Word of mouth

Osaka, the wilder cousin of hip Tokyo and precious Kyoto, is getting a well-timed tune-up

- MELINDA JOE

In Character

WITH A LONG HISTORY as Japan’s mercantile heart and major port of call, Osaka is dense and delightfully in your face. Now, as it gears up to host World Expo 2025 this month and welcome more travelers than ever before, the neon-lit metropolis has been reinventing itself. It has launched several ambitious urban renewal projects—like the Grand Green Osaka, a 22-acre mixed-use development that is transforming a freight terminal into verdant public spaces—to draw leisure seekers beyond the usual tourist haunts. The city has also lured some of hospitality’s most luxurious names: The Four Seasons arrived last August, and the Waldorf Astoria opens its first hotel in Japan this month. Star chefs from Japan and abroad are shaking up the dining scene with inventive gastronomy, though delicious casual eats from rough-and-ready street stalls and mom-and-pop shops are still Osaka’s calling card. Among Japan’s major cities, Osaka remains unique: unpretentious, energetic, and ready to show you a good time—as long as you know where to go.

LAY OF THE LAND

Sprawling Osaka is made up of neighborhoods within districts within wards. For navigational ease, split the city in two: the north, with the modern and innovative Kita area, and the south, home to theatrical and brassy Minami. Spend a few days in each, then venture farther afield to iconic sites like Osaka Castle and Tsutenkaku Tower.

CITY OF THE FUTURE

A series of ambitious infrastructure upgrades is rapidly transforming Osaka