Tennoji and Abeno area is the doorways to and from Osaka – take the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka line to Kashihara-jingu or Yoshino, the JR Yamatoji line to Nara, Hanwa line to Kansai International Airport or Wakayama. Go north from the center of the city where fashion, buildings and shops gather and you'll find parks, temples, museums and a zoo. This area is where the old and new of Osaka exists side by side.
Tennoji / Abeno area map (PDF)
Tsutenkaku Tower / Shin-Sekai
The "Tsutenkakur" stands west of the Tennoji Zoo. It is said that Sakata Sankichi, famous for "Oosho", enjoyed the view of the tower. "Shin-Sekai" started its history along with the original Tsutenkaku Tower which was built as a part of the "Luna Park" in 1912. This amusement park was built at the former site of the "National Industrial Exhibition". And the Tsutenkaku Tower that is now standing is actually the second one. The original one was burnt down and was rebuilt by the citizens in 1956. Visit the area and enjoy the good-old-Osaka feeling and eat some of Osaka's delicious but cheap food. You can also relax at "Spa World" which is designed to have various baths from the world, filled with natural hot springs.
Abeno / Nagai / Sumiyoshitaisha Grand Shrine
Heading south from Tennoji is Abeno which is famous for literature and abundance of nature. "Abeno Seimei Shrine" where a famous astrologist, Abe Seimei, is enshrined and a monument of where Yoshida Kenko secluded himself stands in the Shotenyama Park. Southwest from this area is the "Sumiyoshitaisha Grand Shrine" which is worshipped for protecting sea voyage.
This is because although it is now surrounded by land, according to the "Kojiki" (Record of Ancient Matters, written during the Nara period from 710A.D. to 784 A.D.) it says that this was a seaside area and people visited the shrine to wish for the safety of their sea voyage. It is now one of the most popular shrines in Kansai with more than 2,200 thousand visitors during the New Years period every year. The shrine also known as the "Sumiyoshi-san" is known for enshrining "God of Waka poetry" as well. Many literary eminences have visited and donated tourou (hanging lanterns). There is even an epigraph of "Sori-bashi (Arched Bridge)" by Kawabata Yasunari.
