Things to do in Osaka & Nara

Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi–Momoyama period.

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Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts

The Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts is a museum located in Tennōji Park, Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan. The museum focuses on Japanese and east Asian art.

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Osaka Museum of History

Osaka Museum of History opened in Chūō-ku, Ōsaka, Japan, in 2001. The project architects were César Pelli & Associates and Nihon Sekkei.

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Fujita Art Museum

The Fujita Art Museum is one of the largest private collections in the Kansai region. The collection was assembled by Fujita Denzaburō and his descendants. It was installed in a storehouse on the family property in Osaka.

Osaka Science Museum

The Osaka Science Museum is a science museum in Naka-no-shima, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan. The museum is located between the Dōjima River and the Tosabori River, above Osaka's subterranean National Museum of Art.

Osaka Museum of Natural History

Osaka Museum of Natural History is a museum of natural history in Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Ōsaka, Japan.

Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka

The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka is a Japanese art museum and regarded as one of the best ceramic-collections in the world.

Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka

Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka opened in Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan in 2022. The museum is located in the central Nakanoshima district of Osaka.

National Museum of Art, Osaka

The National Museum of Art, Osaka is a subterranean Japanese art museum located on the island of Nakanoshima, located between the Dōjima River and the Tosabori River, about 10 minutes west of Higobashi Station in central Osaka.

Osaka International Peace Center

The Osaka International Peace Center, also known as Peace Osaka, is a peace museum established in August 1991 based in the city of Osaka, Japan.

Shitennō-ji Temple

Shitennō-ji is a Buddhist temple in Ōsaka, Japan. It is also known as Arahaka-ji, Nanba-ji/Naniwa-daiji, or Mitsu-ji 御津寺.

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Kōfuku-ji Temple

Kōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple in Japan that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji 'Seven Great Temples' in the city of Nara. The temple is the national headquarters of the East Asian Yogācāra school.

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Tōdai-ji Temple

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admired Tang dynasty.

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Kasuga-taisha

Kasuga-taisha is a Shinto shrine in Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It is the shrine of the Fujiwara family, established in 768 CE and rebuilt several times over the centuries.

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Grand Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of Osaka

Catholic cathedral in Tamatsukuri, Chūō-ku, Osaka; the seat of the Archdiocese of Osaka-Takamatsu, dedicated to the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

Sumiyoshi Taisha

Sumiyoshi-taisha, also known as Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is the main shrine of all the Sumiyoshi shrines.

Tsūtenkaku

Tsūtenkaku is a tower and landmark of Osaka, Japan, and advertises the Hitachi company. It is located in the Shinsekai district of Naniwa-ku, Osaka.

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Tennōji Park

The Tennōji Park is a park with botanical garden at 1–108, Chausuyama-cho, Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan.

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Nara Park

Nara Park is a public park located in the city of Nara, Japan, at the foot of Mount Wakakusa. Established in 1880, it is one of the oldest parks in Japan. Administratively, the park is under the control of Nara Prefecture.

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Osaka Castle Park

Osaka Castle Park is a public urban park and historical site situated at Osaka-Jō in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. It lies on the south of the Ōkawa (Kyū-Yodo River) and occupies a large area in the center of the city of Osaka.

Sakuya Konohana Kan

The Sakuya Konohana Kan is a botanical garden set within one of the world's largest greenhouses, located in Tsurumi Ryokuchi park at 2-163 Ryokuchi Koen, Tsurumi-ku, Osaka, Japan.

Tennōji Zoo

Tennōji Zoo is a 11-hectare (27-acre) zoo located at Tennōji Park in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan, opened on January 1, 1915. It is the third zoo to be built in Japan and is located southwest of the Shitennō-ji temple, the first Buddhist temple in Japan.

Dōtonbori

Dōtonbori or Dōtombori is a district in Osaka, Japan.

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Nipponbashi

Nipponbashi is a shopping district of Naniwa Ward, Osaka, Japan.

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Kuromon Market

Covered market street in Nipponbashi, Chūō-ku, Osaka, where some 150 shops along about 580 metres of arcades sell fresh and prepared food.

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National Bunraku Theatre

The National Bunraku Theatre is a complex consisting of two halls and an exhibition room, located in the Nipponbashi district in Osaka, Japan.

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Shinsekai

Shinsekai is a neighbourhood located next to south Osaka City's downtown "Minami" area. The neighbourhood was created in 1912 with New York (specifically, Coney Island) as a model for its southern half and Paris for its northern half.

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Umeda Sky Building

The Umeda Sky Building is a two-tower mixed-use skyscraper in Osaka, Japan.

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Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is an aquarium located in the ward of Minato in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, near Osaka Bay. When it opened in 1990, it was the largest public aquarium in the world.

Tempōzan Giant Ferris Wheel

Tempozan Ferris Wheel is a 112-meter-tall (367 ft) Ferris wheel located in Osaka, Japan, at Tempozan Harbor Village, next to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, one of the largest aquariums in the world.

Universal Studios Japan

Universal Studios Japan is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States.