Osaka

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 , or the Mecca o gourmet fuid.

 Derivation o name 
"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 
800px|A panoramic view ower the ceety frae Umeda Sky Building
800px|A panoramic view ower the ceety frae Ritz Carlton Hotel in Umeda

Neighborhuids

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. 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.More About Osaka, Osaka City Government  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.

 Wards 
Osaka haes 24 wards (ku):

 Abeno-ku
 Asahi-ku
 Chūō-ku
 Fukushima-ku
 Higashinari-ku
 Higashisumiyoshi-ku
 Higashiyodogawa-ku
 Hirano-ku
 Ikuno-ku
 Jōtō-ku
 Kita-ku - administrative centre
 Konohana-ku  Minato-ku
 Miyakojima-ku
 Naniwa-ku
 Nishi-ku
 Nishinari-ku
 Nishiyodogawa-ku
 Suminoe-ku
 Sumiyoshi-ku
 Taishō-ku
 Tennōji-ku
 Tsurumi-ku
 Yodogawa-ku

Internaitional relations

Twin touns — Sister ceeties
Osaka haes twin touns an sister ceeties aroond the warld: 

 Date   Sister Ceety 1957 San Francisco, Unitit States 1969 São Paulo, BrazilPrefeitura.Sp - Descentralized Cooperation  1973 Chicago, United States 1998 Kanpur, Indie 1974 Shanghai,  Fowkrepublic o Cheenae 1974 Melbourne, Australie 1979 Saunt Petersburg, Roushie 1981 Milan, Italy 1989 Hamburg, Germany Date   Friendship an Cooperation Ceety 1998 Buenos Aires, Argentinae 1998 Budapest, Hungary 2008 Busan, Sooth Korea

Business Pairtner Ceeties
Osaka's business pairtnerships are:
  Auckland, New Zealand
  Bangkok, Thailand
  Ho Chi Minh Ceety, Vietnam
  Hong Kong
  Jakarta, Indonesie
  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysie
  Manila, Philippines  Melbourne, Australie
  Mumbai, Indie
  Seoul, Sooth Korea
  Shanghai, Fowkrepublic o Cheenae
  Singapore
  Tianjin, Fowkrepublic o Cheenae

References


Category:Ceeties in Osaka Prefectur
Category:Populatit coastal places in Japan