Osaka

The new construction and renovation of old buildings and parks have breathed fresh life into the place.Osaka is ugly on the surface. It's a jostled mass of concrete, glass, sparse greenery and constant rush-hour crush all seemingly strung together by a web of overhead telephone and electrical wires. Many of the nation's arts originated here: the tea ceremony, flower arrangement and the performing arts of Bunraku, Kabuki and Noh. Nowaday it's known for its writers, artists, musicians and comedians. The Osaka's hideous mask and you reveal a city of vibrant and distinct and neighborhoods. Since the city was established as Japan's first capital in the 7th century, it has always been a place of culture a fact greatly overlooked even by Japanese.