Author: Kate Mitchell 

Location: Osaka, Japan

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

One of Osaka’s most popular tourist destinations is Osaka Castle and being the good tourist I am, I decided to check it out. At first, I wasn’t expecting anything super impressive. I’ve seen the Emperor’s palace and a variety of other Japanese castles, so I was expecting more of the same. But I was delightfully impressed by what Osaka Castle had to offer. One of its most impressive features was its view both from the top of the castle and from the rest of Osaka. While walking around the area, you’ll almost always be able to see the castle rising tall and mighty in the distance. It made for lots of great photo opportunities. For 600 yen, you can also travel through the castle, its museum and go to the top of the castle. Once up top, you can look down on the castle grounds and the rest of Osaka. The view was incredible, and I recommend paying the entry price just for the view alone. However, I enjoyed the museum inside the castle which contains historical artifacts, a history of the castle and models of the castle and its warrior. It was a little crowded since Osaka Castle is one of Osaka’s biggest foreign and domestic tourist destinations, so be prepared to wait your turn to see an exhibit. And don’t be surprised if you stumble across a giant group of middle school students trying to take a picture with samurai armor. Osaka Castle is also a popular field trip spot!

 

If you’re feeling on the cheaper side, you can still explore the castle grounds which are huge! There’s a giant moat and large stone walls that surround the castle with signs that explain when they were made and their purpose. You can take a boat ride through the moat or eat a variety of restaurants and stalls outside the castle. My favorite part of the castle grounds was the plum garden. To the side of the castle, there are dozens of plum blossoms trees you can wander through and take pictures of. I love taking pictures of flowers, so I spent a long time walking amongst the trees. If you get hungry while you’re spending time in the garden, there is a handy convenience store right in the middle along with a few others scattered across the property. Although Osaka Castle is hundreds of years old, there are plenty of modern amenities to make the trip fun and enjoyable. I was surprised by how many convenience stores I saw, but they were designed to fit in with the aesthetic of the castle and its grounds, so it didn’t detract from the experience.

The best part of living in Japan is that there are always great places, like Osaka Castle, that are never far from where you are. Compared to the United States, Japan is rather small, and it has an excellent train, subway and bus system. You can get almost anywhere you want to go by taking public transportation and you can get their quickly. Getting to Osaka Castle took less than an hour and there were plenty of signs and instructions (in both English and Japanese) to help me get where I was going. For people traveling alone or with one another person, Japan offers lots of affordable and helpful options, so you can explore Japan the way you want to. Kansai Gaidai’s local station, Hirakata Station, is run by the Keihan Line which I recommend as one of the best trainlines to use in Japan. There’s lots of English assistance and also advertising and maps for places to visit. It’s really helpful for tourists!