Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and back to Tokyo. Three weeks plus some extra days.

In between Expo 2025 and Universal Studios Japan days we scheduled a ‘let’s see what Osaka in Kansai has to offer’ day. We wanted to start with the Osaka Museum of History, but that was closed. So we forwarded to Osaka Castle. 

Osaka Castle (大阪城, Ōsaka-jō) stands as one of Japan’s most recognisable landmarks and a symbol of Osaka’s historical and cultural identity. Located in Chūō-ku, the castle played a decisive role in the unification of Japan during the late sixteenth century, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi began its construction in 1583 on the former site of the Ishiyama Honganji Temple, which had been destroyed by Oda Nobunaga thirteen years earlier. Hideyoshi envisioned the fortress as the political and military heart of a newly unified Japan under Toyotomi rule, and at the time of its completion, it was the largest and most formidable castle in the country.

Following Hideyoshi’s death in 1598, the Toyotomi clan’s fortunes quickly declined. 

In 1615, Tokugawa Ieyasu’s forces besieged and destroyed the castle during the Summer Siege of Osaka, extinguishing the Toyotomi lineage and consolidating Tokugawa power. The castle was later reconstructed in the 1620s by Tokugawa Hidetada, but tragedy struck again in 1665 when lightning set fire to the tenshu, the main keep, which burnt to the ground and was not rebuilt during the remainder of the Edo period.

The modern ferro-concrete reconstruction of Osaka Castle was completed in 1931, marking a revival of interest in Japan’s feudal heritage. R

emarkably, the keep survived the devastation of World War II, when much of the surrounding city was destroyed in air raids. Major restoration works in 1997 returned the tower to its Edo-era appearance, while modern facilities were integrated inside, including lifts to ensure accessibility. Today, the interior functions as a museum dedicated to the history of the castle and its founder, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, displaying historical artefacts, models, and multimedia exhibits detailing its turbulent past.

Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum

In 2025, the Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum opened adjacent to the main tower. This museum showcases sections of the original stone walls from Hideyoshi’s time, which were buried by the Tokugawa during their reconstruction in the 1620s and only rediscovered in the 1950s. 

The exhibition provides insight into early Japanese stone masonry techniques and the monumental engineering effort behind the castle’s construction.

The castle complex is an extensive site spanning roughly two square kilometres. The inner citadel, or Honmaru, sits atop raised platforms supported by massive granite walls using the burdock piling technique, and is encircled by moats and defensive fortifications. 

Two main moats, an inner and an outer one, surround the complex, defining the castle’s defensive layers. Within the grounds stand restored gates, turrets, and walls—thirteen of which have been designated Important Cultural Properties, including the Ote-mon and Sakura-mon Gates, and several yagura turrets.

The Nishinomaru Garden, once part of the western citadel, is now a serene lawned park featuring around six hundred cherry trees, a traditional tea house, and the former Osaka Guest House. It offers one of the most picturesque views of the castle tower, particularly during the hanami season in late March and early April, when the park becomes one of Osaka’s most popular cherry blossom-viewing spots. The wider Osaka Castle Park encompasses sports facilities, Osakajo Hall—a large multi-purpose arena—and Hokoku Shrine, which is dedicated to Hideyoshi himself.

Access to Osaka Castle is straightforward from central Osaka. The main approach leads through the Ote-mon Gate at the southwestern corner of the park. The nearest stations are Tanimachi Yonchome Station on the Osaka Metro Tanimachi and Chūō lines, and JR Osakajokoen Station on the Osaka Loop Line, which is about a ten-minute journey from JR Osaka Station. 

Tickets for entry to the main keep and the Toyotomi Stone Wall Museum are sold on site, though on busy days waiting times can exceed thirty minutes. These queues can be avoided by purchasing e-tickets in advance, a popular option among visitors during peak tourist and cherry blossom seasons.

Today, Osaka Castle stands not only as a monument to Japan’s tumultuous feudal past but also as a vibrant cultural and recreational hub at the heart of modern Osaka. Its combination of historical reconstruction, contemporary museum facilities, and expansive parkland makes it one of Japan’s most visited and photographed heritage sites.

A visit

While the main tower is a nice climb and the views are alright, the interior is or was modern. While other castles choose to build replicas, this was not the case in Osaka. So if you want to see an authentic Japanese castle, Osaka Castle will not leave you satisfied.

Also, photography inside is mostly forbidden. Because of the fragility of the artefacts, or because of crowd flows? 

2025 Journey Across Japan

1. Japan’s Superconducting Maglev train breaks world speed record at 603 km/h.
2. Japan’s maglev bullet train delayed to 2035 or later as costs rise to ¥11 trillion.
3. QUESTION | Should you be stressed about travelling to Japan, and fear of missing out?.
4. Brussels Airport to Milan Malpensa with Brussels Airlines, operated by Air Baltic, ft. the 2025 check-in and boarding software hack.
5. REVIEW | Sala Montale Exclusive Lounge and Sala Gae Aulentin Premium Lounge at Milan Malpensa Airport, extra Schengen.
6. REVIEW | All Nippon Airways (ANA), Business Class, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Tokyo.
7. REVIEW | Toei Animation Museum in Nerima, Tokyo.
8. JAPAN | Tokyo Station, its Character Street and Pokémon Store.
9. REVIEW | Onyado Nono Asakusa Hotel in Tokyo.
10. TOKYO | Asakusa ft. Sensō-ji Temple.
11. JAPAN | The Odoriko train from Tokyo to Ito on Izu Peninsula.
12. PHOTOS & REVIEW | The Izu Teddy Bear Museum in Izu-Kōgen.
13. JAPAN | A visit to Ito on Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture.
14. REVIEW | Japan’s Saphir Odoriko in Premium Green Car from Ito on Izu Peninsula to Tokyo Station.
15. GAY TOKYO | 24 Kaikan in Asakusa (+ Ueno and Shinjuku).
16. TOKYO | Sawara in Chiba Prefecture, ‘Little Edo’ beyond Narita.
17. TOKYO | Omotesandō in Shibuya – AEON Shinonome –  Uniqlo – Muji.
18. PHOTOS | The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum in Koganei Park.
19. JAPAN | Solo in Tokyo.
20. REVIEW | Brussels Airport The View lounge.
21. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Business Class Brussels to Doha.
22. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Al Mourjan The Garden Business lounge.
23. REVIEW | Qatar Airways Q-Suite Business Class Doha to Tokyo.
24. REVIEW | Pullman Tokyo Tamachi.
25. REVIEW | The Railway Museum, Ōmiya, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture.
26. TOKYO | Imperial Palace East Gardens – Akihabara – Tamiya flagship store – Skytree.
27. JAPAN | Kanazawa Castle – Kenrokuen Garden – Higashi Chaya District.
28. REVIEW | Daiwa Roynet Hotel Kanazawa Eki Nishiguchi.
29. JAPAN | Road trip to Hida no Sato, Takayama and Shirakawa-go from Kanazawa.
30. OSAKA | Namba Parks – Dōtonbori – Glico Man – Shinsaibashi.
31. REVIEW | Swissôtel Nankai Osaka.
32. Experiencing Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai Japan.