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Known as Kawachi, Izumi, and Settsu Provinces before the Meiji Restoration, Osaka Prefecture is the heart and soul of the Kansai area with a population of 8.8 million and 2.7 million of these people residing in its capital of Osaka City. Before construction of the New Kansai International Airport on reclaimed land in Osaka Bay, Osaka had the distinction of being the smallest prefecture in Japan by area. The area has a humid subtropical climate with mild winters, hot and humid summer, and considerable rainfall. 

Historically Osaka was close the capital in adjacent Kyoto during the Heian Period (794 to 1185), but after the seat of power moved to Kamakura with the military government, commercial activities seems to have evolved in Osaka such that the area has been known as a merchant city as Japan entered its modern period. Many of Japan’s leading trading houses, stores and other businesses were founded in and grew out of Osaka. In addition to having its own distinct dialect, Osaka people are said to differ from those in Tokyo in the sense that they are more direct and will tell you what they think as well as are more assertive in their actions. A common example is that Osaka people tend not to wait for crosswalk lights while people in Tokyo tend to wait for them.