Visitor Information --At the Airport -- The Kansai Tourist Information Center (tel. 0724/56-6025; open daily 9am-9pm) is near the south end of the International Arrivals Lobby. The multilingual staff can help with general travel information about Japan and hotel reservations, and they offer brochures and maps.

In Town -- At Osaka Station, the Visitors Information Center Umeda (tel. 06/6345-2189; open daily 8am-8pm) is at the east (Midosuji) exit of JR Osaka Station in a kiosk beside the bus terminal; the English-speaking staff gives out good maps of the city and assists you in securing hotel rooms. Another center is just east of the central exit of Shin-Osaka Station on the third floor (tel. 06/6305-3311; open daily 8am-8pm). Note that if you're arriving by Shinkansen, you'll be up on the fourth floor, so simply go down one flight to the tourist office. At JR Namba Station, you'll find the Visitors Information Center Namba (tel. 06/6643-2125; open daily 8am-8pm) in the basement of the Osaka City Air Terminal (OCAT) Building. Other tourist information centers are located just outside Universal City Station (tel. 06/4804-3824; open daily 9am-8pm) and at JR Tennoji Station (tel. 06/6774-3077; open daily 8am-8pm).

To find out what's going on in Osaka, pick up a copy of Kansai Time Out, a monthly magazine with information on sightseeing, festivals, restaurants, and other items of interest pertaining to Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto. It sells for ¥300 ($2.50) at bookstores, restaurants, tourist information offices, and places frequented by English-speaking tourists, and it's sometimes available for free at major hotels. Kansai Scene is a free bilingual magazine also available online with articles, reviews, listings, and information on the Kansai area.

Another source of information available free at the tourist offices and at many hotels is Meet Osaka, a quarterly pamphlet with maps and information on sightseeing, Bunraku, festivals, concerts, and special exhibits and events. Look, too, for the free Osaka Event and Tourist Guide, published every 2 months by the Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau with information on special events, museum exhibitions, concert information, and even which nearby beaches are open in summer. Finally, Osaka has a Web home page in English.

Consulates -- Several embassies maintain consulates in Osaka, including Australia (tel. 06/6941-9271 or 06/6941-9448); Canada (tel. 06/6212-4910); Great Britain (tel. 06/6120-5600); and the United States (tel. 06/6315-5900).

Internet Access -- Internet access is available at two locations inside Osaka Station, though they're difficult to find. Kinko's, on the north concourse, between the east and central passages and across from JTB (tel. 06/6442-3700), is open daily 7am to 10:30pm and charges ¥200 ($1.65) for 10 minutes of computer use. Nearby, up a narrow flight of stairs, is the complex café [X-Time] Internet cafe (tel. 06/6341-8222), which charges ¥250 ($2.10) for 30 minutes on the computer.

Mail -- The Central Post Office, or Osaka Chuo Yubinkyoku (tel. 06/6347-8006), a minute's walk west of Osaka Station, is open 24 hours for mail. For postal service information in English, call tel. 06/6944-6245 Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 4:30pm.