Experience the best of Izumisano

Izumisano lies on the shore of Osaka Bay in the south of Osaka Prefecture, in the Senshu district, with the Izumi mountain range rising behind it. Kansai International Airport stands on an artificial island just offshore, and the waterfront district of Rinku Town faces it across the water, with a tall tower, shops and a man-made beach along the bay. Further inland, the town keeps temples, farmland and older streets.

The Senshu area is known for farming and crafts: water eggplants, eaten raw and pickled, and onions grow here, and towels have been woven in the district for more than a century. The Izumi mountains offer woodland walks. Kishiwada, with its castle and an autumn festival of racing wooden floats, is a short way up the coast, the centre of Osaka lies beyond it to the north, and Wakayama and Mount Koya are to the south.

Mizunasu, the juicy water eggplant, is the local vegetable, pickled or dressed with a little salt, and the street foods of Osaka, takoyaki and okonomiyaki, are eaten here as everywhere in the prefecture. Cherry blossom opens in early April, summers are hot, and autumn brings clear, cooler days.