Osaka is home to a good selection of children-friendly activities with its collection of amusement parks and zoos that make for great days out for all the family. The Universal Studios theme park is, without doubt, the highlight and is one of the main reasons that some family holiday makers choose Osaka over other Japanese cities.

Festivalgate
This large amusement park is home to a variety of thrill rides as well as shops, restaurants and a movie theatre. Among the rides available, the highlight is the super-speed rollercoaster which travels close to 100kms per hour, guaranteeing white knuckles for even the most hardened thrill-rider. The park is built on the site of a number of hot springs, which adults can enjoy soaking in while the kids sample the rides.

Hirakata Park
Located in the nearby municipality of Hirakata, Hirakata Park is an amusement centre that offers enough to keep the kids occupied for the day and something to interest the parents too. The park offers five rollercoasters and a selection of other rides including the Giant Drop Meteo, which gives visitors the chance to experience a few seconds of weightlessness before they plummet downwards at an angle of 180 degrees. The 400-metre long Pachanga water shoot is a popular ride for all members of the family. Phone: +81 7 2044 3475.

Rinku Park
A small amusement park with a correspondingly small selection of attractions, but is still well worth a visit and good for the little ones with its more gentle selection of rides. A merry-go-round, ghost house, roller coaster and bungee ride are among the attractions on offer. A Ferris wheel offers some good views over the surrounding area. A food court is on hand for meals, snacks and beverages and remains open until the park closes its last ride.

Tennoji Zoological Gardens
Situated at the city’s southern gateway in the Tennoji Park, the Tennoji Zoo covers an impressive 1.07 million square feet and is a family-friendly facility that offers a great day out for those with an interest in both common and unusual animal species. Some 1,500 creatures are resident in the park, among which are over 300 different species including elephants, lesser pandas and koalas. A reptile house is a favourite with the kids with its collection of snakes and lizards; while the hippopotamus house also draws large number of younger spectators. Phone: +81 6 771 8401.

Universal Studio Japan (USJ)
An ideal place for a family day-out, Universal Studios (Japan) is a popular theme park coming from the same stable as the famous Florida theme park with the same name. A multitude of attractions can be found within the park’s extensive space and include live-action shows and thrill rides based on some of Hollywood’s most famous big-budget movies such as Jaws, Back to the Future and The Terminator. There’s plenty for kids and adults alike at the park with themed restaurants also on hand for all to enjoy some sustenance in between the big thrills. Phone: +81 6 6465 3100; website: http://www.usj.co.jp/e_top.html

Japan is literally teeming with tangible cultural characteristics and idiosyncrasies and is a country quite unlike any other in East Asia from this perspective. Osaka is distinctly Japanese in many respects but also offers its own unique personality which is distinctly evident in its cultural iconography, monuments and museum facilities. Visitors will find Osaka’s cultural activities a pleasant introduction to the city’s past and present.

Mitami Shrine
Scholars are unsure exactly when the Mitami Shrine was built but references to it in the 10th century Engishiki chronicle suggest it dates at the very least to the Heian period. The buildings of the shine were subject to attack from the troops of Oda Nobunaga in 1577 necessitating their reconstruction in 1592. At this shrine, the Japanese pay tribute to a number of deities.

Museum of Oriental Ceramics
Just five minutes walk from Yodoyabashi Station on the Midosuji Line, the Museum of Oriental Ceramics features a variety of pottery-based works from not only Japan, but also China, Korea and Vietnam. From China, there are works from the Han-Tang, Song/Yuan and Ming dynasties while from Korea, pieces hail from the Silla, Koryo and Choson dynasties. Japanese pieces include those from the 10th century Heian period and Vietnamese examples include some interesting 15th century specimens.

Osaka Municipal Museum of Art
Located a short walk from the Tennoji Station, the Osaka Municipal Museum of Art offers a variety of interesting artworks, among which are traditional Japanese pieces, including examples of calligraphy and Buddhist iconography. Exhibitions at the museum change throughout the year and those featuring the works of contemporary artists frequently display in the facility’s basement.

Osaka City Museum
Situated within the city’s famous castle, the Osaka City Museum offers visitors an in-depth insight into the city from an historical, cultural and economic perspective during the period spanning the Paleolithic Age to the Edo Period. This impressive three-storey facility features permanent exhibitions on the first two floors and visiting exhibitions on the third. A large collection of artefacts make up the first and second floor exhibitions with items of clothing, tools and old documents among them.

Shitenno-ji
This Buddhist temple and popular visitor site was originally built in 593 AD and is hailed as the oldest officially administered temple in the country. The buildings available for viewing today are not the same ones from the original construction, having been re-built over the centuries; however they still maintain the original grandeur. A flea market is held here on the 21st of every month. The temple is just ten minutes on foot from Tennoji station.

Sumiyoshi-taisha
Built in the 3rd century AD, the Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine is an important religious monument that is visited by around three million Japanese citizens at the beginning of every New Year. This shrine is reputed to bring protection for sailors who visit it and prosperity to everyone else.

Osakan cuisine is hailed as being among Japan’s finest cooking styles and Osakan restaurants have reputations for excellence in flavour, presentation and service. Many dishes are based heavily around the preparation of a good stock which is invariably prepared from ingredients such as kombu, dried bonito and light soy sauce. Noodle soup dishes all make use of this stock which is considered one of the fundamentals of Osakan cuisine.

Fish plays a big role in the local food with many dishes featuring either whole fish or seafood or some type of extract of the same. Takoyaki for example are small savoury cake-like dumplings which contain a piece of Octopus and are eaten with a delicious dipping sauce while tecchiri and tessa are both dishes incorporating blowfish, the former being a stew with vegetables and the latter using the fish’s flesh in a raw capacity.

There’s no shortage of establishments in the city for trying these delicious creations although visitors should be warned that as a rule, Japanese restaurants are expensive. Besides Japanese, there are Chinese and Korean eateries as well as European establishments including those offering Greek, German, English and Spanish cuisine as well as others offering Eastern European fare.

For shopping, Osaka is blessed with an abundance of worthy malls, centres and strips where you’ll find the gamut of consumer goods from clothing to electronics to traditional Japanese fabrics. Underneath JR Osaka Station, you will find a warren-like setting in which various malls meet in a seemingly random layout. You can easily spend a half day or more exploring the shops in this subterranean haven. The Shinsaibashi shopping arcade meanwhile, is a covered area offering department stores, designer outlets such as Armani, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Gucci and craft stores selling locally produced goods. Elsewhere, you’ll find wholesale areas such as Doguya-suji where kitchen goods are available in abundance. Den Den Town meanwhile, is the place to head to find electronic goods.

Osaka’s selection of obvious outdoor activities would appear to be somewhat limited however the city’s proximity to Osaka Bay means that a variety of water-based pursuits are on the doorstep. Those visitors preferring dry land pursuits will find excellent opportunities for playing golf as well as some good areas dedicated to sport of rock climbing.

Beach Activities
Nishikinohama Beach Park can be reached easily from Namba in the Osaka prefecture by a 30-minute train ride. Once there, the beach offers all of the obvious free activities such as sunbathing, swimming, playing Frisbee, kite flying beach football and beach volleyball as well as a variety of water sports such as jet skiing, water skiing, wind surfing and snorkelling.

Fishing
Angling enthusiasts can head for Osaka Bay where opportunities for indulging their passion are countless. Find a spot along the coast or hire a boat for the day and head out further into the bay.

Golf
There’s a variety of golf courses available in Osaka for visitors looking to practice their swing or fine tune their putting skills. While course fees are quite expensive, the lush greenery that the damp climate affords makes for a very pleasant environment in which to play. The Ibaraki Country Club is located close to the city and offers two 18-hole courses which are both ranked among Japan’s top 50 courses. Elsewhere, you’ll find the Ono Golf Club in neighbouring Hyogo and the Hirono Golf Club in neighbouring Kobe.

Rock Climbing
A walk of 15 to 20 minutes from Juso Station on the Hankyu Line brings you to the OCS City Rock Gym, a facility designed for lovers of rock climbing whether novice or expert. The gym has both indoor and outdoor climbing walls and of varying difficulties. Climbing shoes are available for rent, however especially large sizes may be scarce so it might be wise to call ahead to ascertain whether your size is available. Tel: +86 6 6306 0914