As you know, Tokyo is the capital of Japan while Osaka (大阪) can be called the anti-capital in politics/business/culture.  "Osaka" can mean either Osaka Prefecture Osaka-fu: 大阪府) or Osaka City (Osaka-shi: 大阪市).  "Greater Osaka" has 12,116,540 (2000) and "Greater Keihanshin Megaropolis" (京阪神大都市圏) has 18,643,915 (2000).
  Osaka City is the central metropolis of Western Japan, which is the third largest population (2,665,458 on February 1, 2011).  The city is administratively divided into 24 wards (in Japanese, "Ku": 区).
  Osaka dates back to the fifth century or so.  Even after the capital was moved from Nara to Kyoto, Osaka continued to play an important role as a hub for land, sea and river-canal transportation.   Osaka City greatly developed in the Momoyama Period in the late sixteenth century when the legendary parvenu Hideyoshi Toyotomi (豊臣秀吉, 1537-1598) ruled this country and made the magnificent Osaka-jo Castle as the symbol of his power.  During the Tokugawa Period (1603-1867), while Edo (now Tokyo) served as the austere seat of military power and Kyoto was the home of the Imperial Palace and its effete courtiers, Osaka served as "tenka-no-daidokoro" (天下の台所; the Nation's Kitchen), the collection and distribution point for rice, the most important measure of wealth.  Hence it was also the city where merchants made and lost fortunes and received repeated cheerfully ignored warnings from the Shogunate government to reduce their conspicuous consumption.
  During the Meiji era (1868-1912), Osaka's fearless entrepreneurs took the lead in industrial development, making it the equivalent of Manchester in the U.K, Shanghai in China, etc.  Even the castle is a ferroconcrete reconstruction (I hate that!) but Osaka still remains Japan's best place to eat, drink and party (10-20 % cheaper than those in Tokyo), and, Osakans still greet each other with "Mokari-makka?" (儲かりまっか?: Are you making money?) cheerfully rubbing your hands: You would be expected to answer, "Bochibochi-denna" (ぼちぼちでんな: Not bad, not bad) grinning.  Jocoseriously, that is the most useful phrase and manner for foreigners to survive in Osaka.

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Sonezaki

Sonezaki (曾根崎), Kita Ward (near Umeda or JR Osaka Station). The name suggests that it used to be a desolate barren land. However, it is now a business and amusement quarter.

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(Tuesday 20 February) "Shuzo [Sake restaurant] Otoko wa Tsurai, " Sonezaki, Kita-ward (near JR Osaka Station). Definitely it is named after the popular serialized Japanese movie "Otoko wa Tsurai yo" (see the Tokyo Central page). "Otoko wa Tsurai yo" ("It's Tough Being a Man" or "Tora San Our Lovable Tramp") featuring Kiyoshi Atsumi as the protagonist Torajiro Kuruma and Chieko Baisho as his sister Sakura Kuruma (Suwa). Directed by Yoji Yamada. 48 films made altogether in the series (1969-1995). This is a fine example of how Osakans make money cunningly using others' popularity. If you directly use the movie title as the restaurant name, you need to pay some usage, but with some mistakable small difference (missing the suffix "yo"), you do not have to pay.

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(Tuesday 20 February) Tsuyunoten-jinjya Shrine (露天神社; literally, "Shrine of the Dewy Sky") or "Ohatsu-jinjya" (お初神社), 2-5-4 Sonezaki, Kita Ward. It is supposed to have been founded around the sixth century. The oldest document about this shrine can date back to AD 850. The shrine was named after the fact that Michizane Sugawara (菅原道真, 845-903) made the following tanka poem here going into exile to Dazaifu (太宰府), Kyushu via Taiyu-ji Temple (大融寺) near this place: 露と散る (Tsuyu to chiru) 涙に袖は (Namida ni Sode wa) 朽ちにけり (Kuchi ni keri) 都のことを (Miyako no koto wo) 思い出ずれば (Omoi izureba) (Like dewdrops falling drip-drip, Teardrops have already decayed My cuffs and sleeves, As I have often looked back My prosperity in the palace.) (trans. Eishiro Ito) Thus this shrine enshrines Tenjin-sama (天神様), the deified spirit of Michizane Sugawara. In the early morning of April 7, the 16th year of Genroku era (元禄時代) or AD 1703, the two unhappy lovers, Ohatsu (お初), a whore of Dojima-shinchi Tenman-ya (堂島新地 天満屋), and Tokubee the clerk (手代 徳兵衛) of Uchihon-machi Hirano-ya (内本町 平野屋) killed themselves in the precinct woods called "Tenjin-no-Mori" (天神の森). This incident became widely known among people over the country after the famous playwright Monzemon Chikamatsu (近松 門左衛門, 1653-1724) wrote Sonezaki-shinjyu (『曾根崎心中』: The Love Suicides at Sonezaki, 1703) based on the incident. After that, people had gradually come to call this shrine "Ohatsu Tenjin" (お初天神).

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(Tuesday 20 February) Stone monument of Sonezaki-shinjyu (『曾根崎心中』: The Love Suicides at Sonezaki, first performed only one month after the incident on May 7, 1703 as a "Ningyo Joruri" [人形浄瑠璃: a puppet ballad drama]). Needless to say, this timely drama made a huge success. I'd rather have spoken to Chikamatsu-han, "Mokari-makka?" (Are you making money?) cheerfully rubbing my hands: He would have replied, "Bochibochi-denna" (Not bad, not bad) grinning. This monument was built by sympathizers in Sonezaki in 1972.

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(Tuesday 20 February) Statues of Ohatsu and Tokubee of Sonezaki-shinjyu, Tsuyunoten-jinjya Shrine

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(Tuesday 20 February) Statues of Ohatsu and Tokubee of Sonezaki-shinjyu, Tsuyunoten-jinjya Shrine

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(Tuesday 20 February) Poster and pamphlets of Sonezaki-shinjyu, Tsuyunoten-jinjya Shrine

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(Tuesday 20 February) IPU English teachers in front of "Kyodo-ryori Tateyama" (Local Dishes Tateyama), Sonezaki, Kita-ward

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(Tuesday 20 February) IPU English teachers in front of "Kyodo-ryori Tateyama" (Local Dishes Tateyama), Sonezaki, Kita-ward

Osaka-jo Castle

Osaka-jo Castle (大阪城) was originally built by Hideyoshi Toyotomi (豊臣 秀吉). Construction on Osaka-jo Castle started in 1583 on the former site of the Ishiyama Hongwan-ji Temple (石山本願寺; the head temple of the Jodo-shinshu sect between 1496-1580), which had been destroyed by Nobunaga Oda (織田 信長, 1534-1582) in 1580. Hideyoshi intended the castle to become the center of a new, unified Japan under Toyotomi rule. However, in 1615, only seventeen years after Hideyoshi's death, Tokugawa Shogunate troops attacked and destroyed the castle and terminated the Toyotomi lineage. Osaka-jo Castle was rebuilt in a rather small scale by the 2nd Tokugawa Shogun Hidetada (徳川 秀忠) in 1620 and completed in 1629, but its donjon was struck by lightening in 1665 and burnt down. The nominal owner of the castle was Hidetada in 1620 and succeeded to generations of the Tokugawa Shogun until the end of the Shogunate. In the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Osaka-jo Castle became a symbol of the downfall of the Tokugawa family. After the defeat of Battles of Toba/Fushimi (鳥羽伏見の戦い) in 1868, the last (15th) Shogun Yoshinobu (徳川 慶喜) and his army ran into this castle: Only Yoshinobu and his high-ranked retainers immediately went back to Edo (Tokyo) by ship. Then the Meiji Government army bore down to the castle, which was burnt down again during the battle. It was not until 1931 that the present ferro-concrete reconstruction of the castle was built. In 1997 major repair works gave the castle new glamour, which barely reminds us of its most splendid days. Inside the castle is a museum that documents Hideyoshi's life and the tragedy of the castle. However, this castle and Tsuten-kaku Tower are still considered to be the two essential symbols of Osaka. This castle is a very popular sightseeing spot for Korean tourists because of Hideyoshi's notoriety of invasion to the Korean Peninsula between 1592 and 1598. The invasion ended with Hideyoshi's death.

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(Tuesday 20 February) The stone wall and the inner moat, Osaka-jo Castle

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(Tuesday 20 February) The stone wall and the inner moat, Osaka-jo Castle

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(Tuesday 20 February) The donjon and the bridge, Osaka-jo Castle

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(Tuesday 20 February) The donjon of Osaka-jo Castle

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(Tuesday 20 February) The donjon of Osaka-jo Castle

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(Tuesday 20 February) The donjon of Osaka-jo Castle

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(Tuesday 20 February) East "Torii" (Shrine Gate) of Hokoku-jinjya Shrine (豊國神社, 2-1 Osakajo, Chuo Ward) enshrining Hideyoshi Toyotomi. The shrine was founded by the order of Emperor Meiji in November 1868. the shrine was originally made in 1879 in the present site of Osaka Chuo Kokai-do (大阪中央公会堂), Nakanoshima. The shrine moved to the present site in Osaka-jo Park in 1956. Today many people wishing success and pray for better fortune visit this shrine and pray to Hideyoshi.

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(Tuesday 20 February) "Hon-den" (Main Hall) of Hokoku-jinjya Shrine

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(Tuesday 20 February) "Hon-den" (Main Hall) of Hokoku-jinjya Shrine

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(Tuesday 20 February) Votive picture made by Hokoku-jinjya Shrine: It says "(It is good for) Success and Better Fortune."

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(Tuesday 20 February) West "Torii" (Shrine Gate) of Hokoku-jinjya Shrine

Jan Jan Yokocho

Jan Jan Yokocho (ジャンジャン横丁), formally Nanyo-dori-shotengai (南陽通商店街) is a roofed shopping street to Shinsekai District (新世界) from Dobustuen-mae Station on the Osaka Municipal Subway. This is my favorite street of Osaka. It is an epitome of life in Osaka. Shinsekai (literally "New World") is the bright lights of 1-3 Ebisu-higashi, Naniwa Ward. it is famous for having Tsuten-kaku Tower and the street called "Jyangjyang-yokocho" (ジャンジャン横丁), formerly called "Nanyo-dori Shoten-gai" (南陽通商店街). Shinsekai did a very good business before World War II but after war it had long been declined. Recently this area recovers popularity among people who want a retro flavor which reminds us of the postwar period around the 1950s. The counterpart is Asakusa area of Tokyo.

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(Thursday 17 March) Jan Jan Yokocho (Nanyo-dori-shotengai), 3 Ebisu-higashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka City (大阪市浪速区恵美須東3丁目)

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(Thursday 17 March) Jan Jan Yokocho (Nanyo-dori-shotengai), 3 Ebisu-higashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka City

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(Thursday 17 March) Tengu (てんぐ) Kushikatsu Restaurant, Jan Jan Yokocho (Nanyo-dori-shotengai), 3 Ebisu-higashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka City

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(Thursday 17 March) Tengu (てんぐ) Kushikatsu Restaurant, Jan Jan Yokocho (Nanyo-dori-shotengai), 3 Ebisu-higashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka City

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(Thursday 17 March) Tengu (てんぐ) Kushikatsu Restaurant, Jan Jan Yokocho (Nanyo-dori-shotengai), 3 Ebisu-higashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka City

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(Thursday 17 March) Osho (王将) Igo & Shogi Club, Jan Jan Yokocho (Nanyo-dori-shotengai), 3 Ebisu-higashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka City

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(Thursday 17 March) Osho (王将) Igo & Shogi Club, Jan Jan Yokocho (Nanyo-dori-shotengai), 3 Ebisu-higashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka City

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(Thursday 17 March) Sankei (三桂) Igo & Shogi Club, Jan Jan Yokocho (Nanyo-dori-shotengai), 3 Ebisu-higashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka City

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(Thursday 17 March) Sankei (三桂) Igo & Shogi Club, Jan Jan Yokocho (Nanyo-dori-shotengai), 3 Ebisu-higashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka City

Tsuten-kaku

The original Tsuten-kaku Tower (通天閣) was erected in 1912 imitating Paris' Tour Eiffel in the upper part and Arc de Triomphe in the lower part. The name "Tsuten-kaku" was named by a a Confucian scholar, Nangaku Fujisawa (藤沢 南岳): It means "the high tower leading to heaven." However, it was burnt down in fire in 1943. The second Tsuten-kaku Tower (103 m; observatory 91 m), 1-18-6 Ebisu-higashi, Naniwa Ward, was bult in 1956. Personally I do not understand the Osakan sense of beauty putting the vertical promo letters in the four dimentions (you see "Anshin to Shinrai no Hitachi Group": Hitachi Group with Your Reassurance and Reliability) on this symbolic tower of Osaka. No one would expect to see any promo letters on either Tour Eiffel or Tokyo Tower for ever. Probably, the promo letters on Tsuten-kaku Tower indicate Osaka as the commercial center of Western Japan.

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(Tuesday 20 February) Tsuten-kaku Tower viewed from Shinsekai among many vertical name boards of Shinsekai restaurants

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(Tuesday 20 February) Tsuten-kaku Tower viewed from the edge of Shinsekai

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(Tuesday 20 February) Gate to Tsuten-kaku Tower

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(Tuesday 20 February) Osaka Dome viewed from the top of Tsuten-kaku Tower

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(Tuesday 20 February) Osaka-jo Castle viewed from the top of Tsuten-kaku Tower

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(Tuesday 20 February) "Billiken" (God of Happiness) on the top floor of Tsuten-kaku Tower. The statue was originally created by an American artist Florence Pretz, Kansas City in 1908. She made it based on the Chinese image "Joss" as she dreamed. It was named after the 27th American President William Howard Taft (1857-1930; p1909-1913) whose nickname was "Billy" because the statue reminds her of the president's face somehow. The statue of Billiken gained popularity around the world then. In Japan, people have believed that rubbing the sole of the statue of Billiken brings you happiness. The statue was introduced to Shinsekai, Osaka in 1912 when an amusement park called Luna Park (月の園) opened. However, the statue disappeared after the park closed in 1923. In 1979, the wooden statue was reproduced by Shimpei Ando (安藤新平) for setting this at the floor of Tsuten-kaku Tower. Amazingly, in 1996, the movie Billiken was produced by the director Junji Sakamoto (阪本 順治, 1958-).

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(Tuesday 20 February) Me rubbing the sole of the left foot of Billiken. As local people believe, rubbing the sole of either foot of Billiken can bring you happiness.

Nakatsu

Toyosaki (豊崎) and Nakatsu (中津), Kita Ward are commercial and residential quarters near JR Osaka Station and Subway Midosuji Line.

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(Tuesday 20 February) IPU English teachers at "Onihei" (おにへい; Japanese tavern), 2-4-26 Toyosaki, Kita Ward

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(Tuesday 20 February) IPU English teachers at "Onihei" (Japanese tavern), 2-4-26 Toyosaki, Kita Ward

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(Tuesday 20 February) IPU English teachers at "Onihei" (Japanese tavern), 2-4-26 Toyosaki, Kita Ward

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(Tuesday 20 February) IPU English teachers at "Tobe" (藤平; ramen restaurant; sister restaurant of "Onihei"), 2-4-26 Toyosaki, Kita Ward

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(Tuesday 20 February) IPU English teachers at "Tobe" (ramen restaurant), 2-4-26 Toyosaki, Kita Ward

Umesan-koji

Umesan-koji Alley (梅三小路) near Sakura-dori Exit of JR Osaka Station. In the morning rush hour, so many commuters in suit go through this roofed alley to their offices.

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(Tuesday 20 February) The west end of Umesan-koji Alley near Sakura-dori Exit of JR Osaka Station

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(Tuesday 20 February) "Shin Naniwa" (新浪花), a Japanese restaurant, Umesan-koji Alley

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(Tuesday 20 February) My breakfast ("Okayu" or Japanese porridge), "Shin Naniwa," Umesan-koji Alley

Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine (住吉大社) is located at 2-9-89 Sumiyoshi, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka City (大阪市住吉区住吉2-9-89). It is the main shrine of all the Sumiyoshi shrines in Japan. However, the oldest shrine that enshrines the Sumiyoshi Sanjin (住吉三神), the three Sumiyoshi kami, is the Sumiyoshi shrine in Hakata in Fukuoka, Kyushu. It is called "Sumiyoshi-san" or "Sumiyossan" by the locals, and is famous for the large crowds that come to the shrine on New Year's Day for "hatsumode" (初詣; the first shrine visit of the New Year). Sumiyoshi-taisha enshrines the Sumiyoshi Sanjin (住吉三神) --Sokotsutsu-no-Onomikoto (底筒男命), Nakatsutsu-no-Onomikoto (中筒男命), and Uwatsutsu-no-Onomikoto (表筒男命) -- and Okinagatarashihime-no-Mikoto (息長足姫命; Empress Jingu [神功皇后, AD 170-269]), and they are collectively known as the "Sumiyoshi Okami" (住吉大神), the great gods of Sumiyoshi. Another term is "Sumiyoshi no Ogami no Miya" (住吉大神宮). It gives its name to a style of shrine architecture known as sumiyoshi-zukuri (住吉造). Sumiyoshi-taisha was founded by Tamomi no Sukune (田裳見宿禰) in the 9th year of 14th Emperor Chuai (仲哀天皇, 192-200; r.192-200)'s reign (AD 210). A member of a powerful family in the area, he was given the clan name of Tsumori (津守) by Empress Jingu, when she visited the coast of the Gokishichido (御七道) (Modern Shichidou in Sakai, Osaka [大阪府堺市七道]) after her return from her invasion of Korea (三韓征伐). At the same time, she told him to enshrine the Sumiyoshi Sanjin (住吉三神), as she had been told to do so by an oracle. Later, the empress herself was also enshrined at Sumiyoshi. The Tsumori clan (津守氏), whose members have succeeded the position of head priest of Sumiyoshi-taisha since the reign of 15th Emperor Ojin (応神天皇, 201-301; r.270-310), are the descendants of Tamomi no Sukune (田裳見宿禰)'s son, Tsumori no Toyoada (or Tsumori no Toyonogodan; 津守豊吾団). The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early Heian Period. In 965, 62th Emperor Murakami (村上天皇, 926-967; r.946-967) ordered that Imperial messengers (勅使) were sent to report important events to the guardian kami of Japan. These heihaku were initially presented to 16 shrines including the Sumiyoshi Shrine. Sumiyoshi-taisha is also regarded as the ancestor shrine of Hachiman-shin (八幡神), the god of war, as the taisha enshrines Empress Jingu, who was the mother of Emperor Ojin, who was deified as Hachiman. Therefore, the shrine is guardian of the Kawachi Dynasty (河内王朝). Also, Hachimanshin is the god of war on land, and the Sumiyoshi gods are the gods of war on the sea. Later, Sumiyoshi-taisha became one of the three kami of waka (和歌の神; the god of Japanese poetry). From 1871 through 1946, the Sumiyoshi-taisha was officially designated one of the Kampei-taisha (官幣大社), meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines. The Taisha is a shrine with connections to the ancient Yamato royalty's diplomacy and sailing, protecting the Imperial embassies to China. As the head priests, the Tsumori clan (津守氏) also boarded these embassy ships. The embassies departed from Suminoe no Tsu (墨江ノ津; or 住之江津), a port on the Hosoe-gawa (also known as Hosoi-gawa [細井川]). Known as Suminoe no Hosoe (住之江津) in ancient times), a river located to the south of the shrine. Suminoe no Tsu is the oldest international port in Japan, and was opened by 16th Emperor Nintoku (仁徳天皇, 257-399; r.313-399). It was the Silk Road's entrance into Japan. Although Sumiyoshi-taisha is currently completely landlocked, until the Edo Period, the shrine riding grounds (currently Sumiyoshi Park [住吉公園]) faced the sea, and was considered the representative of the beautiful "hakusha-seishou" (白砂青松; white sand and green pines) landscape. So much so that this type of scenery in designs and art is known as the Sumiyoshi design. In Murasaki Shikibu (紫式部, 978?-1031?)'s The Tale of Genji (『源氏物語』), the shrine is used as an important stage in some chapters concerning the Akashi Lady. Also, in the folktale "Issun-boshi"(一寸法師; "Little One Inch"), an old couple who had not been blessed with children prayed at Sumiyoshi-taisha. Their prayers were granted, and when the child went on a voyage, he departed at Sumiyoshi harbor (住吉津), sailed down the Hosoe-gawa River (細江川) to Osaka Bay (大阪湾), sailed up the Yodo-gawa River (淀川), and entered Kyoto. (Referred to the site of "Wikipedia.")

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(Monday 15 March) Signpost and the main entrance to Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine, 2-9-89 Sumiyoshi, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka City

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(Monday 15 March) Ichi-no-Torii (一の鳥居; the First Shrine Gate), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine, 2-9-89 Sumiyoshi, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka City

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(Monday 15 March) "Sori-bashi" (反橋; the arched bridge) and "Ema-do" (絵馬堂; the ex-voto gallery), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) A votive picture, Ema-do" (絵馬堂; the ex-voto gallery), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) Another votive picture of the ancient ship, Ema-do" (絵馬堂; the ex-voto gallery), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) "Sori-bashi" (反橋; the arched bridge), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) Sori-bashi" (反橋; the arched bridge), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) Sori-bashi" (反橋; the arched bridge), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) "Temeizu-sha" (手水舎; the place where one cleans their physical body), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) List of the benefactors, Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine, 2-9-89 Sumiyoshi, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka City

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(Monday 15 March) "Sumiyoshi-torii" (住吉鳥居; the Sumiyoshi Gate), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) "Sumiyoshi-torii" (住吉鳥居; the Sumiyoshi Gate), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) The Third Head Shrine (第三本宮) dedicated to Uwatsutsu-no-Onomikoto (表筒男命) (left) and the Fourth Head Shrine (第四本宮) dedicated to Okinagatarashihime-no-Mikoto (息長足姫命: Jingu-kougou [神功皇后; Empress Jingu]) (right), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) "Hai-den" (拝殿; the Worshippers' Halls) of the Third Head Shrine (第三本宮) dedicated to Uwatsutsu-no-Onomikoto (表筒男命) (left) and the Fourth Head Shrine (第四本宮) dedicated to Okinagatarashihime-no-Mikoto (息長足姫命: Jingu-kougou [神功皇后; Empress Jingu]) (right), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) "Hai-den" (拝殿; the Worshippers' Hall) of the Third Head Shrine (第三本宮) dedicated to Uwatsutsu-no-Onomikoto (表筒男命), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) "Hai-den" (拝殿; the Worshippers' Hall) of the Fourth Head Shrine (第四本宮) dedicated to Okinagatarashihime-no-Mikoto (息長足姫命: Jingu-kougou [神功皇后; Empress Jingu]), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) "Hon-den" (本殿; the Main/Inner Halls) of the Third Head Shrine (第三本宮) dedicated to Uwatsutsu-no-Onomikoto (表筒男命) (right) and the Fourth Head Shrine (第四本宮) dedicated to Okinagatarashihime-no-Mikoto (息長足姫命: Jingu-kougou [神功皇后; Empress Jingu]) (left), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) "Hai-den" (拝殿; the Worshippers' Hall) of the Second Head Shrine (第二本宮) dedicated to Nakatsutsu-no-Onomikoto (中筒男命), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) "Hai-den" (拝殿; the Worshippers' Hall) of the First Head Shrine (第一本宮) dedicated to Sokotsutsu-no-Onomikoto (底筒男命), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) "Hon-den" (本殿; the Main/Inner Hall) of the First Head Shrine (第一本宮) dedicated to Sokotsutsu-no-Onomikoto (底筒男命), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) "Hon-den" (本殿; the Main/Inner Hall) of the Second Head Shrine (第二本宮) dedicated to Nakatsutsu-no-Onomikoto (中筒男命), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) "Kagura-den" (神楽殿; the Sacred Dance Hall), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

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(Monday 15 March) "Jyuyo-sho" (授与所; the Shrine Shop), Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

Tempozan Harbor Village

Tempozan Harbor Village (天保山ハーバービレッジ) is a 5.4-hectare site packed to the brim with ocean delights featuring the famous Osaka Aquarium "Kaiyu-kan" (海遊館). The address is 1-chome, Kaigandori, Minato-ku, Osaka City (大阪市港区海岸通り１丁目); the area known as Tempozan (天保山).

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(Thursday 17 March) Tempozan Ferris Wheel (天保山大観覧車) next to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village. The wheel has a height of 112.5 meters and diameter of 100 meters.

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(Thursday 17 March) Tempozan Ferris Wheel (天保山大観覧車) next to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) Tempozan Ferris Wheel (天保山大観覧車) next to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (海遊館), Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (海遊館, founded in 1990), Tempozan Harbor Village. It is an aquarium located in the ward of Minato in Osaka, Japan, near Osaka Bay. It is one of the largest public aquariums in the world, and is a member of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA). The aquarium is about a five minute walk from Osakako Station (大阪港駅) on the Osaka Municipal Subway Chuo Line, and is next to the Tempozan Ferris Wheel.

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

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(Thursday 17 March) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tempozan Harbor Village

        

Copyright (c) 2007-2011 Eishiro Ito.  All rights reserved.