Our 181st entry in this blog is our trip to the famous Osaka Castle in Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan. This is Ate Rei and Sai’s first time to visit the castle. It is our first stop after our overnight bus from Yokohama. Yay!

And here is the gang walking our way through the grounds of the famous castle. Osaka Castle, or “Osaka-jo” in Japanese, is certainly one of the most famous landmarks in Japan, and for good reason. This five-story castle is one of the most visually spectacular creations in the country, with a history that dates back almost 450 years! – osaka-info.jp

We are still within the pandemic period hence the face masks. 🙂 Visitors to Osaka Castle can enter inside, which currently operates a historical museum, for a small fee (15 years and younger can enter for free). On each floor inside the castle are a wide variety of artifacts detailing the extensive history of Osaka and the castle itself. While not all the artifact information is available in English, there are leaflets available that explain much of the exhibits.

While the castle itself is indeed beautiful, the surrounding parks are also worth exploring. Osaka Castle Park was opened in 1931, and has become an incredibly popular destination for its changing foliage in the spring’s ‘sakura’ (cherry blossom) season, as well as the autumn’s ‘koyo’ (falling leaves) season.

In 1583, Hideyoshi Toyotomi (1537-1598), a powerful feudal lord and warrior built Osaka Castle. Obsessed with gold, Hideyoshi insisted that gold be applied to much of the castle’s interior furnishing, with this motif also appearing on the exterior awnings to this day.

We are lucky today that there is no crowd at all. It seems like we are the only ones exploring the entire castle. But actually, there are a few tourists as well as students inside but because of the wide area, we don’t meet that often. Social distancing everyone! 🙂

We ended our Osaka Castle by lunch time. It is now time for us to look for a place to eat. 🙂 Until next time Osaka Castle!