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Colors of Osaka - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Osaka Castle Numerous cultural traditions of local people are great and impressive. Local folks respect their ancestors and follow ancient customs and age old traditions. The city of Osaka offers its guests great entertaining and cultural program including various ethnic festivals and fests. The Bon Festival is one of the most in demand ethnic fests among foreign guests. Impressive ethnic event lasts for three days. Another popular name of the festival is the Day of remembrance of dead.
Shopping in Osaka - main shopping streets, outlets and boutiques
In Osaka, shopping enthusiasts can enjoy all possible categories of goods. At every step, you can find interesting stores and shopping centers. Particularly noteworthy are pavilions selling … Open
The festival is celebrated according to lunar calendar and after the Gregorian Calendar the dates of the festival fall on the middle of August. Local people believe that in this period the spirits of their ancestors come back home. To help them find a way home at nightfall doors of the houses are illuminated with bright lanterns. The festival is followed with different religious events. Buddhist temples hold readings of sacred books.
At nightfall a major part of entertaining events takes place in city parks. Tourists may witness there bright dance shows. The festival ends with a symbolic and impressive event named Toro Nagashi which is a floating lanterns performance. These lanterns are believed to show the spirits the way back to the world of dead. Copyright www.orangesmile.com
Top touristic routes around Osaka: architectural sightseeing and landmarks
Discovering the architecture of Osaka from bird's eye view! Umeda Sky Building, Shitenno-ji, Osaka Maritime Museum, Nagai Stadium, all those monuments are defining the image of Osaka … Open
Another interesting event is held in June. A bright fest in the Shitennoji temple is as well followed with impressive folk music performances. Tourists visiting Osaka in July will have a chance to witness an amazing holiday named Tenjin Matsuri. In the daytime central streets of the city are filled with bright marches in which anybody can take part. In the evening people and the festival action relocate to the river bank to enjoy a boat parade.
Sunset in Shinsaibashi, Osaka The boats are painted in bright colors, decorated with paper garlands and traditional lanterns. Local people sailing the boats sing ethnic songs accompanied with bass drum. Each ethnic fest is a fusion of unique traditions and customs. Local people follow many beliefs, legends and symbolic traditions which they are eager to share with foreign guests. It should be noted that local folks are rather cordial and welcoming towards tourists interested in local culture and traditions.
Cultural vacation in Osaka - fantastic architecture and monuments
Osaka Castle, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Tsutenkaku, Museum of Fine Arts, as well as many others, they all become the world's cultural heritage objects and remain as iconic monuments for Osaka … Open
An interesting festival for every traveler is Toka Ebisu. It takes place at the very beginning of January, opening the festive calendar of Japan. The event is dedicated to Ebisu - this is the name of the Japanese god of fishermen and luck. To witness the carnival means to bring good luck for the next year, and that's why it is so important for citizens. During the festival, you can not only watch colorful fancy-dress parades, but also buy “Fukusasa” (branches of young bamboo with amulets fixed on its leaves), “Ema” (small wooden plaques), and “Maneki-neko” (the world-famous lucky cats of Japan), as well as Daruma dolls, which have long become a symbol of the Land of the Rising Sun. The festival is held in the central streets of Osaka.
Parc, Osaka On July 30, locals traditionally celebrate the Sumiyoshi Matsuri Festival. All the events within its framework are held in the above-mentioned temple (Sumiyoshi Taisha). It is the last carnival of the summer season. The festival itself is a fancy-dress parade with street musicians and mikoshi (traditional palanquins in which “kami” spirits are believed to live). The weight of some mikoshi can even reach 1800 kilograms, so cars are essential for their transportation. It is worth noting that this is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in all of Japan.
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One of the largest cities in the country and a famous trading port and industrial center, Osaka is a city with rich history, wonderful climate and beautiful natural landscapes. Or course, … Open
Sinno-sai Matsuri is another Japanese religious holiday, and the god of healing takes up the baton this time. The holiday owes its appearance to the epidemic of cholera that broke out in 1822. As the legend says, the god Sinno helped to cope with the disease by presenting a medicine in a tiger-shaped Paper Mache box to a local temple. It was made of tiger bones. Today, locals pay tribute to this event with their colorful costumed processions with mikoshi. Parade participants throw toy tigers traditionally made from the same material into the crowd. The holiday falls on November 22.
South Osaka Skyline Besides, Osaka offers music festivals, and the most popular one is the Summer Sonic Festival taking place in early August. It is dedicated to rock and its all possible subgenres, which are very popular in Japan. The permanent venue for the festival is the Maishima Sports Island Center. Among its headliners are always eminent bands and performances. Green Day, Marylin Manson, Slipknot, Guns N’Roses, Sum 41, Deep Purple, Bullet for my Valentine have been among them already. Besides foreign performers, you can listen to many Japanese bands at the musical event. The festival is held simultaneously in the Japanese city of Chiba. Thus, after giving a concert in one city, performers go to another one to please the audience once again.
Family holidays with kids in Osaka. How to entertain your child, things to show to children.
It will be interesting to visit Osaka with children at any time of the year. One of the city's most visited attractions is Universal Studios Japan. It is a park themed on the famous American … Open
An interesting gourmet festival held in late October is the Dessert Sweets & Drink Festival. The venue is the Osaka International Exhibition Center or simply INTEX. At this gastronomic event, tourists have a unique opportunity to enjoy wonderful delicacies and drinks of local cuisine. Apart from tastings, visitors will enjoy dessert cooking workshops, the best chef competitions, as well as seminars allowing everyone to learn a lot of interesting information about the production of certain products. Every year, the festival is visited by about thirty-five thousand gourmets from all over the world.
This guide to traditions and festivals in Osaka is protected by the copyright law. You can re-publish this content with mandatory attribution: direct and active hyperlink to www.orangesmile.com.
Osaka - guide chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

City tours, excursions and tickets in Osaka and surroundings

Reference information
Map of all churches
Cathedrals and basilicas near Osaka
♥   Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Tamatsukuri Church), 大阪 (Osaka), 2.8 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier (Kawaramachi Church), 京都 (Kyoto), 45.4 km from the center. On the map   Photo
Map of all castles
Survived castles around Osaka
♥   Castle 'Osaka Castle' Osaka, 3.3 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Castle 'Amagasaki Castle' Amagasaki, 9.4 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Castle 'Itami Castle' Itami, 14.7 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Castle 'Kishiwada Castle' Kishiwada, 26 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Castle 'Chihaya Castle' Chihayaakasaka, 31 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Castle 'Yodo Castle' Kyoto, 33.1 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Castle 'Shoryuji Castle' Nagaokakyō, 33.4 km from the center. On the map   Photo
Car rental on OrangeSmile.com Rentals in Osaka
Detailed Osaka maps
Osaka metro maps
Osaka photo gallery

Travel News
Hilton builds third luxury hotel in Kyoto

The project organizers note that the new Kyoto hotel is perfect for both business and leisure. Just to remind you, the opening of the Roku Kyoto hotel took place in the city in 2021. The luxury hotel also never ceases to amaze guests with its exquisite atmosphere and variety of services. It is close to famous attractions like Kinkaku-ji Temple, and Shozan Resort Kyoto Pavilion is a short walk from the hotel. Read this

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Colors of Osaka in photos

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Traditions and festivals in cities around Osaka

Kobe
Local youth also have interesting features and traditions largely related to the variety of existing subcultures. Among young people living in Kobe, there are fans of world-famous anime, as well as modern music bands and actors. Such ardent fans try to look like they idols in all possible ways. The city has many specialized shops selling clothes and accessories for ... Open »
Kyoto
In the last days of October, the Festival of the Ages is held that involves a huge number of local residents. The main event of the festival is a colorful parade, where more than 150,000 people take part. Citizens dressed in beautiful old costumes walk along main streets of the city, some of them are riding horses, dressed in festive attire. Solemn national costumes that can ... Open »
Okayama
Okayama will be a great vacation destination for travelers who have long dreamed of getting closer to the traditions and culture of Japan. The national color is felt in everything, including the townspeople's love for traditional holidays, cooking, and art. All restaurants specializing in Japanese cuisine are necessarily decorated in keeping with national traditions. They have ... Open »
Hiroshima
Thus, it is inadmissible to enter the house in shoes for outdoor walking, as it is considered a sign of bad manners. It may seem strange to many foreigners, but it is also unaccepted to bring soap to the bathroom; locals prefer to take a shower. In general we can say that locals are very scrupulous in matters of hygiene, they always want to look neat and keep the house in good ... Open »
Kanagawa
Many consider Japanese to be quite cold people who always follow their own strict rules and different honor codices developed through centuries. However, behind the mask of self-possession, there are cheerful and joyous people who are very friendly with guests of their country. The same applies to residents of Kanagawa. Tourists will also notice that these are thoughtful and a ... Open »
Tokyo
Local residents follow a mass of centuries-old traditions, and some of them are useful to be known by foreigners. You cannot step on small mats made of reeds (tatami) with your shoes – this will be a sign of bad behavior and sacrilege. Before visiting public swimming pools "furo" be sure to take a shower. Showers are usually located near the pool. The Japanese do not require ... Open »
Cityguide on traditions, mentality and lifestyle of people in Osaka. Learn the best periods to visit Osaka to discover its soul - authentic festivals, events and celebrations. We will also reveal the interesting habits, attitude towards the world and to tourists in Osaka.
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