Universal Studios Japan (USJ) was the first theme park under the Universal Studios brand to be built in Asia. Opened in March 2001 in the Osaka Bay Area, the theme park occupies an area of 39 hectares and is the most visited amusement park in Japan after Tokyo Disney Resort. Universal Studios Japan currently has eight sections: Hollywood, New York, San Francisco, Jurassic Park, Waterworld, Amity Village, Universal Wonderland and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Visitors are able to enjoy many amusement rides, ranging from child-friendly carousels to thrilling roller coasters and simulators based on popular movies such as Spiderman, Back to the Future, Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park.

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (海遊館, Kaiyūkan) is located in the Tempozan Harbor Village of Osaka's bay area, and is one of Japan's most spectacular aquariums. It introduces various forms of life inhabiting the Pacific Rim in a well organized and impressive way. Marine life is displayed in 15 tanks, each representing a specific region of the Pacific Rim. The central tank, representing the Pacifc Ocean, is nine meters deep and home to a whale shark, the aquarium's main attraction. Visitors start their tour of the aquarium on the 8th floor and slowly spiral down floor by floor around the central tank. Some of the tanks stretch over several floors, making it possible to observe the animals from different depths and perspectives. New exhibition space was added to the aquarium in March 2013.

Located around Namba Station, Minami (南, "South") is one of Osaka's two major city centers. It is the city's most famous entertainment district and offers abundant dining and shopping choices. The district is easily accessible as it is served by three train companies as well as three subway lines and a highway bus terminal. The other major city center is Kita (北, "North") which is located around Osaka and Umeda Stations.

The Tenjin Festival (天神祭, Tenjin Matsuri) of Osaka is ranked as one of Japan's top three festivals, along with the Gion Matsuri of Kyoto and the Kanda Matsuri of Tokyo. The festival started in the 10th century and today takes place on July 24 and 25 every year. The main celebrations are held on the festival's second day, July 25, including a land procession and a river procession with fireworks. Tenjin Matsuri is the festival of the Tenmangu Shrine and honors its principle deity Sugawara Michizane, the deity of scholarship. 

The construction of Osaka Castle (大阪城, Ōsakajō) started in 1583 on the former site of the Ishiyama Honganji Temple, which had been destroyed by Oda Nobunaga thirteen years earlier. Toyotomi Hideyoshi intended the castle to become the center of a new, unified Japan under Toyotomi rule. It was the largest castle at the time. However, a few years after Hideyoshi's death, Tokugawa troops attacked and destroyed the castle and terminated the Toyotomi lineage in 1615. Osaka Castle was rebuilt by Tokugawa Hidetada in the 1620s, but its main castle tower was struck by lightening in 1665 and burnt down.

Osaka's Sumiyoshi Taisha (住吉大社, "Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine") is one of Japan's oldest shrines. Founded in the 3rd century before the introduction of Buddhism, it displays a unique style of shrine architecture, called Sumiyoshi-zukuri, that is free of influence from the Asian mainland. Only two other shrine architecture styles are also considered purely Japanese: Shinmei-zukuri as seen at the Ise Shrines and Taisha-zukuri as seen at Izumo Taisha. Sumiyoshi-zukuri is characterized by straight roofs (as opposed to the curved roofs commonly built in later centuries) which are decorated by two sets of forked finials (chigi) and five horizontal billets (katsuogi). Furthermore, buildings constructed in Sumiyoshi-zukuri style have their entrance under the gable and are surrounded by a fence.

Osaka has been the capital for bunraku, traditional Japanese puppet theater, for many centuries. The popularity of the theater form had grown in the city during the Edo Period when bunraku (like kabuki) was a rare kind of art entertainment for the common public rather than the nobility. The National Bunraku Theater (国立文楽劇場, Kokuritsu Bunraku Gekijō) in Osaka is one of the few places to view the fascinating art form today. English programs and earphones are available. Performances are usually held in three week runs in January, April, June, July/August and November.

Shinsekai (新世界) is Osaka's "new world," a district that was developed before the war and then neglected in the decades afterwards. At the district's center stands Tsutenkaku Tower, the nostalgia evoking symbol of Shinsekai. The area was developed into its current layout following the success of the 1903 National Industrial Exposition, which brought over five million people to the neighborhood within just five months. Shortly after the expo closed its doors, work began to improve and update Shinsekai.

Standing at 300 meters, Abeno Harukas (あべのハルカス) in Osaka is the tallest skyscraper in Japan. The building stands on top of the Kintetsu Osaka Abenobashi Station and is conveniently located across from JR Tennoji Station. It houses a department store, an art museum, a hotel and an observation deck. The observation deck is called "Harukas 300" and occupies the building's top three floors (floors 58 to 60). The observation deck is accessed by elevators from the 16th floor. With large floor-to-ceiling glass panels all around, the 60th floor offers 360 degree views of Osaka, while the 58th floor features an attractively designed inner court with a wooden deck and cafe. A souvenir shop and restrooms with views are also available.

The Kita (北, "North") district, also known as Umeda (梅田), is one of Osaka's two main city centers. It is located around the large station complex that comprises Osaka and Umeda Stations. Kita's counterpart is Minami (南, "South") around Namba Station. Besides being Osaka's busiest transportation hub and a bustling business district, Kita also offers an abundance of shopping, dining, lodging and entertainment, including several department stores and an expansive network of underground shopping malls.

Osaka Station is a major railway station in Osaka's Umeda district (also known as Kita) that is served by a large number of local and interregional trains, but not the shinkansen which stop at Shin-Osaka Station. The formerly dark and cramped station underwent extensive renovation works and was reborn in 2011 as Osaka Station City, one of Japan's most attractive railway stations. Osaka Station City's landmark is a large glass roof that spans over the railway tracks and gives the station a lot of new open space. Newly constructed and renovated buildings on the north and south sides of the station provide travelers with a wide array of shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation opportunities, and are connected with each other by a wide bridge over the railway tracks.

Minoo Park (箕面公園, Minō Kōen, also spelled Mino or Minoh) is a forested valley on the outskirts of Osaka, just north of the urban sprawl. During the fall, it is one of the best places in the Kansai Region to see the autumn colors in a natural setting, as opposed to the attractive fall foliage found at temples and gardens. The colors are usually best in the second half of November. Similar to Tokyo's Mount Takao, Minoo Park is the closest spot to the busy metropolis of Osaka to find a spacious natural recreation area. The park can be reached in less than 30 minutes from the downtown Umeda area. Another similarity, Takao and Minoo were both given quasi-national park status in 1967 to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Meiji Period (1867-1912).

The Osaka Museum of History (大阪歴史博物館, Ōsaka Rekishi Hakubutsukan) opened in 2003 in a tall building next to NHK Osaka and just across the street from Osaka Castle. The building offers excellent views of the castle from its top floors. The museum exhibits are visually oriented with several large models. They chronicle the city's history, beginning in ancient times when Osaka served as Japan's first capital and site of the Naniwa Palace and ending with exhibits on the city's bustling shopping arcades of the early Showa Period.

Shitennoji (四天王寺, Shitennōji) is one of Japan's oldest temples and the first ever to be built by the state. It was founded in 593 by Prince Shotoku, who supported the introduction of Buddhism into Japan. Although the temple's buildings burned down several times throughout the centuries, they were always carefully reconstructed to reflect the original 6th century design. The outer temple grounds are free to enter, but admission to the inner precinct, the Gokuraku-jodo Garden and the treasure house is paid. In the pebble covered courtyard of the inner precinct stand a five-storied pagoda that can be entered and ascended and the Main Hall (Kondo) in which Prince Shotoku is enshrined as a statue of Kannon.

The National Art Museum of Osaka (国立国際美術館, Kokuritsu Kokusai Bijutsukan) occupies two underground floors on Nakanoshima Island in central Osaka. The museum focuses on Japanese and foreign contemporary art, with exhibitions from the museum collection and special exhibitions. The museum's current building was opened in 2007 and was designed to represent the growth and shape of a bamboo plant. The facility was formerly housed in the Expo Museum of Fine Arts, built for the Osaka Expo in 1970.

The Umeda Sky Building (梅田スカイビル) is a spectacular high rise building in the Kita district of Osaka, near Osaka and Umeda Stations. It is also known as the "New Umeda City". The 173 meter tall building consists of two towers that are connected with each other by the "Floating Garden Observatory" on the 39th floor. The observatory offers great views of the city through its windows and from its open-air deck. In the basement, there is a restaurant floor that replicates a town of the early Showa Period, while offices occupy most other floors.

Osaka Tenmangu Shrine (大阪天満宮, Ōsaka Tenmangū), founded in the 10th century, is one of the most important of hundreds of shrines across Japan that are devoted to the Shinto deity of sholarship, Sugawara Michizane. Osaka Tenmangu Shrine has been destroyed by fire a number of times during its history, and its current main hall (honden) and main gate date back to 1845.

The Osaka Bay Area is a collection of young city districts on man-made waterfront islands and peninsulas, built to accommodate Osaka's sprawling growth. The districts host a variety of tourist attractions, such as museums, theme parks, observatories and shopping centers. Osaka's domestic and international port facilities are also found in the area.

The Osaka Science Museum (大阪市立科学館, Ōsaka Shiritsu Kagakukan) on Nakanoshima Island has four floors of interactive exhibits and displays. The museum was designed with children in mind and takes visitors through displays on the universe, chemistry, electricity and energy. A science show is held three times a day (in Japanese only). In addition to the exhibits, the Science Museum has a planetarium with multiple daily shows and an Imax Dome Theater, called "Omnimax", with a rotating selection of Imax films at additional cost. The Imax films are only aired on weekends and national holidays.

Located in the southeast of central Osaka, the Tennoji (天王寺, Tennōji) and neighboring Abeno districts are home to the tallest skyscraper in Japan, Abeno Harukas. Tennoji Station is one of Osaka's largest transportation hubs, served by multiple JR and subway lines. Kintetsu Osaka Abenobashi Station is just across the street. The area south of Tennoji Station has undergone redevelopment in recent years, revitalizing the district. With about seven malls in the immediate vicinity of the station, there is a wide range of shopping opportunities. Other nearby attractions include Shitennoji Temple and Tennoji Park, which features its own zoological garden and an art museum. West of the park lies Shinsekai, a uniquely Osakan dining and entertainment district.

Grand Front Osaka (グランフラント大阪) is a large commercial complex north of JR Osaka Station in the Umeda district that was opened in 2013. It consists of a wide variety of shops and restaurants, an Intercontinental hotel, office and event space, as well as a residential tower. Elevated walkways connect the multiple buildings of Grand Front Osaka to each other and to Osaka Station. Grand Front Osaka is the first part of the Umekita (short for "Umeda North") redevelopment project to transform a large former freight railyard north of Osaka Station into a new, modern city district. The rest of the railyard is expected to be redeveloped and opened to the public by 2025.