Located on the alluvial plain of the Yodogawa River in the western part of the Osaka Plain, adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, Osaka Bay to the west, and Hyogo Prefecture to the northwest, Osaka City has a total area of 225.33 square kilometers, ranking 17th among the cities designated by government ordinance, only larger than Saitama City, Sakai City, and Kawasaki City. Most of the urban area is located on the Osaka Plain. The Osaka Plain is an alluvial plain with flat terrain. The Kamimachi Plateau in the east is an alluvial plateau stretching from Osaka Castle in the north to Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine in the south. The northern end of the platform is the highest area in Uemachi, and the terrain on the east side is relatively gentle, while the west side has a more pronounced change of highlands and many slopes, which is also the origin of the name “Osaka”.
Osaka City has a Seto Inland Sea climate with a warm climate throughout the year. Summers are very hot, making it one of the hottest regions in Japan, even surpassing the city of Naha in the south. Due to the heat island effect, the temperature in Osaka city is less likely to drop at night in summer, and in recent years, the average tropical night in Osaka has exceeded 40 days a year. Winters are relatively warm, but temperatures can fall below freezing when strong cold fronts hit.
The most famous building in Osaka is the Umeda Sky Garden, located in the northern part of Osaka, and is Japan’s first connected supertall building. It is also a complex amusement complex: the “Takimi Koji” on the first basement floor is a retro restaurant street, and the third floor has a gallery and foyer theater, and it takes only one minute to take a rapid elevator to the 35th floor from the third floor. On the 39th floor, there is a restaurant, bar, and souvenir shop, and on the 40th floor, there is a very laid-back café, and the top floor is designed as a circular 360-degree open-air observation deck.