The Parks of Osaka

The Parks of Osaka

The most famous park of all is probably Osakajokoen, or Osaka Castle Park. Situated in the northeast of the city, this huge park surrounds the famous Osaka Castle, a popular tourist attraction in its own right. The castle dates back to 1583 but has been destroyed and rebuilt a couple of times, with the current incarnation being an authentic-looking but thoroughly modern construction (which even has an elevator!), although much of the base and impressive stone walls are original.

The Parks of Osaka

The castle is surrounded by gates, moats, and gardens, and beyond those lies the rest of the sprawling park, which covers around twosquare kilometers in total. There are wide grassy areas for sports, many paved walkways, and a forested area called the “citizen’s forest,”as well as gardens full of peach and plum trees. During the spring, hundreds of people come to sit under the cherry trees—a tradition of welcoming spring called hanami—and the park is one of Osaka’s most popular spots for appreciating the cherry blossoms. There are many ways to enter the park, but the nearest station is Osakajokoen on the JR Loop Line.

The Parks of Osaka

Just north of Osakajokoen is Kema Sakuranomiya Park, a wonderful riverside park that stretches along the banks of the Okawa River. Located close to the Osaka Mint, this is an incredibly peaceful park with many quiet spots for picnics, but it truly comes alive during hanami season, as there are nearly 5,000 cherry trees that bloom alongside the river for many kilometers, making it one of Osaka’s best cherry blossom spots.

The Parks of Osaka

The park is also home to the intriguingly named Waterfront of Osaka Friendship, a sandy beach area right in the middle of the city where kids can play and people often practice beach volleyball!

The Parks of Osaka

Roughly a 15-minute walk south of Osaka Station in Umeda is Nakanoshima, one of Osaka’s nicest parks. It’s located on a narrow island between two rivers, and the tall buildings of Osaka’s business district rise up on either side to make Nakanoshima feel like a relaxing green oasis in the heart of the city.

The Parks of Osaka

The park contains perfectly manicured rose gardens and is home to the historic and handsome Osaka Public Hall, but its best features are the beautiful grass lawns that are just the perfect place to unwind on a sunny afternoon. Nakanoshima is just a short walk from Kitahama and Yodoyabashi stations.

The Parks of Osaka

In the south of the city close to Tennoji Station, you can find Tenshiba Park, which is part of the much bigger Tennoji Park (which also features a zoo). Tenshiba has a wonderful, spacious lawn that is popular for picnics and with families, and there are plenty of shops, restaurants, and cafes nearby for buying drinks and snacks.

The Parks of Osaka

In the bustling Namba area is Namba Parks, an architecturally unique shopping mallin a park where people can browse stores in a leafy environment of trees and flowers. The mall has rooftop gardens and acts as a small green oasis in this very built-up area of downtown Osaka. Namba Parks is connected directly to Nankai Namba Station.

The Parks of Osaka

Finally, we mustmention Osaka Expo Park(Banpaku-kinen-koen), a massive park and recreational space on the northern outskirts of the city. Built on the site of the 1970 Japan World Exposition, Osaka Expois home to hundreds of hectares of grassy lawns, Japanese gardens, a soccer stadium, Japan’s tallest Ferris wheel, and the iconic “Tower of the Sun”sculpture. It can be reachedonthe Osaka monorail.

Osaka Castle Park

Osaka Osakashi Chuou-ku Osakajou

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Hotel New Otani Osaka

1-4-1 Shiromi, Chuo-ku Osaka

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Kema Sakuranomiya Park

Osaka prefecture Osaka city Kita-ku - Miyakojima

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Osaka City Central Public Hall

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Tennoji Park

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Expo’70 Commemorative Park

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Minamisenri Crystal Hotel

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