It's not just Osaka Castle! 6 Ways to Enjoy Osaka Castle Park

Let's visit Osaka Castle Park! 

Osaka Castle Park is a city park with the castle tower sitting at its core. There are various important cultural assets there, but on the other hand, the park also shows the beauty of the four seasons thanks to its plum tree groves and the Nishi no Maru Garden. There are also various institutions there outside of the castle, including Osaka Ongakudo, Osaka-jo Hall, a baseball stadium, an archery hall, a judo hall, and more, so it's definitely a place filled with the hearts of the people. 

HP: osakacastlepark.jp/outline/index.html (Japanese Only)

Address: 2 Osaka-jo, Chuo-ku, Osaka  (Google Map)

1. Osaka Csatle Tower

Osaka Castle, built in the Azuchi Momoyama period by Toyotomi Hidetoshi, is famous for being gorgeously built. The castle tower, the stone wall, and the masugata (an area between the inner and outer gates where troops can gather) were all reconstructed down to the minute details of whe nit was built. It's also an area related to the famous shogun Sanada Yukimura. 

【Business hours】 9:00AM-5:00PM 

【Fees】 Adults: 600 yen, children under middle school age, Osaka residents over 65 years and older, and people with documentation of being disabled: free 

HP: www.osakacastle.net/english/

HP: www.osakacastle.net/hantai/ (中文)

HP: www.osakacastle.net/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 1-1 Osaka-jo, Chuo-ku, Osaka  (Google Map)

2. Nishi no Maru Garden 

West of the castle is Nishi no Maru Garden, a garden around 6.5 hectares wide. It's a famous place for cherry blossoms even within the park. There are around 300 Yoshino cherry trees planted here. In the summer you can enjoy the azaleas and the foliage in autumn so it's an area where you can enjoy all four seasons.

【Business hours】9：00AM -5：00PM (4:30 PM from November to February) (Final entrance is 30 minutes before closing)

【Fees】 Adults: 200 yen; children under middle school age, Osaka residents 65 years and older, as well as disabled people and 1 caretaker free (documentation necessary) 

HP: osakacastlepark.jp/facility/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 2 Osaka-jo, Chuo-ku, Osaka  (Google Map)

3. Osaka Castle Park's cherry blossoms

Osaka Castle Park's cherry blossoms is Osaka's most popular spot for cherry blossom viewing. The castle towers elegantly in the background behind the roughly 300 Yoshino cherry trees that take your breath away with their beauty in the beginning of spring. The sight of Osaka Castle surrounded by the blossoms is a spring must-see. 

HP: osakacastlepark.jp/facility/ (Japanese Only)

Address: Osaka-jo, Chuo-ku, Osaka (Google Map)

4. Osaka Castle Nishi no Maru Garden  Cherry Blossom Nighter

About 300 cherry blossom trees bloom among the greenery in this beautiful garden. At night, the paper lanterns look as through they're floating in the air, and that sight coupled with the castle in the background and the colors of the flowers, gives the area a mysterious atmosphere. Within the garden there are plenty of street stalls selling delicious food that you can enjoy.

【Season】 End of March to mid-April. Changes yearly depending on the cherry blossoms' bloom. 

HP: osakacastlepark.jp/facility/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 2 Osaka-jo, Chuo-ku, Osaka  (Google Map)

5. Osaka-jo Hall

Osaka-jo Hall was built in 1983 and has a maximum capacity of 16,000 people. Various events are held here like concerts and performances. It's an arena originally built to be used for the international indoor track-and-field competitions, and is actually Japan's first arena. 

HP: www.osaka-johall.com/english/

HP: www.osaka-johall.com/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 3-1 Osaka-jo, Chuo-ku, Osaka (Google Map)

6. Tea House Houshou-an

In one quiet corner of the Nishi no Maru Garden is a genuine tea house. It's a wooden, one-story building with cypress roof thatching built in the traditional "sukiya" style used for tea-ceremony arbors. It has three available tea rooms: a hiroma (traditionally a room bigger than 4.5 tatami mats), a koma (a room smaller than 4.5 tatami mats), and a ritsureiseki (the largest of the three). 

【Business hours】 March - October: 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM; November to February: 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

HP: osakacastlepark.jp/facility/ (Japanese Only)

Address: 2 Osaka-jo, Chuo-ku, Osaka (Google Map)