Sakai, Osaka

Sakai (堺市, Sakai-shi) is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan on the edge of Osaka Bay at the mouth of the Yamato River. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the Medieval era.

Following the February 2005 annexation of the town of Mihara (from Minamikawachi District), the city has grown further and is now the fourteenth most populous city in Japan, with 833,414 residents as of May 1, 2007.

The current city was legally founded on April 1, 1889 according to the laws of Imperial Japan. Sakai became a designated city in April 2006 giving it a greater measure of self-determination in governmental affairs. It is divided into seven districts.

Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the 5th century. The largest of these, Daisen Kofun, is believed to be the grave of the Emperor Nintoku and is the largest grave in the world by area. Once known for samurai swords, Sakai is now famous for the quality of its kitchen knives; most high-quality Japanese cutlery originates in Sakai, and its production is a major industry in the city.

Osaka

Osaka (大阪市, Ōsaka-shi) (Japanese pronunciation: [oːsaka];  listen ) is a designated city in the Kansai region of Japan. It is the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and the largest component of the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Japan and among the largest in the world with over 19 million inhabitants. Situated at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, Osaka is the second largest city by the daytime population after Tokyo's 23 wards and the third largest city by the nighttime population after Tokyo's 23 special wards and Yokohama in Japan, serving as a major economic hub.

Historically a merchant city, Osaka has also been known as the "nation's kitchen" (天下の台所, tenka no daidokoro) and served as a center for the rice trade during the Edo period.

History

Prehistory to the Kofun period

Some of the earliest signs of human habitation in the Osaka area at the Morinomiya ruins (森ノ宮遺跡, Morinomiya iseki) comprise shell mounds, sea oysters and buried human skeletons from the 5th–6th centuries BC. It is believed that what is today the Uehonmachi area consisted of a peninsular land with an inland sea in the east. During the Yayoi period, permanent habitation on the plains grew as rice farming became popular.

Osaka (disambiguation)

Osaka or Ōsaka may refer to:

Osaka may also refer to:

Locations

Japan

United States

Fictional characters

Osaka (album)

Osaka is the only album put out by The Kickovers. It was released on April 23, 2002 on the Fenway Recordings record label.

Some promotional copies of Osaka went out with the band's original name, The Brakes. Shortly after, they had to change their name because of a New York band called The Break.

The album includes one cover, "Hanging on the Telephone", which was originally performed by The Nerves, although a cover of it by Blondie was more popular. "The Good Life" is also the name of a Weezer song, so some fans may have expected it to be a cover, especially since bassist Mikey Welsh was a member of Weezer prior to The Kickovers. Although not a member, Dave Aarnoff of The Shods performed bass on several tracks of the album.

Track listing

All songs by Nate Albert unless otherwise noted.