Osaka

  • The Dojima Rice Exchange during the Edo period is considered the world's first futures market.
  • Osaka Castle's stone walls contain giant stones transported by daimyo from all over Japan, with the largest Tako-ishi measuring 12m long and weighing approximately 130 tons.
  • The Osaka dialect term 'kuidaore' (eating until you drop) reflects the Osaka temperament of sparing no expense on delicious food.
  • The Floating Garden Observatory of Umeda Sky Building is the only Japanese building ranked in an American architecture magazine's 'Top 20 Buildings in the World.'
  • Osaka Municipal Subway (now Osaka Metro) opened in 1933 as the first publicly operated subway in East Asia.
  • Osaka Prefecture's habitable land ratio is approximately 93%, ranking first nationwide.
  • The Daisen Kofun (Emperor Nintoku's tomb) is approximately 486m long, surpassing the Pyramids and Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor as one of the world's largest burial mounds.
  • Osaka Prefecture has the highest household ownership rate of takoyaki makers nationwide.
  • Tenjin Matsuri and Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri are counted among Japan's three major boat festivals and three major danjiri festivals.
  • Osaka International Airport is a rare airport straddling prefectural borders, with the southern end of the runway in Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture, and the northern end in Itami City, Hyogo Prefecture.
  • EXPO '70 (Osaka Expo) attracted 64.21 million visitors, and Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 will be the second hosting 55 years later.
  • The prefecture's mascot Mozuyan is a bull-headed shrike character with jersey number 1870 (the year Osaka Prefecture was established).
  • Osaka City Central Wholesale Market opened in 1931 as Japan's first central wholesale market.
  • Tsutenkaku Tower was modeled after Paris's Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, with the current tower being the second generation (rebuilt in 1956).
  • Osaka Prefecture is the only prefecture where all railway lines support mutual IC card usage throughout.