A visit to Japan is incomplete without experiencing the Kansai region. Regarded as the country’s cultural heart, it’s home to cities like the ever-popular Kyoto and the towering culinary hub of Osaka—this year’s World Expo host.

Lights, camera, vacation.

Osaka has wide appeal for lots of travelers: History buffs make a beeline for Osaka Castle and the five-tier pagoda of Shitennoji Temple. Shoppers go on an all-out blitz at Shinsaibashi, ringing up Japanese fashions and traditional crafts. And families hop through the different realms of Universal Studios Japan. But it's food lovers like myself that find the most to love in Osaka—it's known as Japan’s Kitchen after all.