Location: Osaka
Top Things to do in Osaka
Things to do in Osaka, Kinki: The Best Sacred & Religious Sites
Home to nearly nine million and powering an economy that exceeds both Hong Kong's and Thailand's, Osaka packs quite a punch. The confident, stylish city is a shopping hub, with fabulous restaurants and nightlife. It's an ideal base for exploring the Kansai region; Kyoto's World Heritage Sites, Nara's temple and Koya-san's eerie graves are within 90 minutes by train. Top city attractions include the aquarium, Osaka Castle, Universal Studios Japan and the futuristic Floating Garden Observatory.
Restaurants in Osaka
1. Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 856 reviews
Built prior to the influx of Buddhist architecture, this shrine - one of the oldest in Japan - exemplifies a purely Japanese style design.
Reviewed By leungalex
Ths is place brings calm and peace, the bridge is beautiful. The steps on the bridge are deceptively steep but when you walk on them they are just like ordinary stairs, amazing architectural design. Take the subway to Tennoji station then Hankai line tram to Sumiyoshitorii-Mae, you get to enjoy the charming tram too, an unexpected experience in modren Osaka,
2. Shitennoji
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,073 reviews
The oldest temple in Japan, built over 1,400 years ago, this temple is famous for its symmetrical design and even has an architectural arrangement named after it,”Shitenno-ji-style temple layout.”
Reviewed By LQK2010 - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
The temple with main hall was beautiful. We were there during the New Year when many Japanese visited temple.
3. Hozen-ji Temple
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 418 reviews
Reviewed By DzulhilmiZulkifli - Putrajaya, Malaysia
Very beautiful temple for photo shot. Please come here during night because the view is more beautiful. it is a small open air temple. The location also perfect, inside Dotomburi district.
4. Minaminofukuju Benzaiten
5. Ikutama Shrine
6. Isshinji Temple
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 183 reviews
Buddha statues made from human ashes as a means of being able to worship the deceased openly
Reviewed By GoGo2SlowGo - Denton, United States
My wife and I were not planning to visit this in our walking tour of Osaka (on our own). However, we’ve learned that when you are in Japan, you might discover a temple that you weren’t planning to see. This one was hard to miss on our way to Tsetenkaku Tower. It’s a large complex but we were both drawn to these sculptures. Founded in the 12th century, the Isshinji Temple has a lot of history, though rebuilt following the destruction of Osaka during the closing years of World War II, like most other temples and shrines in the city. The temple surprised us because it was quite modern and built with iron, concrete and steel. It didn’t look like any of the temples we had visited previously. The bronze looking gate is ornate with female figures. The gate and other structures were designed by the current head priest who is also an architect. The temple was founded in 1185. With the modern architecture today, we wondered why there were so many visitors. They apparently do not come for the unusual architecture. Instead, they come because it is home to the remains of millions of Osaka residents' ancestors, specifically something called Okutsu Butsu, which translates as "Bone Buddha". Now that we have found it, you should visit!
