travel42 Port Guide: Osaka

travel42 Professional Cruise Port of Call Review

Osaka, Japan, and the surrounding Kansai region are the country's spiritual heartland. The site of one of the earliest capitals of the country, Osaka remains a vital center for trade and entrepreneurial culture. Tokyo may have political and financial clout and Kyoto may be the repository of ancient tradition, but Osaka is the nation's honest heartbeat.

In the mid-1990s, Osaka city officials embarked upon a long-term commitment to overhaul the city's grimy and nondescript image. The skyline has...