Ishiyama Honganji
An unusual ancient fortress surrounded by a moat with water and squeezed into a stone ring of new buildings is the temple (or monastery) of Ishiyama Hongan—ji, the former abode of followers of the Buddhist school of Jodo-shinshu. It was founded at the very end of the 15th century, and at the end of the 16th century it was burned during a siege by monks who did not want to surrender.
Ishiyama Hongan-ji stood on the ruins of the imperial palace. Subsequently, the famous Osaka Castle was built on its ruins.
Osaka Castle
The symbol of Osaka was first mentioned in the chronicles of the 16th century. The monumental building on the top of the hill was erected by the unifier of Japan, samurai Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In the 17th and 19th centuries, the castle burned, by the 20th, only ruins remained of it. The building acquired its modern appearance in 1931 .
The castle has 5 floors outside and 8 inside. The central building is a classic new model, from antiquity — the Otemon Gate, Yagura towers, barracks and houses. The citadel houses a museum telling about the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and showing artifacts of that time. On the 8th floor there is an observation deck.
Universal Studio Park
The main theme entertainment park of Osaka — Universal Studios Japan covers an area of 54 hectares. It has several themed areas with attractions. In Hollywood, 4D films about Shrek and Sesame Street are shown, you can take photos with Monroe and Presley. In the “New York” zone, the main one is Spider-Man, there is also an attraction based on the “Terminator”. “Jurassic Park” is “inhabited” by dinosaurs (you can “fly” on one), “Minion Park” is a yellow people.
There are pyrotechnic shows in San Francisco. In the “Universal Wonderland”, the heroes of Hello Kitty, Sesame Street and Snoopy the dog entertain the kids. In the “Water World” there are demonstrative sea battles with a plane crash, and on the “Island of Friendship” guests are “attacked” by the main character of the film “Jaws”.
The Magical World of Harry Potter
This is another section of the Universal Studios Japan Park. Everything here is like in a favorite story about a young wizard: the forbidden forest with a broken flying car, express, Hogwarts and Hogsmeade with shops where you can buy a magic wand, a robe or a glass of real cream beer (alcoholic or non—alcoholic).
In the park, you can ride the ride “Flight on a hippogriff”, send a themed postcard to your family, fly on a broom (simulator) and look into areas that are not in the American parks of Harry Potter — “The Life of Owls” and “The Black Lake of Hogwarts Castle”.
Universal Citywalk Osaka
The Universal Citywalk shopping and entertainment universe is located across the street from the Universal Studios Amusement Park. The Japanese call it the island of the USA in Japan: the labyrinths of shops of characteristic design are hung with bright signs, all kinds of shows are held in entertainment areas, a very large place is reserved for restaurants of European, American, Asian, Japanese cuisines. One of the shops is packed to the brim with souvenirs with the heroes of the Universal Studios amusement park.
Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum
A museum dedicated to instant noodles (ramen) could have been invented only in Japan, the birthplace of the popular product. The museum is named after the creator of ramen — Momofuku Ando and tells the story of the dish’s appearance. There are all kinds of labels and packages of noodles in the expositions on several floors. Also, museum visitors can visit the factory for the production of ramen, create their own version of the label and dishes. Films about ramen are shown in the theater at the museum, and noodles are tasted with different ingredients in the tasting room.
Science Museum
The four—storey Science Museum is highly specialized: its themes are space, chemistry, energy. It was opened in 1989 in one of the former premises of Osaka University, where physicist Hideki Yukawa worked on the theory of mesons, which earned him the Nobel Prize.
The museum’s collection includes pre—war instruments, the first Japanese planetarium. Expositions about chemistry tell about plastic, fiber and other substances, expositions about energy and electricity — about everything related to electrical, nuclear and thermal energy. The museum staff invites you to participate in scientific experiments with batteries, fireworks, etc.
The most popular “department” of the Science Museum is the renovated planetarium, the 7th largest in the world.
International Museum of Art
The Osaka International Museum of Art (NMAO) is relatively young — it is just over 40 years old. For the first time he opened it a few kilometers from the former place. Its predecessor was the gallery built for the Expo-70 exhibition. The room where it was located became outdated, and NMAO was moved to a new location and a new building.
The upper part of the structure is made of thin metal pipes and looks like a reed swaying in the wind. There are more than 2000 art objects inside: engravings, sketches, posters, paintings, furniture. The authors are mainly Japanese, from the world’s great figures — Pablo Picasso, Paul Cezanne, Max Ernst.
Namba Parks
The Namba Parks Multipurpose Center is an excellent example of a modern, and most importantly, nature—friendly design (despite the fact that the facility is located in the center of Osaka, away from the islands of greenery). The complex consists of a 149-meter office tower and a 9-storey shopping and entertainment center located at its foot. From the outside, the center is decorated in the form of stepped terraces planted with trees, and its internal corridors look like passages in the rocks.
Namba Parks has clothing and accessories stores, cafes and restaurants, venues for performances of artists, a cinema.
Rinku Gate Tower
This building is the main skyscraper of Osaka, one of the highest in Japan (256 m, 56 floors). It’s not too beautiful, but it’s functional: this is a hotel, an international conference hall, an office center. In addition, the Rinku Gate Tower is connected by a bridge to Osaka Airport, and right next to the skyscraper is the Rinku Tower railway station.
On the 26th floor there is an observation deck, from where you can see the Sky Gate Bridge, the Ferris wheel, the ocean and the city. On the 28th floor there is the highest beer garden in Japan.