"Osaka is a very dynamic and bustling city, and one that plays host every year to a large number of visitors coming to conduct business, attend conventions, shop, dine, enjoy the many theatrical, musical and sports events, study and so forth. In recent years, facilities such as Universal Studios Japan and the Osaka International Convention Center have sprung up, attracting a great many people from overseas, and with high hopes that Kansai International Airport’s second runway will open for operations in 2007, Osaka is well on the way to possessing the infrastructure and attributes to become a major international tourist destination."

"With a host of ancient burial mounds, the remains of the seventh century capital of Naniwa-no-miya, Osaka Castle, and such traditional performing arts as bunraku puppet theater and Kansai kabuki, Osaka boasts a rich history and traditional culture. It is also a city of many festivals, both old and new, such as the Tenjin and Danjiri Festivals, and the Midosuji Parade. Moreover, busy city though it is, Osaka offers both sea and mountains close by, and with rivers and other waterways weaving through its fabric, it is also known as the City of Water. But perhaps Osaka’s greatest treasure is its inhabitants, famous for their humor and cheerful hospitality."

Osaka Tourism - Bringing the World to Osaka: A New Vision

"The Shiten'no-ji Temple was built late in the 6th century by Shotoku-taishi (Prince Shotoku), a son of Emperor Yomei, as a token of his gratitude to the Four Devas (Shi-tenno), the guardians for Buddhism and Buddhists, for responding to his prayer to let him overthrow Mononobe-no-Moriya, an anti-Buddhist administrator, in the 6th century."

With its middle gate, tower, main hall and lecture hall arranged from south to north in a beeline, which is known as 'Shiten'no-ji type temple layout' modeled after the then Chinese style of architecture, the Shiten'no-ji Temple typifies the Buddhist structures built in the Asuka Period from the late 6th century through the early 7th century together with the Horyu-ji Temple, a World Cultural Heritage, in Nara."

JNTO Website - Osaka - Shiten'no-ji Temple

1. Osaka Castle - Osaka's best known sight, although it's a concrete reconstruction that pales in comparison with, say, Himeji. Think of it as a museum built in the shape of a castle, rather than as an actual historical castle. Still, it's pretty enough from the outside, especially in the cherry blossom season when Osakans flock to the castle park to picnic and make merry. Open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily, adult admission ¥600 (Children up to middle school free). Closed at the end and beginning of the year. The park can be accessed on a number of lines, but the castle is closest to Osaka-jō Koen station on the JR Osaka Loop Line. Naniwa Palace Site Park or Naniwanomiya can also be found south to Osaka Castle Park (although it's one of Japan's oldest habitats and palace sites, today it's little more than an empty grass field where the outlines of Naniwa's palace foundations from around 643 AD have been partly recreated in concrete). Admission fee is only required to enter the actual castle, and entry to the castle park and surrounds is free.

2. Osaka Museum of History 1-32 Otemae 4-Chome Chuo-ku Open 9:30AM-5PM (on Fri 9:30AM-8PM) Closed Tue but on Wed instead if Tue is a Holiday (5min walk from subway Tanimachi 4-chome Station but also accessible via Osaka Castle or from JR Osaka-jō Station) An ideal place to learn all-abouts of Osaka's history. Enjoyable view over Osaka Castle and the OBP skyscrapers. Admission: ¥600

3. Osaka Science Museum - (walk from subway Higobashi Station or Yodoya-bashi Station, 500m and 900m to the west respectively) Closed on Mon and days after Holidays if not weekend. Big interactive activity center on several floors. Great for kids. Planetarium and cinema (with science films) downstairs. ¥600/300.

4. Umeda Sky Building - 1-1-20 Oyodonaka, Kita-ku (10 min on foot from JR Osaka or Hankyu Umeda), Built in an attempt to upgrade Osaka's somewhat downbeat Kita district, the project wasn't quite the hoped-for commercial success but this bizarrely shaped 40-story, 173-meter building is still a city landmark. Take the escalator through midair to the rooftop observatory for an open-air view of Osaka, which is particularly impressive on a clear night. Observatory admission ¥700, open 10 AM to 10:30 PM daily (entry until 10 PM, varies by season). The basement features a recreation of a Meiji-era street, with a few small restaurants and bars in appropriate style.

5. Sumiyoshi Shrine is one of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines, with a history stretching back 1800 years. Its traditional architecture is unusual amongst Japan's shrines, and its park-like surroundings with the sacred bridge arching over a tranquil pond make it a restful break from the busy environment of Osaka. Best of all, it's free! Access is from the Nankai line station of the same name; local trains run from Namba station in central Osaka.

6. Shitennōji Temple, 1-1-18 Shitennōji Tennōji-ku (5 min walk from Shitennōji-mae-Yuhiga-oka Station on subway, or 15 min by walk to north from Tennōji Station), originally built by Emperor Suiko in 593 AD. Although the current buildings are mostly post WWII reconstructions, the temple is a rare sample which conveys the continental style (notably the positioning of the individual buildings inside the complex) of 6th - 7th century to present.

7. Japan Mint 1-1-79, Temma Kita-ku (15 min by walk from subway Temmabashi Station). It's not widely known even by people from elsewhere in the country that Japan Mint is actually headquartered in Osaka. For Osakans, Sakura-no-tōrinuke (cherry blossom tunnel road) is a synonym for this facility, attracting a large number of visitors (close to 1 million in just 7 days) during a limited, planned week of mid-Apr. A must-see if you are fond of nature and happen to drop into Osaka in season. Admission free. Check for official announcement beforehand.

8. Tsūtenkaku - While the original tower was built early 20th century, the current "newer" version is designed by the same Prof. Naitō, who also designed Tokyo Tower. This landmark built in the middle of Shinsekai area is a symbol of reconstruction of the City of Osaka post WWII.

9. Open Air Museum of Old Farmhouses, Ryokuchi-koen, Ryokuchi station on the Midosuji subway line. Ryokuchi park itself is lovely, but one area is a museum of a dozen old Edo period farmhouses, moved across country and lovingly reconstructed. Also on display are tools, furniture, and the like. You can go to Himeji-jo or the old palace in Kyoto and see how the rulers lived; but come down here to see how the people lived. Thanks to the efforts of a volunteer from Australia, they have a great new English-language brochure to guide you. Admission ¥500.

10. Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum, 8-25 Masumi-cho, Ikeda-shi (20 min on Hankyu Takarazuka Line from Umeda to Ikeda Stn, then 5 min on foot), ☎ +81-72-752-3484. Wed-Mon 9:30 AM–4 PM. A museum dedicated to the man who invented the daily staple of college students everywhere. The exhibits are of limited interest if you don't read Japanese, but they offer two interesting hands-on experiences. The "Chicken Ramen Workshop" (¥500, 90 min, reservations required) lets you make your own instant noodles from scratch, starting from kneading the dough and finishing by decorating the package. "My Cup Noodle Factory" (¥300, no reservations) lets you select your own Cup Noodle flavor, which is then manufactured for you, complete with your own hand-drawn lid design. Free.

11. Kamigata Ukiyoe Museum, ☎ 066-211-0393, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Closed Mondays. A rather small museum in Nanba dedicated to ukiyoe, Japanese woodblock prints. The interior of the museum looks a bit like an adobe house. It may be most interesting to someone already familiar with the art, as the information inside mostly Japanese only. Entrance fee: ¥500.

12. Peace Osaka, 066-947-7208 - 9:30 am-5:00 pm. Closed Mondays. A museum dedicated to the promotion of peace through displays of war. Because it is an Osaka museum, it features the affects of the bombings on Osaka in WWII. While this is of some interest, the exhibitions depicting the attrocities committed by Japan against China, Korea, and Southeast Asia are what make this museum truly worthwhile. There is also an exhibit with displays relating to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Exhibits have English explanations.

For more information: http://wikitravel.org/en/Osaka