Shitenno-ji Temple is one of the oldest temples in Japan. The original buildings were constructed over 1,400 years ago at the behest of Prince Shotoku. The temple is especially known for the arrangement of its buildings in a straight north-south line - an arrangement that has come to be known as 'Shitenno-ji-style temple layout'. The outstanding symmetrical balance of Shitenno-ji's architecture has been greatly admired over the centuries. The temple was destroyed several times in fires caused by lightning and war, but has always been rebuilt.

The zoo is located in Tennoji Park, southwest of the Shitenno-ji Temple, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan. The park also has a circular garden called Keitakuen. The Tennoji Zoo, opened in 1915, houses 1,401 animals, including koalas, pandas, kiwis, reptiles, birds, mammals and a Tasmanian devil, which you cannot find in any other zoo in Japan. There is also a separate bird sanctuary, a reptile house that duplicates a natural environment and a hippopotamus. Pamphlets in English will help you find your way around this wonderful facility. Admission is free for junior high school students and younger than that.

If you did not have anything particular in mind but were simply looking for the largest array of dining selections in one location, then this is the place. This building houses a total of 34 restaurants covering a range of culinary traditions and price ranges. While most restaurants are casual, there are a few higher-end establishments as well. The place is particularly busy during lunch hours and in the early evening after regular working hours. There are also a few other businesses besides restaurants.

Nagai Stadium seats over 50,000 people and is home to Osaka's Cerezo Osaka team. It hosted several games in the 2002 World Cup, and currently has the largest stadium screen in all of Japan.

This sprawling exercise park is one of the best sports facilities in the city. Within the park proper - which boasts over 61,000 trees and shrubs - you will find a track stadium and another smaller track and field area, tennis courts, a baseball field, a swimming pool, numerous walking and jogging courses, a handicapped sports area, general-use fields, and more than a few romantic areas for relaxing or strolling. Visitors can enter the park anytime, though hours for facilities vary.

This burgeoning commercial district is situated in northern Osaka, comprising the complex housing the Osaka and Umeda stations and their environs. A bustling hub of activity, Umeda is a megopolis of restaurants, department stores, high rise hotels, and entertainment venues that is as active at night as it is during the day. It's key features include the Umeda underground mall (the largest of its kind in Japan), the Umeda sky building (a stunning commercial complex standing a spectacular 173 meters with a floating garden observatory), the Hankyu Entertainment Park with its giant ferris wheel, and the Kitashinchi entertainment district.

Together with its east and west wings, which are joined by a catwalk in the middle and a solarium of sorts at its peak, the Umeda Sky Building rises 170 meters from the ground and provides some of the most stunning views of Osaka. From the observation floor, an open-air platform in the shape of a ring, visitors have an unbridled, 360-degree view of Osaka. There is also a 'sky garden' in the facilities. Even if you cannot appreciate the height to which it soars, the building is an architectural marvel from the outside as well.