Plan your visit to Osaka Castle
- Published on : 30/12/2024
- by : Lucie G.
- Youtube
Osaka Castle
© Ken Cheung, Unsplash
Osaka's famous keep overlooking the city
Surrounded by skyscrapers and a fortress-like wall, the imposing and majestic Osaka Castle watches over the city.
A visit to the castle
When visiting Osaka, a visit to the city's castle is a must. It's one of the most emblematic castles in the archipelago. Visitors flock there in droves, especially during Hanami, when the park's sakuras are in full bloom. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for your visit!
The castle
Today, the castle is located in Chuo district, to the east of the city.
It is built on two interlocking platforms supported by stone walls, each overlooking a moat. The tenshu (main tower) has five outer storeys and eight inner storeys. The interior of the castle is no longer period, and has been transformed into a history museum.
The site had a military function for a very long time - it boasts an important collection of weapons, armor and everyday objects from the castle (over 10,000 items). These objects are brought together in the Osaka-jô Museum (free for under-15s, 600 yen per adult), which is housed on the various floors of the keep. Here, visitors can learn about the history of the castle, as well as the wider history of Osaka and the era of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the castle's builder.
Finally, the eighth floor offers a panoramic view of the city, well worth the climb. Once back down, enjoy the park and its six hundred cherry trees, while taking in the moats, turrets and gates that stand watch here and there. The authenticity is gone, but not the setting.
A visit to the castle will allow you to learn more about one of Japan's most famous historical sites!
Osaka Castle
© Pakata Goh, Unsplash
The ramparts
The castle is surrounded by ramparts, the last (and only) remaining original structure. The impressive stone walls surround one of Osaka's greenest areas. In fact, the ramparts are made up of gardens and green spaces. In particular, you'll find a plum tree park, which blooms magnificently in spring. Before reaching the castle itself, take time to walk around the ramparts, specifically the Hokoku jinja on Osaka's southern rampart. This shrine was built in honor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and other members of his family, and is well worth a visit for its torii, dry garden and statue of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Before the moat
As you leave the subway, particularly from Morinomiya station, you'll inevitably pass by the large green spaces around the castle moat. Not only are these an oasis of freshness and greenery in the urban landscape that is Osaka, but a stroll around the castle will allow you to admire it from all angles. You'll also be able to see the yagura (turrets) that surround it, considered important cultural assets of Japanese heritage. The vegetated areas around and within Osaka Castle cover 2 square kilometers, making it one of the largest nature areas in Osaka!
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What to see around Osaka Castle
If you're visiting the castle, there are other points of interest not far away. Kema Sakuranomiya Park, set around the banks of the Okawa River, is ideal for those in search of nature and a leisurely stroll. With its 4,700 cherry trees, it's one of Osaka's best places to enjoy hanami in spring.
And don't miss the Osaka History Museum, adjacent to the castle grounds.
Finally, not far from the castle, you'll find Nakanoshima Park, famous for the varieties of roses it shelters, as well as for its splendid building, the "Osaka Central Public Hall", built in 1918 in a neo-Renaissance style.
Explore all aspects of Osaka with a guide!
Information you need to know
Ticket information:
- To visit the interior of Osaka Castle, the ticket costs 1,200 yen for an adult and 600 yen for a child in high school or above. Admission is free for middle-schoolers and younger.
Tip: Book your tickets on the official Osaka Castle website to receive your e-ticket in advance, and avoid the usual waiting and crowds at the foot of the castle.
- Entrance to the Nishinomaru Garden, on the western ramparts of the castle, costs 200 yen (320 yen during spring and cherry blossom season).
- Access to the rest of the ramparts, the castle grounds and the park around the moat is free.
If you'd like to spend the night near the castle, and even have a view of the Osakajo from your room, the New Otani Osaka hotel offers one of the finest panoramas of the city!
How to get to Osaka Castle
The castle is located in the eastern part of Osaka and is accessible by several public transport lines:
- JR line → Station Morinomiya or Osakajokoen station
- With the Osaka subway → Station Tanimachi 4-chome on the Tanimachi line and Chuo line, or Temmabashi station on the Tanimachi line
- With the Keihan line: Temmabashi station
View of the Osaka castle moat from the outdoor garden
© Francisco Anzola, wikimedias
Once you arrive at one of these stations, you can take one of three gates that will take you inside the castle walls:
- Otemon: from Tanimachi 4-chome and Temmabashi stations
- Aoyamon: from JR Morinomiya and Osakajokoen stations
- Sakuramon: from Tanimachi 4-chome and JR Morinomiya stations
To enter the heart of the castle grounds, there are two entrances: the Sakuramon gate to the south and the Gokuraku-bashi bridge.
Address, timetable & access
Address
1-1 Osaka-jô, Chuo-ku
540-0002
Japan
Timetable
Open daily from 9am to 5pm (last admission at 4:30pm).Price
Free admission to the grounds and park. Dungeon visit: 1,200 yenAccess
Osaka-jô-kôen station or Tanimachi-4-chome stationWebsite
http://www.osakacastle.net/english/
