Osaka

Osaka needs 2 days: Osaka Castle on one, and the Dotonbori district (street food and neon lights) on the other. March-May brings the same good weather as the rest of the Kansai region. It's cheaper than Tokyo, with a reputation as Japan's most affordable city for eating well. It's recognized as Japan's unofficial food capital, birthplace of takoyaki and okonomiyaki, with a local saying, «kuidaore» (eat yourself bankrupt), that sums up the city's relationship with food.