Tennoji and Dobutsuen

My home for the last month I spent in Osaka does not have a lot to be said for it really! But before I came I knew I wanted to explore some of the poorer areas of Japan to get a good picture of the country under the surface and it has allowed me the opportunity of seeing a side to Japan that is hidden beneath the bright lights and money!
Tennoji is situated in the south of Osaka in the Minami area and is on the Midosuji tube line towards Kansai International Airport and the coast. Its train station is one of the largest in Osaka and serves destinations around kansai and beyond.
Despite being generally unattractive and nondescript, nestled in between some of Osaka's poorest parts, it does have some major tourist attractions. Including Tennoji Zoo and Shinsekai tower and its busy shopping and dining area.
Both of these have unfortunately seen better days and the zoo is situated in the strangest place with a huge fly over going over it.
Shinsekai tower is so completely dated that its an interesting glimpse of what Osaka would have been like in the 1970s. Built in 1912 as a major attraction it has received almost no attention since then. As result it has been allowed to stagnate and has become one of Osakas most dangerous areas with connections to the Yakuza.
There are however a couple of things that save Tennoji from utter obscurity. The first is the fact that it has a major train station which is an important transport hub for South Osaka. As a result of this, businesses have set up here and it has huge shopping malls like Mio and Station Plaza.
This area also has two of Osaka's most impressive temples Shitenoji temple and Isshinji Temple both of which I will discuss later on.
I must admit that at first i did not realise that this was such a bad area. It was plain to see that it was not all that attractive but my first real exploration was up towards Tennoji station and malls, so I guess I was fooled by the bright lights. Cocooned in the clean shops on Mio mall its hard to believe that your in such a rough area. I have since been told that this is one of the worst areas of Osaka
This is something I will go into in more depth later because it is something that has really made an impression on me. I have been able to see the contrast in wealth in this the second most prosperous country in the world. From the bright lights of Namba and the homelessness I have seen around here its hard to not find the difference astounding.