Stay:

• Osaka Marriott Miyako. 5* hotel with perfect location right at the main train station. It is located in Japan‘s tallest building. You can book it here.
• A very affordable hotel for a short stay is the Taiyo with shared bathrooms. You can book it here.

Eat:

There are some specialties in the Osaka cuisine which is known to be the Mother of Street Food, here some examples:

• Okonomiyaki are a kind of salty pancakes made with cabbage, egg and other toppings – a sizzling experience.
• Takoyaki are a popular street food dish: ball-shaped batter with octopus inside.
• Kushikatsu are deep-fried skewers with various meat or vegetables – Osaka is said to be the cradle of this popular bar food.
• Ichiran Ramen – Ramen noodles are known all over Japan, at Ichiran you get the perfect single stall experience.

Getting around:

• With the handy Icoca card you are free to move around Osaka as you like. There is a 500 yen deposit for the card that gets you on all JR lines, Kansai wide transportation. Buy it at KIX airport or Osaka main station for example. (Suica cards from Tokyo also work in Osaka.)
• From Osaka station you have direct connections to Nara, where you can visit the Todai-ji Temple and the Deer Park.