Considered Considered by almost all who visit to be the epicentre of Japan's fun side, Osaka has a reputation for being loud and brash where Tokyo is all refinement and style. This simple overview is not often wrong; Osakans consider themselves the friendlier of the bunch and are - uncommonly for such a modest society - proud of their city, which produces a high majority of the country's comic talent. With an abundance of bars and shopping arcades, Osaka is the ideal city in which to drink, shop and enjoy live music until the early hours. It's not the prettiest of Japan's cities architecturally, so Osaka is best viewed by night, when the neon lights switch on and the streets come alive with sizzles, smells and hearty laughter.

Considered the nation's kitchen, Osaka is renowned as the home of some of the country's best-loved street food, including takoyaki (deep fried batter balls stuffed with small cubes of octopus) and Osaka-style okonomiyaki (a savoury cabbage pancake topped with a sweet brown sauce and mayonnaise). From summer 2019, direct flights from London to Osaka are available, meaning it's now possible to skip the capital altogether and hole up for several weeks in Kansai - home to some of the country's best sightseeing spots including Kyoto, Nara and Mt Koya, and Osaka is the gateway city to it all.