A Most-toured Historic Site in Japan

With the history stretching back to the 15th century, this castle was first built by the warrior monks to set up a base nearby Kyoto. Surrounded by city planners landscape lawns, forest, domes, gleaming mirror-clad buildings, the Osaka Castle looks an age away amongst the high rises. Surrounded by moats the biggest stonewall defense walls remaining in Japan, Osaka Castle stands out as the most photogenic sightseeing spots. Renovated in 1997, the castle, with its svelte lavishness, is set in a 105-hectare Osaka castle park. Nature-inspired and done in gold, the castle sports extensive black fencing beneath the uppermost roof. Mostly overlaid with unkempt greenery, the walls of the castle suddenly emerge from beneath the moats, are composed of a variety of masonry styles.

A grand structure and a Historical monument in the middle of the modern urban cityscape of high rises, Osaka Castle stands in an expensive garden/ park and is surrounded by moats, turrets. The main tower, that symbolizes a castle, is the original centerpiece and is the most lavishly decorated among the castle structures. The main tower, which was completed in 1931 and restored in 1997, is made of a steel-framed reinforced concrete structure. The moat walls stand up to 20 meters tall and 90 meters wide, Osaka Castle is well known for its massive well-built stone wall. With its eight floors dedicated mainly to exhibits describing Hideyoshi Toyotomi and his era, the castle opens itself into the Osaka Castle Museum. The exhibits are centered mainly on the Azuchi Momoyama period of Japanese history. With an extensive collection of 10,000 historical artifacts, the castle museum hosts a variety of warrior related exhibits like armor, swords and other weapons. An elaborate folding screen shows the summer war and fall of Hideyoshi Toyotomi and other warlords with intricate work of decorative art. The 8th floor of the castle sports a wide-open green foreground and an observatory deck from where you can view the panoramic view of Osaka city. The view of the spacious Osaka Castle park, the high-rise buildings around the park and the mountains in the distance are just splendid. With subtitles in English, Chinese and Korean, the history of Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Osaka Castle are shown in five series, in the theatre room on the 1st floor. The visitors are allowed to try the helmet, surcoat and Kosode Kimono for photographs by paying some amount. The second floor is accessorized with a display of a golden tiger and a life-size replica of the castle’s carp-like roof ornaments. The castle is known for its gigantic stones to create Masugatta, which prevented direct entry into the castle, acted as a trap. This forced the warriors to slow or stop before making a sharp turn, while the castle defenders rained spears or weapons on them. The castle is surrounded by huge smooth stones, which prevented the attackers from clambering up the walls.

The Main tower is just one of the many structures in the Osaka Castle garden. The main castle is surrounded by different turrets on the perimeter like the Hokoku Shrine, The Kinzo treasure house, and the Shudokan Martial arts training hall. Apart from the Castle, the northeast Aoyamon Gate, the southern Sakuramon Gate, and the western Otemon Gate structures stand tall in their own right.

Opened in 1931, Osaka Castle Park is a big green space that has numerous attractions. It’s a feast for nature lovers with the Plum groove, the Peach groove, the north edge park and the Forest Park on four sides of the park. This park is known for its changing foliage in spring as ‘sakura’-cherry blossom season and ‘Koyo’-falling leaf season(autumn). The north-east of the park sports different playgrounds for archery, baseball, etc.. To the north-west of the park with the Okawa river, the Osaka Castle hosts the Tenjin-Matsuri Festival in July which ends with a huge procession down the river with a huge number of boats and a spectacular firework. The Apricot groove on the east side of the Ninomaru ramparts is considered as the largest groove in western Japan, with 1270 trees of more than 100 species. Bathing the park in pale pink blossoms, during spring the park hosts over 3000 trees of the Somei Yoshino and Yamazakura varieties.

The best view of the Osaka Castle is from the castle park itself.

With a small entrance fee and to the west of the Castle, the Nishinomaru Garden spreads over a 6-hectare area sporting various old structures including the Former Osaka Guest House or famously known as Geihinkan and the famous Hoshoan tea house which is a major attraction too.

Toyokuni Shrine which was built in 1599 in the dedication of Hideyoshi Toyotomi is the main attraction and a religious spot for local people.

Osaka Jo Hall is a massive indoor stadium situated on the north-east side of the park with a seating capacity of 16,000 and hosts a variety of shows from Judo championships to rock concerts.

Located near the Morinomiya Station Corner of the Osaka Central Park is the Osaka International Peace Centre.

Dedicated to the warlord Hideyoshi Toyotomi, the Castle park is covered with greenery, space and multi-purpose arena for about 2 kilometers. With the Cherry Blossom Season which usually takes place in early April, the park becomes Osaka’s most popular Hanami spot.

The Castle is open from 9:00 Am to 5:00 PM and entry is till 4:30 PM. The visiting hours will be extended during holidays and special exhibitions. The Castle is closed from December 28th to January 1st every year.

600 yen or 402.3 INR is the entry fee for the castle, and children below 15 years age, it is free.

You can try the warlords' costume and helmet and take photos for 500 yen per person for one time.

Nishinomaru Garden opens from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM but till 4:30 PM from November to February. This garden is open till 9:00 PM during the Cherry Blossom season which falls between March and May every year. The garden is closed on Mondays or the following day if a national holiday falls on Monday and is closed around the New Year holidays.

Admission fees are 200 yen or 134 INR and 350 yen or 235 INR during the extended hours.

Osaka, because of its pleasant and moderate temperature hosts guests all round the year. But the Cherry blossom festival is the main attraction which is celebrated between March and May of the year. To enjoy the fall season you can visit Osaka in October and November.

The park around the Osaka Castle is picturesque with a lot of greenery and cherry grooves and plum grooves and the Daini river running by and is perfect for taking some beautiful scenic photos. The Museum/Castle, in the 8th-floor observation deck, offers one of the best panoramic views of Osaka, with a wide-open green foreground beneath it, is a perfect place to capture some moments. The walls of the Castle with the river flowing next to them provide as the perfect ground. In the background, the Osaka Castle itself makes a beautiful backdrop.

Osaka’s Old town Shinsekai with retro shop display gives away a nostalgic atmosphere and is perfect for taking photos and shopping for artifacts.

Osaka Castle is easy to approach with four different stations and in the walkable distance, situated around the park.

The easiest way to the Osaka Castle is to take the Osaka Loop Line to Osakajokoen station, situated on the northeast side of the castle. The walk from the station to the castle is an 18-minute walk through the beautiful park grounds.

The best way to approach the Osaka Castle is through Otemon Gate at the park’s south-west corner. The nearest station is Tanimachi Yonchome Station and Tanimachi & Chuo subway lines.

Another route falls from Morinomiya station on the park’s south-east side, connecting the Osaka Loop Line to the Chuo Subway Line and the Nagahori Tsurumi-Ryokuchi Subway line.

The distance from the outer edge of the park to the Osaka Castle is a 15-20 minute walk. Inside the premises, you can book a bicycle from the ‘Osaka Bike Tour to the Neighbourhoods of Osaka. And the most attractive Aqua Liner which connects the Castle from Osakajokoen Station just across the river from Osaka Business park Station.

Around the Osaka Castle, the roads are well maintained and host many street food centers which have Osaka’s Soul food Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki. Apart from traditional Japanese food like Sushi, Tempura, you can find different foods from different parts of the world for the convenience of the tourists.

Covering all the budgets there are three hotels near Osaka Castle.

Hotel New Otani Osaka directly overlooks the castle and is in the walkable distance just across the bridge which is over the Daini river. Serving all types of cuisines, this hotel has 13 dining options from all over the world. This Hotel is ideally located for a convenient, relaxed stay with a scenic view.

Hotel the Lutheran is situated on the southwest corner of the Castle Park and with a station just one kilometer away. This Clean and efficient hotel has decent rooms and comes with a good breakfast.

Guest House Sora Osaka is situated on the south of the Osaka Castle, and is economical and provides its guests with all the facilities. With a great balance of convenience and economy, this hotel offers all the necessities from a private bathroom with a bidet & hairdryer to microwave in the kitchen.

Some other places to stay are Kita, Minami, Honmachi and the Shin-Osaka areas.

There are souvenir shops on the 1st and 8th floor of the Osaka Castle Museum.

Shinsekai is Osaka’s old downtown district with a nostalgic atmosphere. With colorful retro shops, you can easily buy souvenirs and taking perfect photos and save them as memories. The Tsutenkaku Tower is a great spot to overlook the view of the charming neighborhoods of Osaka City. The best time to view is at night.

Shinsaibashi, with many shopping malls and boutiques, offers a wide range of shopping from luxury to fast fashion and hosts a variety of restaurants, various shops, cafes and more.

America Mura or American Village offers a wide range of shopping for clothing enthusiasts from street fashion to Vintage clothes to trendy street snacks, cafes, and restaurants.