Izumi (和泉市, Izumi-shi) is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is about 15 minutes from the center of Osaka city.
Established in 1956 with a population of 50,000, Izumi City now has a population of over 180,000.
The city has a mild climate and clean rivers. The northern part of Izumi is hilly. Izumi is famous for its manmade pearls, glasswork, and flower growing in the northern part and for its tangerine cultivation in the southern part.
The narcissus flower and camphor tree are symbols of Izumi.
It is known for its cabbage and sweet Vidalia-like onions.
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The part of Izumi that I lived in was very close to Sakai-shi. Therefore, I experienced more the city of Sakai than that of Izumi. My train station and my high school were actually in Sakai-shi.
Sakai (堺市, Sakai-shi) is a city in Osaka Prefecture and is located directly south of Osaka City. It is one of the largest seaports in Japan. Sakai is most famous for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun. In industry, Sakai is a top producer of kitchen knives and high-end cutlery.
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I also spent 1 month of my exchange living in Osaka-shi. That was a completely different experience, as Osaka is a massive city full of interesting quirks.
Osaka City (大阪市, Osaka-shi) is the capital of Osaka Prefecture and has historically been the commercial capital of Japan. The ratio between daytime and night time population is 141%; during the day Osaka’s population is second to only Tokyo. It has a population of over 2 million. Osaka is also considered the “nation’s kitchen”.
Osaka is divided among 24 wards. I lived for a month in Higashinari-ku (東成区), on the eastern border of the city. I also spent a lot of time in central Naniwa-ku (浪速区) because it is home to Namba, the entertainment hub of Osaka city. Namba consists of a large train and underground subway station, underground malls, and above ground shopping arcades as well as restaurants, clubs, and pachinko parlours.
