By English Cartier

Osaka is a city with three obsessions: business, food and entertainment, mostly in that order. A lively, modern metropolitan city, Osaka is known for its colorful, laid-back people who have a keen business sense and an insatiable appetite for delicious food.
Osaka was once the center of Japan’s economy and still maintains a vibrant business culture. This entrepreneurial spirit is reflected in the local “Osaka-ben” dialect with the common greeting in passing “Mokarimakka?” “Are you making money?”
When Osakans do make money, they love to go shopping. The city has a multitude of street-level and underground shopping malls, boutiques as well as street and flea markets to choose from. While the sheer number of shopping venues in Osaka is staggering — a little planning ahead (mapping out your route), is bound to yield a thrilling shopping adventure.With a population of roughly 2.7 million people, Osaka is rougher and less polished than Tokyo. Many of Japan’s comedians are from the Osaka area, and that’s no accident. The city’s denizens have a sense of humor and fun that is second to none in Japan.Another area where Osaka does not play second fiddle to Tokyo is food. Known as the food capital of Japan, Osaka has been called the city of “kuidaore,” translated to mean “to ruin one’s self by overindulging in food.”
The opportunity to taste Osaka’s culinary delights is worth the journey alone. When it comes to food, Osaka natives will spoil you like no other place in the world.
Travel to Osaka from the Pacific Northwest has recently become a lot easier thanks to Delta Airlines, which recently added direct flights from Seatac to Osaka.

FOOD TO DIE FOR
Tako-yaki (small octopus dumplings) is a hugely popular food from Osaka. It can be found almost everywhere in Osaka and is often sold by street vendors and specialty shops.
Okonomi-yaki or “as you like it” is another distinctive and delicious Osaka dish. Usually cooked in front of you on a table with a built in griddle, Okonomi-yaki consists of batter grilled with chopped cabbage, pork, shrimp or other meat or seafood, topped with mayonnaise, katsuobushi (dried fish flakes), anori (dried seaweed) and a special sauce. When prepared by a skilled okonomi-yaki chef, it is absolutely delicious.
If you are a meat eater, shabu shabu is a delicious meat dish originating from Osaka. The wonderful smell of this thinly sliced premium beef dipped into boiling broth and then into a citrus vinegar soy sauce is enough to make you forget everything else on your agenda for the day.

THINGS TO DO – PLACES TO SEE
Umeda is a central business district complete with underground shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, cinemas, retail high-rises, and at night, countless karaoke bars and nightclubs. And don’t miss the very cool twin towers of Umeda Sky Building. You can go to the top if you are not afraid of heights. Other notable attractions to explore include Hankyu’s recently built Hep Five shopping and entertainment complex complete with a built-in Ferris wheel.
Shinsaibashi is one of the best-known shopping areas in Osaka. The main artery, Shinsaibashi-suji, is a covered shopping street. Here you will find shops of all kinds including traditional and Western-style clothing stores. Shinsaibashi features an abundance of late-night party action and has no shortage of bars and nightclubs. A popular place for people watching, Shinsaibashi is also where you will find Osaka’s youth culture strutting their stuff on the concrete playground.
Namba is the main shopping and entertainment destination in Osaka, containing miles of underground stores and every type of entertainment you could imagine.
Much of the entertainment happens near the well-known Dotonbori river. The heart of Osaka’s neon jungle, Dotonbori is the legendary entertainment district that runs along both sides of the Dotonbori canal. Featuring a dizzying array of bar scouts, strange storefronts and humungous neon signs, Dotonbori is the top tourist destination in Osaka. On the north side of the river, where geisha used to entertain their customers, small bars and restaurants line every inch of the street. The south side of the river is the center of Dontonbori formerly known as the theater district and is covered with enough neon to make a visitor wear sunglasses at night time. Trust me, you do not want to be the one paying this electric bill.
In Dotonbori you will find several theaters including Shin Kabukiza, which happens to be the Kansai region’s best-known kabuki theater. This large, elegant theater seats close to 2,000 and is often completely sold out, which is an indication of the quality of the performances. Other fun entertainment options are Asahiza, which hosts performances of bunraku (puppet theater), and the Osaka Prefectural Museum of Kamigata Comedy and Performing Arts (Wahha Kamigata).

FLEA MARKETS
You may want to hit the flea markets before you spend your hard earned cash in the brick and mortar stores.  Osaka area flea markets tend to be popular with the locals and tourists and are a wonderful place to find deals on almost anything you can imagine—food, clothing, pottery, antiques, electronics—you name it. Many of the flea markets hold irregular schedules and aren’t usually open when it rains so please check ahead before you go. Flea market resources: http://www.kfm.to/

OTHER NOTABLE ATTRACTIONS
Den Den Town – Osaka’s version of the electronic shopping district Akihabara.
Tennoji Park – Has city zoo and Osaka Municipal Museum of Art.
Shitennoji Temple – Japan’s first Buddhist temple.
Isshinji Temple – Features architecture designed by Yasuyuki Takaguchi (the temples priest).
Tusuruhashi – Known as “Little Korea,” has numerous Korean restaurants, markets and shops.
Osaka Castle – Another top tourist destination, Osaka castle, was completely reconstructed in 1931.
Osaka Musuem of History – Just across the street from Osaka Castle.
National Bunraku Theater  – Japanese puppet theater.
Osaka Aquarium – One of Japan’s most spectacular aquariums.