Osaka (大阪), Japan.

Osaka is the third largest and second most important city of Japan, it is located in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu. It's name literally means "large hill" or "large slope". The city was formerly known as  Naniwa, and was once Japan's capital city, the first one ever known.

Osaka works as one of the comand centers for the Japanese economy, being the commercial center of Japan.

Culture

Osaka is knwon as the capital of theatrical arts, you can enjoy manzai, kabuki and drama performances, as well as enka concerts. Manzai is a stage perfomance of comedy between two or three people, and it was born in this city. Kabuki is a a classical dance-drama, known for it's stylization and performers with elaborated make-up. Enka is a Japanese music genre that resembles traditional Japanese music in a stylistic way. 

The city is home for various theatres: National Bunraku Theatre (the fourth national theatre of the country), Umeda Arts Theatre, Osaka Shiki Theatre, and much more. 

It is also home for the largest shontegai in the country. Shōtengai are commercial districts that run along a certain street, they include: supermarkets, game centers, restaurants, book shops, clothes shops, covenience stores, etc.

Amog the various festivals held in Osaka, the Tenjin Matsuri is one of the most important and colorful ones. It is one of Japan's three major festivals, and the world's greatest boat festival. The Tenjin Matsuri is held to drive out evil spirits of summer and as a requiem for Sugawara-no-Michizane, a leading court scholar of the Heian era.

Interesting sites

Kaiyukan (Osaka Aquiarium). One of Japan's most spectacular aquariums; it displays marine life in 15 tanks, each representing a specific region of the Pacific Rim.

Osaka Castle. This castle was built back in 1583, but destroyed 13 years later. It was intended to become the center of a unified Japan. It was later rebuilt in the 1620's, and now holds a museum about the castle's history.

National Bunraku Theater. Osaka has been the capital for bunraku for many centuries. Bunraku is a form of traditional japanese puppet theater.This theater is one of the few places to view the fascinating art from today.