Material Science & Engineering

Osaka is a large port city and commercial center on the Japanese island of Honshu. It's known for its modern architecture, nightlife and hearty street food. The 16th-century shogunate Osaka Castle, which has undergone several restorations, is its main historical landmark. It's surrounded by a moat and park with plum, peach and cherry-blossom trees. Sumiyoshi-taisha is among Japan’s oldest Shinto shrines.

Osaka has traditionally been regarded as a city of merchants while Tokyo traditionally has had a reputation of being a city of bureaucrats and samurai. Osaka is also noted as the birthplace of traditional Japanese theatricals like Kabuki and Bunraku puppet dramas and as the site of some of Japan's most important battles.For a long time Osaka was the major commercial center of Japan. Until the late 19th century, about 70 percent of the country's wealth was concentrated in Osaka even though Tokyo was the capital. by the 1920s, Tokyo began to catch up. After World War II, it surpassed Osaka as big companies began transferring their headquarters to Tokyo.As is true with Tokyo, the majority of Osaka's historical monuments were destroyed during the firing bombing raids of World War II and the vast majority of the city has been rebuilt since the war. Osaka received worldwide attention in 1970 when it hosted a World Exposition. It wasn't damaged much by the 1995 Kobe earthquake even though Kobe is only 45 minutes away by train.