Breathtaking architecture, high technology and prototypical
urban life :Osaka shows us what the future will look like.
Neon advertisements flash, music reverberates from the bars and pinball
parlours, and streams of people hurry past - some on their way home, others
beginning an evening out.
It would be hard to imagine a more urban sight than Dotombori, the southernmost
of Osaka's two downtown areas.
With a population of more than 2.5 million, Osaka is Japan's third-largest
city.
It forms the heart of the Kansai region, which is home to 20 million people.
The inhabitants of this business-oriented metropolis have a reputation
for knowing how to work and play hard.
The stores in Dotombori's covered pedestrian streets are packed with merchandise
to the point of overflowing. Hundreds of restaurants, theatres and cinemas
also vie for space. A similar scene can be found in the extensive underground
shopping centres below the neighbourhood.
Whatever you happen to be looking for, you will find it in Dotombori or
the nearby neighbourhoods. The large shops in the Shinsaibashi area offer
everything that the well-heeled shopaholic could want. Amerika-Mura (American
Village) is a trendy quarter packed with popular bars and stores selling
the latest fashionwear. |
