Photos: Osaka by Sarmat Batagov, Pexels License; Rotterdam by Bas Geerlings, Pexels License.
Osaka or Rotterdam?
Our verdict in twelve categories, each scored against the same fixed benchmark cities, and the climate month by month, so you can choose for your trip.
Choose Osaka for
- food and drink
- nightlife
- shopping
What lies behind each score is written up on Osaka’s own page.
Choose Rotterdam for
Rotterdam does not lead in any category we score.
What lies behind each score is written up on Rotterdam’s own page.
Scoreboard
Twelve categories on one fixed scale from 0 to 100. The shaded stretch is the gap between the two.
What lies behind each score is written up on the two cities’ own pages: Osaka and Rotterdam.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Wins on food and drink and nightlife with your weighting.
Has no clear advantage with the weighting you have chosen.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
Osaka in July
Rotterdam in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Where the figures come from
Rotterdam has no rain gauge within 25 km of the centre, so its rainfall comes from a gridded climate dataset read at the city rather than from a gauge further away.
Rotterdam's sunshine is measured 52 km from the centre, at De Bilt.
Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. Osaka: 1991-2020 normals, Osaka (1.8 km from centre). Rotterdam: 1993-2020 (sunshine 1991-2020, rainfall 1991-2020) normals, Rotterdam Airport Zestienhoven (3.9 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | Osaka | Rotterdam |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | Japanese | Dutch |
| Currency | Yen (JPY) | Euro (EUR) |
| Sockets | AB100 V, 50 and 60 Hz depending on the region | CF230 V, 50 Hz |
| Driving side | Left | Right |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer |
| Emergency number | Police 110, fire 119 | 112 |
| Elevation | 20 m | 10 m |
| Main airport | Kansai International Airport (KIX)38 km from centre62 non-stop destinations | Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM)5 km from centre53 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | 16 days | 11 days |
By the numbers
| Measure | Osaka | Rotterdam |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 2,751,862 | 664,311 |
| People per km² | 12,340 | 2,080 |
| Museums within 10 km | 44 | 40 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 6 | 5 |
| Swim season, months above 21 °C | 5 months | None |
Where else could you go?
Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow Osaka or Rotterdam somewhere new.