Osaka Habitat Guide

Oct 23,2007 00:00 by newsdesk

Osaka, an important centre of land and sea traffic located nearly in the centre of Japan, was earlier known as Naniwa. The city was devastated by a series of wars in the 14th century, but after the construction of Ishiyama Honganji Temple in 1496, the area developed as a Jinai-cho or a holy temple town and the area became known as Osaka. Merchants moved in from Sakai and Fushimi, developing an active commercial district and transforming Osaka into an economic and political centre. The City of Osaka was established as a modern municipality in 1889, and urban improvements were made such as in the water supply and sewer systems, harbour and port construction and an efficient inner city transport system. Through the early years of the 20th century, steady progress was made in city's development for streets, subways, parks and land use. The city experienced great devastation resulting from intense changes in social and economic conditions, typhoons and other natural disasters, damage from World War II, and post war chaos.