Osaka

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Osaka

大阪
大阪市 · Osaka Ceety
Nicht view frae Umeda Sky Biggin Dōtonbori an Tsūtenkaku Shitennō-ji, Sumiyoshi taisha an Osaka Castle
Banner o Osaka
Banner
Official seal of Osaka
Seal
Location of Osaka in Osaka Prefectur
Location of Osaka in Osaka Prefectur
Osaka is located in Japan
Osaka
Osaka
 
Coordinates: 34°41′38″N 135°30′8″E / 34.69389°N 135.50222°E / 34.69389; 135.50222Coordinates: 34°41′38″N 135°30′8″E / 34.69389°N 135.50222°E / 34.69389; 135.50222
KintraJapan
RegionKansai
PrefecturOsaka
Govrenment
 • MayorToru Hashimoto in offece syne 19 December 2011
Area
 • Designatit ceety223.00 km2 (86.10 sq mi)
Population
 (Januar 1, 2012)
 • Designatit ceety2,666,371(3rd)
 • Metro
18,768,395 (2nt)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Staundart Time)
- TreeSakura
- FlowerPansy
Phone number06-6208-8181
Address1-3-20 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu
530-8201
WebsiteOsaka Official Website

Osaka (Japanese: 大阪, Ōsaka) is a ceety in the Kansai region o Japan's main island o Honshū, the designatit ceety unner the Local Autonomy Law, the caipital ceety o Osaka Prefectur an an' a' the hert o Greater Osaka Aurie. Locatit at the mooth o the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, Osaka is the third lairgest ceety bi population efter Tokyo an Yokohama.

For reference, Greater Osaka Aurie is the seicont mucklest aurie in Japan bi population an ane o the mucklest metropolitan aurie heichlie ranked in the warld, wi nearly 18 million fowk, an bi GDP, the seicont lairgest aurie in Japan an the seivent lairgest aurie in the warld.

Historically the commercial caipital o Japan, Osaka functions as ane o the command centres for the Japanese economy. The ratio atween daytime an nicht time population is 141%, the heichest in Japan, hiehlichtin its status as an economic centre. Its nichttime population is 2.6 million, the third in the kintra, but in daytime the population surges tae 3.7 million, seicont anerlie efter Tokyo. Osaka haes tradeetionally been referred tae as the "naition's kitchen" (天下の台所, tenka no daidokoro), or the Mecca o gourmet fuid.

Derivation o name[eedit | eedit soorce]

"Osaka" leeterally means "lairge hill" or "lairge slope." It is unclear whan this name gained prominence ower Naniwa, but the auldest uisage o the name dates back tae a 1496 text. Osaka, nou written 大阪, wis umwhile written uisin a different seicont kanji as 大坂 prior tae 1870. At the time, the pairtisans for the Meiji Restoration wished tae avoid the seicont kanji bein implicitly read as "士反," meanin samurai rebellion. The auld writin is still in vera limitit uise tae emphasize history, but the seicont kanji 阪 is nou universally considered referrin tae Osaka ceety an prefectur anerlie, tae distinguish it frae homonyms in ither Japanese prefecturs.

Ceetyscape[eedit | eedit soorce]

A panoramic view ower the ceety frae Umeda Sky Building A panoramic view ower the ceety frae Ritz Carlton Hotel in Umeda

Neighborhuids[eedit | eedit soorce]

Umeda Sky Building
A croud in Dōtonbori

Central Osaka is aften dividit intae twa auries referred tae as Kita (キタ, lit. north) an Minami (ミナミ, lit. sooth), at either end o the major thoroughfare Midōsuji.[1] Kita is roughly the aurie surroondin the business an retail destrict o Umeda. Minami is hame tae the Namba, Shinsaibashi, an Dōtonbori shoppin destricts. The entertainment destrict aroond Dōtonbori Brig wi its famous giant mechanical crab, Triangle Pairk, an Amerikamura ("Americae Veelage") is in Minami. In Yodoyabashi an Honmachi, atween Kita an Minami, is the traditional business aurie whaur courts an naitional/regional heidquarters o major banks are locatit. The newer business aurie is in the Osaka Business Pairk locatit nearbi Osaka Castle. Business destricts hae an aa formed aroond the seicontary rail termini, sic as Tennoji Station an Kyobashi Station.

“The 808 brigs o Naniwa” wis an expression in auld Japan for awe an wonder, an adage kent athort the land. “808” wis a muckle nummer which seembolised the idea o “uncountable”. In the Edo period thare wur anerlie aboot 200 brigs. Syne Osaka is crossed bi a nummer o rivers an canals, mony brigs wur biggit wi specific names, an the auries surroondin the brigs wur aften referred tae bi the names o the brigs, too. Some o the waterways, sic as the Nagahori canal, hae been filled in, while ithers still remain.[2] In 1925 thare wur actually 1629 brigs in Osaka but wi the fillin in o canals an rivers, as o Aprile 2003, the nummer haes dropped tae 872, 760 o which are currently managed bi Osaka Ceety.[3]

Wards[eedit | eedit soorce]

A cairt o Osaka's Wards

Osaka haes 24 wards (ku):

 

Internaitional relations[eedit | eedit soorce]

Tsūtenkaku is a seembol o Osaka's post-WWII rebuildin.

Twin touns — Sister ceeties[eedit | eedit soorce]

Osaka haes twin touns an sister ceeties aroond the warld:[4]

Date   Sister Ceety[5]
1957 United States San Francisco, Unitit States
1969 Brazil São Paulo, Brazil[6][7]
1973 United States Chicago, United States
1998 Indie Kanpur, Indie
1974 Fowkrepublic o Cheenae Shanghai, Fowkrepublic o Cheenae
1974 Australie Melbourne, Australie
1979 Roushie Saunt Petersburg, Roushie[8]
1981 Italy Milan, Italy[9]
1989 Germany Hamburg, Germany
Date   Friendship an Cooperation Ceety[10]
1998 Argentinae Buenos Aires, Argentinae
1998 Hungary Budapest, Hungary[11]
2008 Sooth Korea Busan, Sooth Korea[12]

Business Pairtner Ceeties[eedit | eedit soorce]

Osaka's business pairtnerships are:[13]

References[eedit | eedit soorce]

  1. Dodd, Jan (2001). The Rough Guide to Japan. Rough Guides. p. 439. ISBN 1858286999. Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. More About Osaka, Osaka City Government Archived 2003-04-02 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Eiichi Watanabe, Dan M. Frangopol, Tomoaki Utsunomiya (2004). Bridge Maintenance, Safety, Management and Cost: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Bridge Maintenance, Safety and Management. Kyoto, Japan: Taylor & Francis. p. 195. ISBN 9789058096807.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors leet (link)
  4. "Osaka and the World, the official website of the Osaka city". Retrieved 5 August 2009.[deid airtin]
  5. "Sister Cities, the official website of the Osaka city". Archived frae the original on 23 Mairch 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  6. Prefeitura.Sp - Descentralized Cooperation Archived 2008-12-24 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "International Relations - São Paulo City Hall - Official Sister Cities". Prefeitura.sp.gov.br. Retrieved 5 Mey 2010.
  8. "Saint Petersburg in figures - International and Interregional Ties". Saint Petersburg City Government. Archived frae the original on 24 Februar 2009. Retrieved 14 Julie 2008.
  9. "Milano - Città Gemellate". © 2008 Municipality of Milan (Comune di Milano). Archived frae the original on 10 Apryle 2014. Retrieved 17 Julie 2009.
  10. "Friendship and Cooperation Cities, the official website of the Osaka city". Archived frae the original on 23 Mairch 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  11. "Sister cities of Budapest" (in Hungarian). Official Website of Budapest. Archived frae the original on 9 Mairch 2005. Retrieved 1 Julie 2009.
  12. "大阪市市政 友好協力都市(釜山広域市)(Busan (Friendship Cooperation City), the official website of the Osaka city)". Archived frae the original on 29 Apryle 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  13. "Business Partner Cities (BPC), the official website of the Osaka city". Archived frae the original on 20 Januar 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2009.