, there is a great Aquarium and Train Museum. The Osamu Tezuka Museum isn't far in Takarazuka, and you might enjoy a day trip to Kobe.

What are you wanting to see?

[bELyVIS]

Himeji Castle is great to see. You can see many other locations used in "The Last Samurai" around Himeji.

[toshiaki]

I live in Osaka (Takatsuki city)

Nipponbashi 日本橋
If you are Otaku , go to Nipponbashi in Osaka city.
Nipponbashi is Osaka's Akihabara.
But Nipponbashi is not clean.

Koyasan　高野山
One of the most important temple in Japan.
About two hours from Osaka station.(By Nankai koya line)

Have a good trip
Thanks