Sumiyoshi Taisha, Osaka

Advantages: Landmark of Osaka
Disadvantages: None

...It is a famous attraction in Osaka and it is worth visiting. I enjoyed my visit very much because it is also a history museum. The original was built by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. However, it was burnt down during the war. The current castle is rebuilt by the Tokugawa Shogunate. There remains no single piece of stone wall from the Toyotomi period. The castle has 8 storeys of which the 8th storey is the observation deck. Every floor shows different stories of the castle and of Osaka during different periods. Do not forget to go to the Osaka Castle Park. On this big piece of land, there are a lot of structures that are recognised as Important Cultural Asset. For example, the Treasure House. It is open everyday from 9 am to 5pm (close Dec 28 to Jan 1). I recommend you to take the public transport there and do not bring your car... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Great place to eat, drink and be merry.
Disadvantages: Looks like another grim shopping centre.

...Osaka, my home for the last two years, is a city with two centres, North (Umeda) and South (Namba). Both have buisness and entertainment areas but Dotombori located next to Namba is the area most Osaka residents and visitors would associate with eating, drinking and a night out on the town. If you just walked down the ugly streets past Starbucks and MacDonalds you might think this is just a filthy hole in a crazy Asian city; but you would be missing out. Osaka is a friendly, earthy place and its beauty is not so much its architechture as its people. This is Japan at its least reserved and most welcoming. The centre of the area is a bridge, Ebisubashi, over the Dotombori river, from which you can see a wall of neon, including the landmark "Glico Man" an advert for an Osaka candy company which shows a man running in front of Osaka... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: A large open space in the centre of Osaka.
Disadvantages: Why not go to Himeji castle or Kyoto?

...TRANSPORT: JR Osaka-Loop Osaka-Jo Koen ADMISSION: 600yen (Children Free) HOURS: 9-5pm Osaka castle is a modern reconstruction. It still looks very beautiful from afar but if you want the feel of a genuine wooden castle, with hidey holes and sword marks, then two of the finest examples in Japan are a short train ride from Osaka: Himeji-jo is huge, was used as the setting for the film Shogun and is one of the most impressive sites in Japan, Hikkone-jo is smaller and close to the beautiful Biwa lake. If for some reason your visit to Japan is limited to Osaka city then Osaka castle is still worth a visit. Inside a castle is a museum about Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Japan's most famous warlord who used the castle as a base. The museum feels like a department store but is actually quite interesting if you can understand Japanese or have... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful