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Osaka Bay Area

The Bay Area provides a striking contrast to the bustling, crowded, downtown areas like Umeda, Namba and Tennoji. Cosmosquare, Tempozan and the Universal Studios area were all developed recently and are home to modern office towers, luxury hotels and a plethora of tourist attractions and shopping malls.

The immensely popular Universal Studios Japan [USJ], with its movie-related shows and rides, is worth devoting an entire day to. To get there, take the JR Loop Line to Nishi-kujo, then change to the JR Yumesaki Line bound for JR Universal City Station.

In front of the park is Universal CityWalk, a collection of more than 50 shops and restaurants with Hollywood themes. Many guests at USJ stay at the Hyatt Regency Osaka and the Hotel Kintetsu Universal City. For those hankering after big American-style burgers, there is a Hard Rock Cafe in Universal CityWalk.

Tempozan, near Osaka-ko Station on the Chuo subway line, provides the setting for the stunning Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, considered by many to be one of the finest in the world.

Right next-door is the enormous Suntory Museum. Designed by internationally renowned architect Tadao Ando [himself an Osaka native], the museum has rotating art and graphic design exhibitions and houses a giant IMAX Theater. Visitors can also ride the enormous Tempozan Ferris Wheel or take a cruise around Osaka Bay on the Santa Maria, a reconstruction of Columbus's famous Spanish flagship.

The nearby Cosmosquare [also called Nanko] is home to the Osaka World Trade Center Building, a skyscraper whose 55th floor observation deck offers stunning views of the greater Osaka metro area. The Asia Pacific Trade Center incorporates the MARE shopping mall, filled with dozens of outlet shops, and the O's Building, which has restaurants, shopping and entertainment facilities. There's also INTEX Osaka, a venue for trade shows, and the Fureai Kaikan, better known as the Wine Museum. Nanko is not all high-rises and shopping, though: the Nanko Bird Sanctuary offers wonderful, relaxing strolls and bird watching.

If you are in Cosmosquare for a conference or trade show, the Hyatt-Regency Osaka is a convenient and luxuriously comfortable place to stay.