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Template:Japanese cityOsaka (大阪市, Ōsaka-shi) listenⓘ is a city in Japan, located at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshū. The city is the capital of Osaka Prefecture.

Often dubbed the second city of Japan, Osaka was historically the commercial capital of Japan, and to date the heart of Japan's second largest metropolitan area of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto, whose population is 19,220,000.

A unique title that the city of Osaka holds is the first place in Japan for day to night population ratio of 141%[1], a depiction of Osaka's economical and commercial centric character. While at night time the population ranks third place in the country at 2.6 million, in daytime it surges to 3.7 million, second only after Tokyo.[2] Also, Osaka is traditionally considered the "nation's kitchen" (天下の台所　tenka no daidokoro)[3][4][5][6] or the gourmet food capital of Japan.

History

A View of Osaka
File:Osaka in winter taken from bridge of Okawa River.jpg
Osaka from Okawa River

The beginnings - Kofun Period (up to end of 6th century)

Some of the earliest signs of habitation in the area of Osaka were found at the Morinomiya ruins (森の宮遺跡 Morinomiya iseki), with its shell mounds, including sea oysters and buried human skeletons from the 5 - 6th centuries BC. It is believed that what is today the Uehonmachi area consisted of a peninsular land, with an inland sea in the east. During the Yayoi Period, permanent habitation on the plains grew as rice farming became popular.[3]

By the Kofun Period, Osaka developed into a hub port connecting the region to the western part of Japan, as well as to Korea. The large numbers, and the growing of the size of tomb mounds found in the plains of Osaka, are seen as evidence of political power concentrating, leading to the formation of a state.[3][7]

Asuka and Nara Period

In 645, Emperor Kōtoku built his palace (難波長柄豊碕宮 Naniwa Nagara Toyosaki-no-miya) in Osaka[8], making this area the capital (Naniwa-kyō). The area which now consists of Osaka city was called by this time Naniwa, a name which still exists as the names of districts in central Osaka as Naniwa (浪速) and Namba (難波).[9] While the capital was moved to Asuka (in Nara Prefecture today) in 655, Naniwa has always been a vital connection, by land and sea, between Yamato (modern day Nara Prefecture), Korea, and China.[3][10]

In 744, Naniwa was once again named capital by Emperor Shōmu. Naniwa ceased to be the capital in 745, when the Imperial Court moved back to Heijō-kyō (now Nara). The sea port function was gradually lost over to neighbouring lands by the end of Nara Period, but it remained a lively transit of river, channel and land transportation between Heian-kyō (Kyoto today) and other destinations.

Heian - Edo Period

In 1496, the Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist sect set up their headquarters: the heavily fortified Ishiyama Hongan-ji on top of the ruins of the old Naniwa imperial palace. In 1570, Oda Nobunaga started a siege of the temple that lasted for 10 years. The monks finally surrendered in 1580, the temple was razed, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi took the place for his own castle: Osaka Castle.

Osaka Castle

Osaka was for a long time Japan's most important economic center with a large percentage of the population belonging to the merchant class (see Four divisions of society). Over the course of the Edo period (1603–1867), Osaka grew into one of Japan's major cities and returned to its ancient role as a lively and important port. Its popular culture was closely related to ukiyo-e depictions of life in Edo. Developing in parallel with the urban culture of Kyoto and Edo, Osaka likewise featured bunraku and grand kabuki productions, pleasure quarters, and a lively artistic community.

Modern Osaka

The modern city was initially designated in 1889 by government ordinance, starting up with an area of merely 15 km², overlapping today's Chūō and Nishi wards. Later the city went through three major expansions to reach current size of 222 km².

"Osaka" (大阪), Etymology

It is unclear when the name Ōsaka gained prominence over Naniwa, but the oldest usage of the name dates back to 1496 in a text written about the foundation of the Ishiyama Hongan-ji. At this time, the second kanji was "坂", instead of the "阪" used today. In the beginning of Meiji Era, the government changed the second kanji 坂 to 阪 because the previous one could, if the radicals were read separately, be interpreted as "(will) return to soil" (土に返る), which seemed a bit gloomy. This remains the official spelling today, though the old one is still in very limited use to emphasize history.

Geography

Osaka Business Park

The city of Osaka has its west side open to Osaka Bay. It is otherwise completely surrounded by over ten smaller cities, all of them in Osaka Prefecture, with one exception: the city of Amagasaki, belonging to Hyogo Prefecture, in the north-west. The city occupies a larger area (about 12%) than any other city or district within Osaka Prefecture.

The two most crowded centers of the city of Osaka are often called by their synonyms: Kita (キタ, lit. north) and Minami (ミナミ, lit. south). Kita is roughly the area including or surrounding the business and retail district of Umeda. On the other hand, Minami is home to the Namba, Shinsaibashi and Dōtonbori shopping districts. The entertainment area around Dōtonbori Bridge with its famous giant mechanical crab, Triangle Park and Amerikamura ("America Village") is in Minami. The traditional business district, including the courts and regional headquarters of major banks, is primarily located in Yodoyabashi and Honmachi, between Kita and Minami. The newer business district is the OBP, Osaka Business Park, located in the neighborhood of Osaka Castle. Business districts have also formed around the city's secondary rail termini, such as Tennoji Station and Kyobashi Station.

“The 808 bridges of Naniwa” was a famous expression for awe and wonder in old Japan, an almost proverbial adage which was known all across the land. “Naniwa” is the ancient name of Osaka and “808” is a large number that in Japan symbolizes the concept “uncountable”.[11]

View of downtown Osaka from the Umeda Sky Building

Shopping Districts

Wards

Osaka has 24 wards (ku), one more than Tokyo:

A crowd in Namba
Amerikamura
Shinsaibashi

Climate

Osaka avg taken at Chuo-ku, 2004 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Avg high °C 13.1 21.2 23.1 28.1 31.6 33.7 36.4 36.2 34.2 30.1 24.2 21.3 36.4
Average °C 5.8 7.9 10.2 16.4 21.1 24.8 29.5 28.4 26.2 19.0 15.2 10.2 16.5
Avg low °C -2.2 0.2 0.5 5.9 12.6 16.2 22.2 21.6 19.4 8.5 7.8 0.7 -2.2
Avg Humidity % 59 56 57 54 65 66 63 66 67 69 66 64 63
Rainfall milimeters 19.0 47.5 75.5 125.0 281.5 133.5 42.0 106.5 202.5 356.0 117.5 88.0 1594.5

Demographics

According to the 2005 Population Census of Japan, the city of Osaka has a population of 2,628,811, which is an increase of 30,037, or 1.2%, since the previous Census of year 2000, however, but much lower than its peak of over 3 million in the sixties. The population density was 11,836 persons per km². The number of households was 1,242,489, with an average of approximately 2.1 members per household. ately 2.31 members. There were 99,775 Registered Foreigners, with the two largest group being Korean (71,015 people) and Chinese (11,848 people). The largest portion of registered Korean is the 27,466 people residing in Ikuno-ward, where the so-called Korean town, Tsuruhashi, is located.

Commonly spoken dialect of this area is Osaka-ben. An example, among many other particularities that characterizes Osaka-ben is the use of the suffix hen instead of nai in the negative of verbs.

Economy

Osaka WTC Building

The gross city product of the city of Osaka for fiscal 2004 was ¥21.3 trillion, with an increase of 1.2% over previous year. This represents about 55% of Osaka Prefecture, or 26.5% of Kinki region. As of 2004, commerce, services and manufacturing are the three major industries, with respective share of 30%, 26% and 11% of total industry. The per capita income was about ¥3.3 million, 10% higher than that of Osaka Prefecture.[12]

Historically, Osaka was the center of Japanese commerce, especially in the middle and premodern ages. Today, many major companies have moved their main offices to Tokyo, especially from the end of 1990s, but several major companies are still based in Osaka. Recently the city has begun a program, headed by Mayor Junichi Seki to try to attract domestic and foreign in investment in the city. [3]

Major companies based in Osaka

See Category:Companies headquartered in Osaka.

Major factories and research institutes in Osaka

See Hanshin Industrial Region.

Transport

Air

Kansai International Airport is the main airport: it is a rectangular artificial island that sits off-shore in Osaka Bay and services Osaka and its surrounding cities of Nara, Kobe, and Kyoto. Kansai is the geographical term for the area of western Honshū surrounding Osaka. The airport is linked by a bus and train service into the centre of the city and major suburbs.

Osaka International Airport, laid over the border between the cities of Itami and Toyonaka, still houses most of the domestic service from the metropolitan region.

Rail

The Osaka Municipal Subway system is Osaka's extensive rapid transit system. The system ranks 8th in the world by annual passenger ridership, serving over 912 million people annually. Besides this, there is a network of both JR and private lines connecting the suburbs of the city, and Osaka to its neighbours. Keihan and Hankyu lines connect to Kyoto, Hanshin and Hankyu lines connect to Kobe, the Kintetsu line connects to Nara and Nagoya, and the Nankai line to Wakayama.

Culture

Museums and Galleries

National and Prefectural Museums located in the city of Osaka

Graffiti artwork found in the Amerikamura district

Municipal Museums

Other Museums

Theatres and Multi-purpose Halls

Culinary

Osaka is also known for its food, as supported by the saying "Dress (in kimonos) 'til you drop in Kyoto, eat 'til you drop in Osaka" (京の着倒れ、大阪の食い倒れ).[13]

Osaka regional cuisine includes okonomiyaki (pan-fried batter cake), takoyaki (octopus dumplings), udon (a noodle dish), as well as regional sushi and other traditional Japanese foods.

The Typical Osakan

Much can be said on how the people of Osaka are perceived by people outside of Osaka, especially Tokyoites. The bulk of these attributed features are usually just exaggerated stereotypes, brought about by the portrayal of Osaka people by Tokyo television and the almost extreme dominance of Osaka comedians in the manzai sphere. While the people of Osaka might embrace some of the stereotypes, and most feel a big divide between them and the Kanto Japanese, many will also be irritated how Tokyoites make fun of Osaka based only on what the Kanto produced TV programmes tell them about the city. A clear example of this was when Tokyo-based (but Shikoku-born) comic artist Rieko Saibara, who is known for her cynical works, made a remark on a variety show warning somebody going to Osaka that the tap water there is dirty and that they shouldn't drink it. What was only a remark in passing became a big deal to the Osaka Waterworks. They invited Saibara to Osaka to perform a blind test and see if she could distinguish local tap water from domestic and foreign mineral water. The blind test was televised, Saibara chose the Osaka water as the best. As a result, Saibara frankly apologized and said the Osaka water wasn't bad at all.[14]

Some of the common features attributed to Osaka people are being good at business, bustling with energy, happy, and outgoing.[citation needed]

It is said that to succeed in the Osaka food service business, the food must taste above-average, have larger servings than normal, be inexpensive and fast.

Being a big, business-based city, Osakans are thought of as always being in a rush. This image is exemplified by the typical Osakan not waiting for traffic signals to cross a street if there is no traffic, which is unusual in Japan.[citation needed]

Places of interest

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

Osaka is known for bunraku (traditional puppet theatre) and kabuki theatre, and for manzai, a more contemporary form of stand-up comedy. Tourist attractions include:

Amusement Parks

Parks

Temples, Shrines and other Historical sites

Sports Stadiums

Entertainments

Education

Public elementary and junior high schools in Osaka are operated by the city of Osaka. Its supervisory organization on educational matters is Osaka City Board of Education [13]. Likewise, public high schools are operated by Osaka Prefectural Board of Education.

Osaka city once had a large number of universities, but because of growing campuses and the need for larger area, many universities chose to move to the suburbs.

Osaka Prefecture's most prestigious university, Osaka University, is located in the nearby Suita.

Libraries

Sister cities, Friendship and Cooperation cities, and Sister Ports

Osaka has eight sister cities and relationships of various sorts with several others[15]

Sister cities:

Friendship and cooperation cities:

Osaka also has a number of sister ports, and several business partner cities.

References

  1. ^ "Population Census: I Daytime Population". Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. 2002-03-29. Retrieved 2007-03-28.
  2. ^ Counting Special wards of Tokyo, which is not a single incorporated city, for statistical purpose. See the Tokyo article for more information on the definition and makeup of Tokyo.
  3. ^ a b c d "Historical Overview, the City of Osaka official homepage". Retrieved 2007-03-22. Navigate to the equivalent Japanese page (大阪市の歴史 タ イムトリップ20,000年 (History of Osaka, A timetrip back 20,000 years))[1] for additional information.
  4. ^ Aprodicio A. Laquian (2005). Beyond metropolis: the planning and governance of Asia's mega-urban regions. Washington, D.C: Woodrow Wilson Center Press. p. 27. ISBN 0-8018-8176-5. {{cite book}}: line feed character in |title= at position 37 (help)
  5. ^ edited by James L. McClain and Wakita Osamu (1999). Osaka, the merchants' capital of early modern Japan. Ithaca, N.Y: Cornell University Press. p. 67. ISBN 0-8014-3630-3. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help); line feed character in |title= at position 12 (help)
  6. ^ Robert C. Hsu (1999). The MIT encyclopedia of the Japanese economy. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. p. 327. ISBN 0-262-08280-2.
  7. ^ "Tsuneko S. Sadao, Stephanie Wada, Discovering the Arts of Japan: A Historical Overview". Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  8. ^ "史跡　難波宮跡, 財団法人 大阪都市協会 (Naniwa Palace Site, by Osaka Toshi Kyokai)" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  9. ^ Also written at the time, 浪華 or 浪花 (same pronunciation). These are uncommon today but still used sometimes in purpose.
  10. ^ edited by Peter G. Stone and Philippe G. Planel (1999). The constructed past: experimental archaeology, education, and the public. London: Routledge in association with English Heritage. p. 68. ISBN 0-415-11768-2. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  11. ^ More About Osaka, Osaka City Government[2]
  12. ^ "大阪市データネット　市民経済計算 (Osaka City Datanet: Osaka City Economy)" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  13. ^ "Japan Quarterly, Asahi Shinbunsha 1954". Retrieved 2007-03-25.
  14. ^ "水道産業新聞　第４２２３号 (Water Industrial Newspaper No.4223)" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  15. ^ "Osaka and the World, the official website of the Osaka city". Retrieved 2007-03-28.
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