Osaka

Osaka sits at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, the commercial centre of the Kansai region and historically the country's merchant capital. The modern city has two poles: Kita (north), around Umeda station, which is business, department stores and transport; and Minami (south), around Namba and Dotonbori, which is food, neon and nightlife.

It is also the practical base for Kansai. Kyoto, Nara and Kobe are each within an hour by train, which makes Osaka a common choice for travellers who want one hotel and several cities.

Osaka is where Japanese food stops being formal. The local phrase kuidaore — to ruin oneself by eating — is a civic boast, and the street food along Dotonbori is the reason many people come.

The city is also friendlier and more direct than Tokyo, with a comic tradition of its own, and it is the most convenient base from which to see the rest of Kansai.

• Dotonbori. The canal-side strip in Minami, with the running-man sign, the mechanical crab and the densest concentration of street food in the country. It is at its best after dark.
• Osaka Castle. A reconstruction on the original stone base, set in a large park that is one of the best cherry blossom sites in the city.
• Kuromon Ichiba market. A covered market street near Nipponbashi, with seafood grilled in front of you.
• Shinsekai and Tsutenkaku. An old entertainment district built in the early twentieth century, faded and unpretentious, and the home of kushikatsu.
• Umeda Sky Building. Two towers joined by a floating observatory, with an escalator across the gap and a good sunset view.
• Sumiyoshi Taisha. One of Japan's oldest shrines, in an architectural style that predates Chinese influence, with a steep arched bridge at its entrance.
• Nakanoshima. The island between two rivers holding the civic and museum district, with a rose garden and the red-brick public hall.

Late March to early April for cherry blossom, particularly at Osaka Castle Park and along the Okawa river. Late October to early December for autumn colour and the clearest skies.

May and early June are comfortable and less crowded. The rainy season runs from roughly early June to mid-July, and July and August are hot and very humid.

Winter is cool rather than cold, and is the quietest and cheapest period. Note that the New Year holiday closes many small restaurants.

Namba and Shinsaibashi put you in the middle of the food and nightlife, with the subway and the Nankai line to the airport.

Umeda is the transport hub: JR, Hankyu, Hanshin and the subway all meet here, which makes it the best base if you plan day trips to Kyoto and Kobe.

Shin-Osaka is the Shinkansen station and little else; convenient for onward travel, dull to stay in.

Tennoji, in the south, is cheaper, well connected and close to Shinsekai and the park.

Minami (Namba, Shinsaibashi, Dotonbori): the food, shopping arcades and nightlife core.

Kita (Umeda): stations, department stores, underground malls and office towers.

Shinsekai and Tennoji: the old entertainment quarter, Tsutenkaku tower, the zoo and Tennoji park.

Nakanoshima: civic island with museums, the public hall and river walks.

Amerikamura: youth fashion and second-hand shops west of Shinsaibashi.

Bay Area: the aquarium, the ferris wheel and the ferry terminal on Osaka Bay.

The subway covers the city densely and is the main way to move; the JR Osaka Loop Line circles the centre and is useful with a rail pass. An IC card such as ICOCA works on everything including buses and convenience stores.

Kansai International Airport is on an artificial island and connects by the Nankai Rapi:t, the JR Haruka, and ordinary trains. Itami, the domestic airport, is closer and served by monorail and bus.

Kyoto is around thirty minutes away by express train, Nara and Kobe similar. For a Kansai-based trip, a regional pass usually beats individual tickets.

Osaka is the reason to loosen a belt. Takoyaki, octopus batter balls cooked in a dimpled pan, and okonomiyaki, a savoury cabbage pancake, are the two signature dishes, both associated with the city.

Kushikatsu — skewered, breaded and deep-fried food, dipped once in a communal sauce, with no double-dipping permitted — belongs to Shinsekai.

Beyond the famous three: kitsune udon, said to have originated here, negiyaki, and the seafood at Kuromon market. Standing bars and small counter restaurants are the norm and are where the best eating happens.

Kyoto is about half an hour away and is the most common day trip, though it deserves longer.

Nara, also around forty minutes, has Todai-ji, the Great Buddha and the deer park, and is comfortably a single day.

Kobe is twenty to thirty minutes west, with the port, the Nada sake district and the Kitano foreign residences.

Himeji, an hour or so by Shinkansen, has the finest surviving Japanese castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site and an original rather than a reconstruction.

Osaka is cheaper than Tokyo for both food and accommodation, and it is one of the best value cities in Japan for eating well. Street food, standing bars and set lunches keep daily costs low.

Transport is modest with an IC card, and a regional pass pays off quickly if you day-trip to Kyoto, Nara and Kobe. Osaka Castle park, the shrine, the arcades and Dotonbori itself cost nothing; the paid attractions are mostly observation decks and the aquarium.

Do not double-dip the kushikatsu sauce. It is communal, and the rule is taken seriously.

Stand on the right on escalators. Osaka is the opposite of Tokyo in this, and locals will notice.

Get an IC card on arrival. It covers subways, trains, buses and most convenience stores across Japan.

Eat standing up. The best takoyaki and kushikatsu come from counters with no seats, and queues move quickly.

Base here for Kansai. One hotel plus day trips is cheaper and easier than moving between Osaka, Kyoto and Nara.