THE 4TH MOST LIVEABLE CITY IN THE WORLD 2019

大阪市

OSAKA,
JAPAN

Presented by Tricia Marvi Navarro

 Content and Topic Outline

About Japan
About Osaka

History, Culture, People

Infrastructure & Landmarks

What To Expect

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 Capital and Major Cities
Capital: Tokyo

Major Cities: Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Kobe, Kyoto, Fukuoka

Settled by migrants from the Asian mainland back in the mists of prehistory, Japan has
seen the rise and fall of emperors, ruled by samurai warriors, isolation from the outside
world, expansion over most of Asia, defeat, and rebirth. One of the most war-like of nations
in the early 20th century, Japan today often serves as a voice of pacifism and restraint on
the international stage.

Government.
Japan has a constitutional monarchy, headed by an emperor. The current emperor is
Akihito; he wields very little political power, serving primarily as the symbolic and diplomatic
leader of the country.

About Population.
Japan is home to about 126,672,000 people. Today, the country suffers from a very low
birth rate, making it one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world.

Japan Language.
The vast majority of Japan's citizens (99 percent) speak Japanese as their primary
language.

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 A COLORFUL HISTORY
In the 19th century Osaka has traditionally been regarded as a city of merchants while Tokyo
traditionally has had a reputation of being a city of bureaucrats and samurai. Osaka is also noted as
the birthplace of traditional Japanese theatricals like Kabuki and Bunraku puppet dramas and as the
site of some of Japan's most important battles.

Osaka was originally called Naniwa. Since the A.D. 3rd century A.D., its location on a protected bay
and navigable river system has made it a center of inland traffic for the Kansai region and coastal
trade in Japan. For a long time Osaka was the major commercial center of Japan. Until the late 19th
century, about 70 percent of the country’s wealth was concentrated in Osaka even though Tokyo
was the capital.

Osaka rapidly developed into a trade center and came to be called the “kitchen of the nation.”
Markets around the city sold goods brought in across the Seto Inland Sea along with international
wares from a burgeoning Pacific Ocean network. Osaka was also connected to the imperial capital
Kyoto along the Yodo River and was a major stop along the newly built network of roads.
About
By the 1920s, Tokyo began to catch up. After World War II, it surpassed Osaka as big companies

Osaka began transferring their headquarters to Tokyo. As is true with Tokyo, the majority of Osaka’s
historical monuments were destroyed during the firing bombing raids of World War II and the vast
majority of the city has been rebuilt since the war. Osaka received worldwide attention in 1970 when
it hosted a World Exposition. It wasn't damaged much by the 1995 Kobe earthquake even though
Kobe is only 45 minutes away by train.
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A print shows a fleet of cotton ships jostling for space at the mouth of a river as they set sail for Edo. Goods from
around the country were transported to Osaka by water and stored in domain warehouses. (Courtesy Osaka Prefectural
Nakanoshima Library)

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Dōjima Rice Exchange, where the first futures trading took place. (Courtesy Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library)

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 OSAKA (about 500 kilometers southwest of Tokyo) is the second-largest city in Japan and

the 13th largest city in the world, with a population of about 10.5 million people. Situated

on a sheltered bay, it is also the commercial, shipping, and industrial center of western

Japan, the second major gateway to Japan after Tokyo and the transportation and

communication hub of the Kansai region, with convenient connections to Kyoto, Nara, and

Kobe, the Inland Sea area, and Shikoku, which are all nearby. Even though Osaka is flat

as flat can be its name means “big hill.” The designated city of Osaka covers 222 square

kilometers and has about 2.7 million people. The Metro area has almost 20 million people.

Stretching along Osaka Bay and crisscrossed by rivers and canals, Osaka is known as the

“city of water.” Its abundant waterways spurred its development and laid the groundwork

for a thriving community. Many of Osaka’s most famous tourist sights lie along canals,

rivers, or the seashore, including the bustling Minami district—home to Dōtonbori street

and its giant billboards—the cluster of public facilities on the river island of Nakanoshima,

the moat-enclosed fortress of Osaka Castle, and the bay area where Universal Studios

Japan and Osaka Aquarium are situated.

Osaka’s connection with water stretches back to its very beginnings. The city is situated

on alluvial deposits of the Yodo and Yamato Rivers. Sediment accumulated over

Osaka millennia, forming a small peninsula called the Uemachi Plateau and producing numerous

sandbars known collectively as Naniwa Yasoshima.

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A bird's-eye view of the city of Osaka, with Osaka Castle in the background

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A boat tours the Dōtonbori canal in Osaka’s Minami district. (© Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau)

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 Economy:
The gross city product of Osaka in fiscal year 2004 was ¥21.3 trillion, an increase of 1.2% over the
previous year. The figure accounts for about 55% of the total output in the Osaka Prefecture and 26.5% in
the Kinki region. In 2004, commerce, services, and manufacturing have been the three major industries,
accounting for 30%, 26%, and 11% of the total, respectively. The per capita income in the city was about
¥3.3 million, 10% higher than that of the Osaka Prefecture. MasterCard Worldwide reported that Osaka
ranks 19th among the world's leading cities and plays an important role in the global economy. Osaka's
GDP per capita (Nominal) was $59,958.($1=\120.13) However, by 2020, Osaka ranked 5th as most
expensive cities due to flatlining consumer prices and government subsidies of public transportation.
Dialect: Kansai
Culture and lifestyle:
• Osaka has a large number of wholesalers and retail shops: 25,228 and 34,707 respectively in 2004,
according to the city statistics.
• Osaka is known for its food, in Japan and abroad.
• Osaka is known for its fine sake, which is made with fresh water from the prefecture's mountains.
• Osaka's culinary prevalence is the result of a location that has provided access to high-quality
ingredients, a high population of merchants, and proximity to the ocean and waterway trade.
• In recent years, Osaka has started to garner more attention from foreigners with the increased
popularity of cooking and dining in popular culture.
• Osaka serves as one of the media hubs for Japan, housing the headquarters of many media-related
companies. Abundant television production takes place in the city and every nationwide TV network
(with the exception of TXN network) registers its secondary-key station in Osaka.

Osaka
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Osaka
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 Infrastructure & Landmarks

OSAKA CASTLE
The legendary unifier of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi built this magnificent castle in the late 16th century after crushing his foes and bringing

the feudal lords together. This iconic Japanese landmark is famous for its massive granite stone walls.

FLOATING GARDEN OBSERVATORY

One of the more futuristic landmarks in Osaka is the Floating Garden Observatory, seemingly floating in the air between the twin towers of

the Umeda Sky Building. High-speed glass elevators whisk you to the top, but the real thrill is moving along the glass-encased escalator,

which bridges the two buildings some 170 meters / 558 feet above the street.

SHITENNOJI TEMPLE
Japan's oldest temple was founded some 1,400 years ago by Prince Shotoku, who is believed to have introduced Buddhism to Japan. This

is the spiritual soul of Osaka and like most ancient wooden structures, the temple has been destroyed several times, but has always been

rebuilt precisely as the 6th-century original.

TSUTENKAKU TOWER
Many Osakans consider this iconic tower the symbol of their city. Originally built in 1912, it stands at more than 100 meters / 328 feet tall

and offers a fantastic view of Osaka from its observation platform. Located right in the heart of downtown, there is always lots of activity

buzzing around the Tsutenkaku Tower, both day and night.

OSAKA CASTLE FLOATING GARDEN OBSERVATORY
SHITENNOJI TEMPLE TSUTENKAKU TOWER
 2021
Osaka placed 2nd in the top 10 liveable cities of the 2021 ranking.
ARIGATOU
GOZAIMASU
ありがとうございます
 Szczepanski, K. (2019) Japan: Facts and History

https://www.thoughtco.com/japan-facts-and-history-195581

(2020) OSAKA: ITS HISTORY, PEOPLE AND ECONOMY

https://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat25/sub168/item981.html

Shin’ya, H. (2019) A History of Osaka, Japan’s City of Water

https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g00681/a-history-of-osaka-japan%E2%

80%99s-city-of-water.html

References