Author's Note
Note
What kind of place is the Kansai region?

Getting to know Osaka

Top 5 Things to See
Kansai through hashtags
Highlights by Kansai City
Kansai's four seasons
East Japan vs. West Japan: Interesting if you know
How to properly enjoy hot springs
Osaka's observation decks and Ferris wheels
How to Enjoy Kyoto's Temples
The difference between a temple and a shrine
Experience wearing a kimono in Kyoto

Top 5 Foods
Local cuisine you can only taste here
[ZOOM IN] Kansai Ramen
Kansai-only local food
Osaka's famous street food
Japanese Food Encyclopedia
A drink to relieve fatigue, an izakaya
A shelter for travelers, a cafe
Use the restaurant
Reading the Japanese menu

Shopping BEST 5
Benefits for foreign travelers, tax exemption
Osaka shopping must-see
First treasure hunt at Don Quixote
Second treasure hunt at Don Quixote
Perfect gift idea
Korean Picks, Best Shopping Items
Similar yet different Japanese convenience stores
From Types to Tips, a Guide to Japanese Sake
Shopping in Osaka, a character paradise
Travel destinations and souvenirs in the palm of your hand
Delicious confectionery by region

Planning your Osaka trip

Basic country information
Entering Osaka
Getting from Kansai International Airport
Move by region
Major transportation by region
[FEATURE] Taking a Taxi in the Kansai Region
Useful transport passes
Using an IC card
Recommended Osaka Travel Itinerary

Osaka

Osaka at a glance
Osaka area-specific routes and station names

Minami ミナミ
Minami MUST DO
Minami schematic
[FEATURE] Dissecting Osaka's Namba Station
[ZOOM IN] How to Have Fun in Dotonbori
[ZOOM IN] Dotonbori's Fun Signs
[ZOOM IN] Shinsaibashisuji Shopping Street Main Stores

Other キタ
Other MUST DOs
Other schematics
[FEATURE] Dissecting Osaka's Umeda Station

Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle MUST DO
Osaka Castle schematic
[ZOOM IN] Osaka Castle Attractions
[FEATURE] Take a cruise in the floating city of Osaka
[PLUS AREA] Nakanoshima

Tennoji ˚ Shinsekai 天王寺 ˚ New World
Tennoji ˚ Shinsekai MUST DO
Tennoji ˚ Shinsekai schematic
[ZOOM IN] Sights of Tsutenkaku
[ZOOM IN] Shitennoji Temple Attractions
[FEATURE] Enjoy hot springs in downtown Osaka

Bay Area
Bay Area MUST DO
Bay Area Schematic
[FEATURE] Enjoy Universal Studios Japan to the Fullest

Osaka suburbs

Kyoto

Kyoto at a glance

Kiyomizu-dera ˚ Gion ?水寺 · 祇園
Kiyomizu-dera ˚ Gion MUST DO
Kiyomizu-dera ˚ Temperature Schematic
[ZOOM IN] Kiyomizu-dera Highlights
[ZOOM IN] Enjoy Street Food at Nishiki Market
[ZOOM IN] Enjoying a snack while taking in the scenery of the Kamo River

Silver Pavilion Temple
Eun-gak-sa MUST DO
Schematic diagram of Eun-gak-sa Temple

Kinkaku-ji Temple ˚ Nijo-jo 金閣寺 ˚ 二?城
Kinkaku-ji Temple ˚ Nijo-jo MUST DO
Kinkaku-ji Temple ˚ Nijo-jo Schematic diagram
[ZOOM IN] Nijo Castle Recommended Course

Kyoto Station 京都?
Kyoto Station MUST DO
Kyoto Station schematic diagram

Arashiyama 嵐山
Arashiyama MUST DO
Arashiyama schematic diagram

Kyoto suburbs
[PLUS AREA] Ohara

Kobe Kamiho

Sannomiya
Sannomiya MUST DO
Sannomiya schematic
[FEATURE] Kitano Ijinkan's main theme halls

Kobe Bay Area
Kobe Bay Area MUST DO
Kobe Bay Area Schematic Map
[FEATURE] Enjoying Street Food in Nankinmachi
[FEATURE] Key buildings in the old settlement
[FEATURE] Things to do in Harborland
[PLUS AREA] Arima Onsen
[PLUS AREA] Himeji Castle

Nara

Nara Park 奈良公園
Nara Park MUST DO
National Park Outline
[ZOOM IN] Sights of Todaiji Temple
[INFORMATION] Traveling by City Circular Bus

Nishinokyo ˚ Ikaruga 西ノ京 ˚ 斑鳩
Nishinokyo ˚ Ikaruga MUST DO
Nishinokyo ˚ Ikaruga schematic
[ZOOM IN] Horyuji Temple Attractions
[PLUS AREA] Asuka

wakayama 和歌山

Shirahama
Shirahama MUST DO
Shirahama schematic
[PLUS AREA] Koyasan
[PLUS AREA] Kishi Station

Staying in Osaka

Kansai accommodation tax and bathing tax
Osaka accommodations
Kyoto accommodations

Preparing for your trip to Osaka

Planning a trip
Prepare your passport and visa
Travel Preparations
Book a flight
Book your accommodation
Exchange money and use cards
Comparing Travel Wallet and Travel Blog
Naver Pay and Kakao Pay available in Japan
Changes in checkout methods at some convenience stores and supermarkets
Use communication devices
Useful applications for travel
Dealing with incidents and accidents
Clothing and Accessories Size Chart
Travel Japanese

Index

★ Includes the latest Osaka travel information for 2024-2025
★ Complete conquest of Osaka (Minami, Kita, Osaka Castle, Tennoji/Shinsekai, Bay Area, Osaka suburbs)
★ Complete conquest of Kyoto (Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Gion, Ginkaku-ji Temple, Kinkaku-ji Temple, Nijo Castle, Kyoto Station, Arashiyama, and Kyoto suburbs)
★ Introducing not only Osaka and Kyoto, but also nearby tourist destinations such as Kobe, Nara, and Wakayama.
★ A complete guide to Osaka's hottest places, reflecting the latest travel trends!
★ Just following along is half the battle! Guide to the best travel courses carefully selected by schedule, region, and theme.
★ Includes a map book with the latest detailed maps and route maps!
★ Travel conversation in one book! Includes useful travel Japanese for locals.
★ Keyword listing for smartphone travelers!

Friends Osaka is back.
In keeping with Osaka, a progressive city that always boldly takes on new challenges, we have completely renewed the existing content, structure, and design.
Travel writers who are experts on Japan, who have written numerous travel guidebooks such as “Friends Fukuoka,” “Friends Hokkaido,” and “Friends Tokyo,” have compiled travel information they have gathered while traveling around Osaka for many years into this one book.


In addition to what we already know, we can look forward to seeing many new aspects of Osaka through Friends Osaka 24~25, such as the dazzling night view of Osaka, the city of gastronomy known as the kitchen of the world, and the bold appearance of Kyoto, the city with a thousand years of history that creates new things among the old.


1.
Completely Renovated! The All-New "Friends Osaka 24-25" Returns

Friends Osaka has new clothes.
It covers everything about Osaka, which changes rapidly every year, and is also full of useful information that will be of great help to both first-time travelers and repeat visitors.


In particular, 'Getting to Know Osaka' broadly divides Osaka into attractions, food, and shopping, and then introduces the sub-contents by theme, region, and popularity, utilizing various methods and arrangements.
In addition, it is not simply a list of information, but rather an organic composition of all the information essential to travelers, such as the author's valuable travel tips, the ZOOM IN corner that examines travel destinations in more detail, and the special corner Feature that doubles the enjoyment of travel, so you can relieve your fear of unfamiliar travel destinations and enjoy a fulfilling and fun trip to Osaka.

2.
Complete conquest of key cities such as Osaka and Kyoto, as well as Kobe, Nara, and Wakayama

This book focuses on Osaka and Kyoto, the core cities of the Kansai region, and goes further to cover nearby cities such as Kobe, Nara, and Wakayama.
In particular, Osaka is divided into Minami, Kita, Osaka Castle, Tennoji/Shinsekai, Bay Area, and the Osaka suburbs, and Kyoto is divided into Kiyomizu-dera/Gion, Ginkaku-ji Temple, Kinkaku-ji Temple/Nijo-jo, Kyoto Station, Arashiyama, and the Kyoto suburbs, showing another Osaka within Osaka and another Kyoto within Kyoto.


In addition, we've also introduced seven nearby travel destinations (PLUS AREA) that are great to visit while traveling around each city. If you want to make your Osaka trip more fulfilling and easier, check out these nearby travel destinations.


3.
Includes travel itineraries and recommended courses by region for efficient travel.

Osaka offers a variety of attractions, food, and entertainment in each region, including sightseeing, restaurants, shopping, and night views. Depending on which city you choose to combine for your itinerary, you can experience a unique charm.
〈Friends Osaka 24~25〉 contains recommended travel itineraries by date, region, and theme.
Once you've decided which of Osaka's many cities to visit through our recommended itinerary, check out our city-specific travel itineraries.
We've introduced a recommended day trip itinerary for the city along with a schematic map, so all you have to do is follow it.


4.
Finding your way is a breeze! Osaka Mapbook provides up-to-date maps and route maps for each region.

All tourist attractions, restaurants, shopping spots, and accommodations introduced in the book are marked with their locations on the maps in the main text or the map book (appendix).
'Map P.00-A0' in the text refers to the map book page (00) and area number (A0) on which the spot is displayed (for example, 'Map P.10-A1' means that the location of the spot is displayed in area A1 on page 10 of the map book).
All maps include landmarks that can serve as wayfinding markers, such as train stations, terminals, and convenience stores, as well as street names, to make it easier to find your way using just the map.
We made it convenient to travel by carrying just one map book that is both portable and practical while traveling.

5.
The Secret to Finding Your Way for Smartphone Travelers: "Keywords"

The use of smartphones is increasing day by day, not only in everyday life but also when traveling.
Many travelers use map applications to find their way around, and while it's easy to input Korean or English, it's difficult to input Japanese.
To solve this problem, 〈Friends Osaka 24~25〉 has entered ‘keywords’ into all spot information sections.
A 'keyword' consisting of Korean or English letters, numbers, etc. can be entered directly into the search bar of Google Maps, one of the map applications, to immediately pinpoint the location of a spot on Google Maps.

For example, if you enter the keyword 'Ebisubashi Bridge' (page 180 of the book) into the Google Maps search bar, the location of Ebisubashi will be displayed on the map.
If you find your way based on this, you can enjoy your trip conveniently.

6.
Understanding intercity transportation makes travel easier! Intercity transportation options and travel times

In Japan, the national railways, which were once state-owned, were privatized, and unlike Korea, private railways are legally permitted to be operated by private companies.
Therefore, the number of railways operating within a region is very large, resulting in a very complex structure, and this applies to the Kansai region as well.
Considering that it can be difficult for travelers to understand all the railways and routes, "Friends Osaka 24-25" provides detailed information on how to get around by region, including the routes used, stations where you can get on and off, train types, travel times, and fares, organized into a table.
Additionally, we recommend appropriate transportation pass products to suit your situation, helping you have a more convenient and economical trip.