Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [294]
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MAIZURU
There’s nothing overly appealing about the two ports of Nishi-Maizuru and Higashi-Maizuru, but they play an important part in the area’s transport networks. If you’ve come from the west on the Kita-kinki Tango Tetsudō trains, Nishi-Maizuru is the end of the line and where the JR Obama line comes out to meet the coast. If you’re on your way to Amanohashidate, this is where you’ll have to change to the private line.
There are regular ferry services between Higashi-Maizuru and Otaru in Hokkaidō (2nd class ¥9300, 20 hours). Call Shin-Nihonkai Ferry (06-6345-2921; www.snf.co.jp, in Japanese) for details.
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OSAKA
06 / pop 2.65 million
Osaka is the working heart of Kansai. Famous for the gruff manners of its citizens and the colourful Kansai-ben (Kansai dialect) they speak, it’s a good counterpart to the refined atmosphere of Kyoto. First and foremost, Osaka is famous for good eating: the phrase kuidaore (eat ’til you drop) was coined to describe Osakans’ love for good food. Osaka is also a good place to experience a modern Japanese city: it’s only surpassed by Tokyo as a showcase of the Japanese urban phenomenon.
This isn’t to say that Osaka is an attractive city; almost bombed flat in WWII, it appears an endless expanse of concrete boxes, pachinko (pinball) parlours and elevated highways. But the city somehow manages to rise above this and exert a peculiar charm. At night, Osaka really comes into its own; this is when all those drab streets come alive with flashing neon, beckoning residents and travellers alike with promises of tasty food and good times.
Osaka’s highlights include Osaka-jō and its surrounding park, Osaka Aquarium with its enormous whale sharks and manta rays, the Blade Runner nightscapes of the Dōtombori area, and the wonderful Open-Air Museum of Old Japanese Farmhouses. But Osaka has more to offer than its specific sights; like Tokyo, Osaka is a city to be experienced in its totality, and casual strolls are likely to be just as rewarding as structured sightseeing tours.
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HISTORY
Osaka has been a major port and mercantile centre from the beginning of Japan’s recorded history. It was also briefly the first capital of Japan (before the establishment of a permanent capital at Nara). During its early days, Osaka was Japan’s centre for trade with Korea and China, a role which it shares today with Kōbe and Yokohama.
In the late 16th century, Osaka rose to prominence when Toyotomi Hideyoshi, having unified all of Japan, chose Osaka as the site for his castle. Merchants set up around the castle and the city grew into a busy economic centre. This development was further encouraged by the Tokugawa shōgunate, which adopted a hands-off approach to the city, allowing merchants to prosper unhindered by government interference.
In the modern period, Tokyo has usurped Osaka’s position as economic centre of Japan, and most of the companies formerly headquartered in Osaka have moved east. Osaka is still an economic powerhouse, however, and the city is ringed by factories churning out the latest in electronics and hi-tech products. Unfortunately, Osaka has been hit hard by the recent worldwide recession and the ranks of homeless are growing in the city.
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ORIENTATION
Osaka is usually divided into two areas: Kita and Minami. Kita (Japanese for ‘north’) is the city’s main business and administrative centre and contains two of its biggest train stations, JR Osaka and Hankyū Umeda Stations.
Minami (Japanese for ‘south’) is the city’s entertainment district and contains the bustling shopping and nightlife zones of Namba and Shinsaibashi. It’s also home to two major train stations, JR Namba and Nankai Namba Stations.
The dividing line between Kita and Minami is formed by two rivers, the Dōjima-gawa and the Tosabori-gawa, between which you’ll find Nakano-shima, a relatively peaceful island that