Reasons To Visit Osaka

Above, a restaurant's sign in the foodie area of  Osaka's Dotonbori. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

CNN may be full of fake news these days, but perhaps that hasn't affected their travel bureaus.

CNN Travel has an article of 10 reasons to visit Osaka, Japan from food to shopping (two good reasons, eh?). And they begin it with:

(CNN) — Ask most people where they want to go in Japan, and they'll likely reply without a moment's hesitation -- "Tokyo, duh." 

Romantic Kyoto may come a close second, or tropical Okinawa, but the Japan bucket list rarely includes rough-and-tumble Osaka. It's Japan's third-most-populated city, yet one that is often overlooked by overseas tourists. 

Bayside Osaka -- gutted by World War II bombing and rebuilt rapidly, haphazardly -- certainly lacks the picturesque architecture and alluring natural scenery of other Japanese cities. And its enduring role as one of Japan's economic command centers hardly seems like a reason to stir from your couch. So why visit Osaka at all?

To read more, go here.