24 hours in Osaka
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24 hours in Osaka
Exquisite architecture, bustling markets and delectable cuisine are served up in a day's tour of Japan's second largest city.
a. Osaka Municipal Central Wholesale Markets
MORNING comes early in Osaka, the kitchen of the world. Get up before the break of day and cab down to the Osaka Municipal Central Wholesale Markets, hailed as the largest wholesale market in the Orient.
Opened in 1931, the market spreads over 320,000-square metres, approximately 8 times as large as the famous Koshien baseball park.
First, head straight to the fish market to see the "refrigerated tuna sellers" and gawk at the massive size of the tunas, which can weigh anywhere between 100 to 300 kg.
At 4.15am, the ringing of a bell kicks off an auction. The proceedings are led by a trained deep voice - that of the auctioneer - which resonates in the premises like an unceasing loudspeaker. Sharped-eyed brokers quickly make signs with fingers, bidding for the tuna.
Observe closely as the hundreds of tuna are sold out in just 30-minutes. Various fish such as blowfish and snappers are next but they play second fiddle to the tuna.
b. Stroll through the fish wholesale marketThee are about 180 shops which handle fresh fish, while 80 others deal with dried and other processed marine products.
Watch what happens to the tuna that was auctioned off earlier - the frozen varieties are processed through a machine, fresh ones are cut with 50 to 60-cm long knives. It's like watching skilled artists in performance. The products? Sliced red tuna meat which gleams in the light.
c. Sushi restaurant Endo
There are numerous restaurants serving the market's workers, which whip up anything from sushi and eels, to grilled chicken and set meals. Tourists should not miss out on them either. (Many of the eateries are closed by noon, so don’t forget to check their business hours).
Look for "Endo" on the side of the front parking lot of the market. Established in 1907, this restaurant is known for their “Tsukami zushi” - fish on lightly shaped, slightly warm rice, delicious quick bites designed for the busy merchant.
Try the "Chef’s choice", a plate of tuna and 5 assorted sushi for 1,050 yen. "Endo" is a hive of activity throughout opening hours, having only five tables and a counter that can accommodate five to six customers.
d. Stroll through the vegetable and fruit wholesale market
Once you've had your fill, head up to the third floor to the vegetable market, where you'll witness a more subdued auctioning, a vastly different affair from the morning's tuna rush.
A five-minutes walk through the management building looking at the stores of dry food will bring you to the fruit market. The auction starts around 5.50am here.
Here you'll see fruits like apples and melons placed on a conveyor belt, while auctioneers on a pedestal shout for business. Wholesale buyers are lined up opposite the auctioneers and successful bidders conveniently carry off their spoils.
Wander through the wholesale shops, which also boast a rich variety of imported fruit, like durians and mangoes from Southeast Asia, and bananas from Taiwan.
With careful negotiation, some shops will sell their fruits by the box, at prices significantly cheaper compared to those found in town. They make good gifts, or great snacks to take along.
Had enough of the market? Leave and head south across Funatsubashi for about 10 minutes. Cool down and take a leisurely stroll in the greenery-filled Utsubo Park, or have morning coffee at the Rihga Royal Hotel.
Getting to the Osaka Municipal Central Wholesale Market
Cab down or take a 15-minute walk from JR Noda Station. The earliest train leaves at 5am.IN THE AFTERNOON
EXPLORE the Nakanoshima-Yodoyabashi -Kitahama -Semba environs where modern buildings stand alongside a treasure trove of retro architecture.
The latter recalls Osaka’s golden days, when an economic peak was reached at the end of the Meiji-Taisho-early Showa era. It was then that the city picked up the moniker “Big Osaka”, as the population boomed and buildings were designed with exceptional grandeur.
Make your way to the Osaka station and take a 15-minute walk along the Mido-suji to the south. Cross Oe Bridge over Dojima River, and you are in Nakanoshima - a narrow sandbar between Dojima River and Tosabori River.
See the warehouses of various fiefdoms lined up around the area - which enjoyed brisk business in the Edo era.
The Bank of Japan Osaka Branch is built in one of the former warehouse of the Shimabara fief where the villa of a businessman, Tomoatsu Godai, occupied in 1903.
A neo-renaissance style building designed by Kingo Tatsuno - the no. 1 architect during the Meiji era - it strikes an impressive dome roof washed in blue-green.
Make a reservation request three months to two weeks before your visit, and you can see the bank's interior on a guided 1-hour tour.
tel: Bank of Japan Osaka Branch, Operation Department 06-6206-7748
b. Osaka City HallThere used to be four modern buildings on the east side of Nakanoshima - The Bank of Japan Osaka Branch, City Hall, Prefectural Nakanoshima Library, and Central Public Hall, creating a grand view symbolising “Big Osaka”.
Unfortunately the former City Hall was demolished and the current new building was built in 1985.
But you can still get a feel for the grandeur of the past. Look for an image of the "Big Osaka Tour" made in 1937 at the image information corner on the 1st floor of the City Hall.
tel: 06-6208-8181 (main)
c. Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library
Go out of the east door of the Osaka City Hall and see the neo-baroque style Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library.
Built in 1904, its four broad columns are reminiscent of a Grecian temple.
Influenced by Western philanthropists, Kichizaemon Sumitomo, 15th head of the Sumitomo Family, donated funds for its construction and the purchase of books.
The library's high ceiling, stained glass, and well-polished railing of the stairway show that the spirit of the Osaka merchant is still alive after 100 years. Half of its collection was transferred to the Prefectural Central Library built in Higashi Osaka City in 1996, but it still has a precious collection.
People don’t stop coming to this nationally important cultural property.
d. Nakanoshima Central Public Hall
Further east of Prefectural Nakanoshima Library is the neo-renaissance style Nakanoshima Central Public Hall, with its beautiful red bricks and arches.
Since it was completed in 1918, it has played a huge role in the cultural and artistic development of modern Osaka. It has seen luminaries like Helen Keller who lectured there, and a visit by Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut.
Construction of the Public Hall started in 1913 with 1,000,000 yen donated to Osaka City by a stockbroker Einosuke Iwamoto.
Iwamoto failed in his investment ventures, and committed suicide at the tender age of 39 before the completion of the hall. His memorial room is located downstairs in the hall.
Preservation renewal work was completed in 2002, and it was designated as a key national cultural property.
tel: 06-6208-2002
From Central Public Hall take a three-minute walk east, which will bring you face-to-face with the Naniwabashi (Naniwa Bridge).
Take a photograph of the stone statues of brave-looking lions - called “Ah-Un Lions” - at the north and south ends of the bridge. In the Edo era, Naniwabashi extended over a magnificent 200-metres and a poem containing the word “Shi-shi” was composed to . The pronunciation of "Shi-shi" is similar to the Japanese word for lion.
There are many other explanations as to why the lion statues were made but this is one of the most popular. The current bridge was built in 1915, and remains a source of pride for Osaka citizens.
Next, cross this bridge to the south, and proceed to Kitahama.
Before it became a financial hub, this was the Rice Exchange which traded rice coming from the hans (fiefdoms) all over Japan in the Edo era.
It was only in 1878 that the building - located to the southeast of Naniwabashi - became the Securities Exchange. Presently, security companies and banks concentrate in today's Osaka Securities Exchange, and it remains the center of the city's economy.
The grand white cylindrical exchange office, completed in 1935, was reborn in 2002 as a high rise building, but the front wall of the former exchange building is preserved.
It conveys the atmosphere of the time as the face of Kitahama. The statue of Tomoatsu Godai, foster father of the Osaka economy stands in front of the building.
http://www.ose.or.jp/e/
tel: 06-6946-4428Take a 10-minute walk to the west from Osaka Securities Exchange and head into the southeast of the Sumitomo Bank Main Office.
An elegant 4-story building immediately catches the eye. Built in 1924, The Osaka Club is one of the key examples of modern architecture, a hybrid of southern-European style and Oriental design.
Designed by notable architect Takeo Yasui, the place is now used exclusively by members of the Osaka Club - an English style social club established in 1912.
tel: 06-6231-8631
Go north again along Mido-suji from Osaka Club, and check out Yodoyabashi (Yodoya Bridge), which crosses the Tosabori River.
Legend has it that this bridge was built by a grand merchant Yodoya in front of his mansion. There is a monument to mark the mansion at the southern foot of the bridge.
The current bridge was built in 1935, with feedback from general public contributing to its design.
IN THE EVENING
THE city of Minori is where many tourists go to end their day. Start off the evening with a Bunraku puppet play at National Bunraku Theatre, then stroll along the alleys of Dotombori street, soaking up its vibrant nightlife of food and shopping.
First make your way to Nippombashi Station, using the subway's Sakai-suji or Sennichimae lines.
Right at the doorstep of the Nipponbashi Station is Osaka's famed theatre, where you can catch a Bunraku performance. Bunraku, a form of puppet theatre, has its origins in Osaka and the National Bunraku Theatre is where appreciation classes and young performers’ groups are also held, in addition to performances.
Show genres range from familiar tragic romances to historical stories and horror stories. The magic of Bunraku is created by the interplay of the narrator’s voice, the musical instrument shamisen, and characters that are skillfully brought to life by puppeteers. For those unfamiliar with the art form, audio guides are available.
Two to three shows are put up daily during the performance season. After the show, take a stroll to Dotombori.
http://www.ntj.jac.go.jp/english/index.html
admission: Varies according to the performance
tel: 06-6212-2531A seven-minute walk from Bunraku Theatre will bring you to a noisy main street, “Hozenji Yokocho”. This narrow, stone-paved lane is filled with long-established Japanese restaurants, bars, okonomiyaki restaurants, and skewered cutlet shops.
This area was originally within the premises of Hozenji temple of Tenryuzan, Jodo sect, and the stalls catering to worshippers developed into the alley. The temple and the alleys were burnt down in the air raids of World War II but they were revived as an entertainment district after the war.
http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~houzenji/
tel: 06-6211-4152 (Hozenji)A Japanese restaurant established in 1893, Shoben Tangotei was introduced in Sakunosuke Oda's novel “Meoto Zenzai”. In fact, there's a stone memorial with a passage from the classic book in front of the eatery. The unusual name Shoben Tangotei means “Our store with sincere heart, we behave rightly" and the service is top-notch. Be sure to try out the Miso oden (ï¿¥630/ $9.20) .
tel: 06-6211-3208
For those with deep pockets, the spiny lobsters at Ebiya are a scrumptious treat. They are cooked to order, and taste plump and sweet. An all-lobster menu includes sashimi, stewed lobster in a broth, suki-nabe, and deep fried lobster.
http://www.ebiya.net/
tel: 06-6211-0873The master of BAR “Michi” succeeded his mother over 30 years ago in the corner of Yokocho. His ever-growing regular customers are a loyal bunch and it's hard not to know why.“I treat everybody as an ordinary customer no matter how great or famous they are. I think that is why the customers like to come here and relax,” he says.
So do not worry if you are a first-timer. Open the door, and about 600 kinds of liquor and the master’s homemade raisin butter will welcome you.
tel: 06-6211-0928
Information in this article was provided by City of Osaka Recreation & Tourism Bureau / Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau. To find out more about Osaka, visit www.osaka-info.jp/en/