I at all times root for the underdog, and Osaka isn’t any exception. Though it’s Japan’s second-largest metropolis (effectively, third for those who rely Yokohama), Western vacationers reliably snub it—in favor, not surprisingly, of close by Kyoto.
On one degree, I get this. Kyoto is a extra “distinctive” metropolis; as a result of it, like Osaka, is within the coronary heart of the Kansai area, it serves as a equally efficient base for day journeys.
Then again, the Kyoto vs Osaka is at its core a research in contrasts: These two cities merely couldn’t be extra totally different, their utility as hubs for exploration however. You actually ought to plan on devoting time to each in case your schedule in any respect permits it.
Why So Many Vacationers Skip Osaka (or Simply Day-Journey There)
For many international guests to Japan, whether or not to go to Kyoto or Osaka isn’t a query. Kyoto—Japan’s erstwhile capital; the capital of temples and Geisha—is the one alternative. They may see Osaka on a day journey, although it won’t get all the day. Even I, in my itinerary planning enterprise, typically counsel a night consuming road meals in Dotonbori or Shinsekai as a chase to a day in Himeji and/or Kobe, merely to “squeeze” Osaka in.
The explanations for this are each easy and complicated—I’ll be overlaying the previous now, and the latter in subsequent paragraphs. The “easy” motive is that many vacationers (at the least Western ones—these from East and Southeast Asia see it a bit totally different), Osaka looks as if an alternate and perhaps even lesser model of Tokyo, which creates redundancy inside their itinerary. Together with it will occupy days higher spent elsewhere.
Osaka
Methods to Examine Kyoto with Osaka
Getting there and round—and away
Each Kyoto and Osaka are linked on to Tokyo through the Shinkansen—take a Nozomi for the quickest journey; remember the fact that Osaka’s bullet practice depot known as Shin-Osaka Station. Getting round Osaka depends totally on the Osaka Metro system (whose pink Midosuji Line is essentially the most helpful one); in Kyoto, you sometimes must complement journeys on the cross-shaped Kyoto Metropolis Subway with the JR Sagano Line, the Keihan Fundamental Line and native buses. The very best areas to remain in Kyoto and Osaka (Highashiyama and Namba, respectively) are about as removed from every metropolis’s predominant railway stations as each other, which suggests the 2 are equally in the case of getting out of city.
Issues to do
Kyoto and Osaka are each replete with sights, however of a really totally different kind. In Kyoto, I normally wish to spend my first night amid the temples of Higashiyama and the Geisha of Gion; the following morning, I experience throughout city to Arashiyama, residence to the notorious Sagano Bamboo Grove, then head again east and experience all the way down to Fushimi Inari Shrine in time to see it mild up. In Osaka, in the meantime, I wish to spend my first night consuming road meals alongside Dotonbori Canal; on day two, I pair an okonomiyaki lunch with a day at Osaka Citadel, earlier than continuing to Shi-Tenno-ji, town’s oldest temple.
Lodging
In Kyoto, many vacationers go for ryokan visitor homes (starting from the straightforward Ryokan Kyoraku to the upmarket Seikoro), however I’m personally keen on “regular” lodges. These likewise run the gamut—it can save you cash on a extra spartan place just like the Waka Heian Shirakawa Lodge, or splurge on the boutique Dhawa Yura Lodge. Osaka, in the meantime, is dominated by metropolis lodges. They’re all fairly “good”; what extra money will get you is a bigger room. In my expertise, you possibly can have actually twice as a lot spice on the higher-end Lodge Royal Traditional Osaka than you do on the funds Sotetsu Fresa Inn Osaka-Namba.
Eating places and nightlife
Evaluating Osaka vs Kyoto on this entrance, it’s a matter of trade-offs. Kyoto’s predominant claims to culinary fame vary from tofu (which is mostly unappealing to Westerners, however is superb right here), to local-style Obanzai meals. Nightlife-wise, bars (which vary from sleazy to stylish) alongside Kiyamachi-dori and additional north in Ponto-cho are likely to dominate. Osaka, in the meantime, is all about road meals, from the aforementioned Dotonbori to eclectic Shinsekai, the place you possibly can take pleasure in kushikatsu (fried meals on sticks) earlier than going up in Tsutenkaku tower for a view. Notably, Osaka has a significantly better outlined homosexual scene (within the type of Doyama-cho) than Kyoto, if that’s essential to you.
FOMO issue
Osaka, for higher and for worse, is just not a have a tendency that folks are likely to remorse not visiting till they get there. To place it one other approach, for those who by no means make it to Osaka in your journey to Japan, you gained’t know what you’ve lacking—in truth, you would possibly suppose you’ve missed nothing in any respect. In contrast, Kyoto is just not solely the most well-liked vacationer metropolis in Japan, however steadily tops record of world cities by main publications. If it’s your first time in Japan and also you skip Kyoto (NOTE: Should you don’t have time, then on the very least you need to contemplate a Kyoto day journey from Osaka), you’ll nearly actually go away with remorse.
Kyoto
Different Potential Kansai Area Bases
If neither Osaka nor Kyoto is a spot you need to name residence for a number of days, excellent news—there are different locations to base your self in Kansai. Listed here are a number of choices:
- Nara—at all times the bridesmaid, by no means the bride! However belief me after I say that staying in a single day in Nara lets you see town in a brand new mild (actually. The sunsets listed here are wild!).
- Though it’s barely much less handy than the 2 cities I’ve profiled on this article, Kobe is a lot greater than beef, significantly for those who sleep right here for a number of nights.
- Fairly than leaving Kyoto behind completely, sleeping in less-touristic districts like Nagaoka-kyo (within the west) and Fushimi (within the southeast) can provide a vastly totally different expertise.
Different FAQ About Osaka and Kyoto
Which is healthier, Kyoto or Osaka?
Kyoto and Osaka have very in frequent, other than being very shut to at least one one other, each bodily and as bases for sightseeing within the Kansai area. Kyoto is healthier if you wish to lean closely into historical past and structure (crowds be damned); select Osaka for those who nonetheless have an urge for food for giant metropolis power after Tokyo, and/or for those who suppose you’ll have the time and bandwidth to discover underrated neighborhoods.
Ought to I keep in Osaka or Kyoto?
You probably have time in your itinerary, I’d counsel staying in each of those cities—three nights in Kyoto; two in Osaka. This can permit you not solely to discover every metropolis middle, but additionally to take day journeys—Nara, Uji and Fushimi from Kyoto; Himeji Citadel and Kobe from Osaka.
Is Osaka inexpensive than Kyoto?
Uncooked costs in Osaka are just like those you see in Kyoto—lower than you’re most likely anticipating; however greater than you want to pay. The secret is that whereas in Kyoto you’ll normally pay for a ryokan that’s far more spartan than its nightly fee suggests, your Osaka expenditure correlates straight with the dimensions of your room in a metropolis resort.
The Backside Line
Evaluating Kyoto vs Osaka is, in some sense, a idiot’s errand. Geographical proximity however, these two cities couldn’t be extra totally different. Kyoto is an historic capital well-known for scenic vistas, Geisha and temples; Osaka, whereas “older” than it appears on the floor, is Tokyo’s sassier sister down the Shinkansen Line. Then again, as a result of the 2 are so shut, they normally find yourself occupying the same place in folks’s Japan journeys—in different phrases, there’s room for one, however (normally) not each. Want personalised assist deciding how the Kansai area matches into the bigger image of your Japan journey? Fee a customized Japan itinerary right this moment!