A Different Perspective on Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle Pond, Osaka Japan
After a day walking up Tokyo tower and seeing a little of Zojo-ji temple, we took the Shinkansen to Osaka but arrived too early to check in to the hotel so we left our luggage and followed Yuki’s dad to a nearby attraction.



Osaka Castle was a really nice place to see right after checking into the hotel. I liked that it was as much a public park as it was a tourist attraction with locals mingling around and biking through. There aren’t very many roped off sections so it’s possible to climb up on the walls and run around like kids. That was pretty cool for an ancient and historic place.

Checking out the arrow and musket holes on the outer wall, Osaka Japan




The variety of parks around Japan, like Osaka castle, make them all unique in their own way and give them so much more life and interest than in Vancouver where going to the park in the city is just finding the closest field that’s probably uneven, full of twigs and also just dead grass.



Anyways, like many tourist attractions, there were places to take photos right in front of the central tower that most of the tourist gravitated to. We used the trees and bushes to mask some of them and to get some portraits as well. Unlike the chinese tourist group that we saw there and seemed to just pass through, we were afforded much more time to wander around and eventually came to a little garden with a pond. The vantage point from here was much cleaner and gave me a perspective on the main tower. Although the sky was overcast, the gold and turquoise still stood out well and the pond gave a sort of humbleness to the grandeur. I also got a good photo of Yuki’s dad below.

Yuki’s Dad looking at the main tower of Osaka Castle, Osaka


I’d seen many images before of Japanese castles but this was the first one to see in person. The tower itself was burned down when lightning struck in 1665 and through civil conflicts during the Meiji restoration in 1868. Never the less, it was rebuilt and was restored in 1928 and 1997. Today, the tower is actually concrete with an elevator but retains the exterior splendor of the Edo-era. I’m glad because it looks wonderful. It also is possible to go inside the main tower to see the museum for a fee.

Huge stones at Sakuramon-Masugata Square, Osaka Castle

The signboard tells us that this is Takoishi (octopus stone) and is the largest rock in Osaka Castle. It is estimated at 108 tonnes and is apart of the Masugata Square that protects the inner bailey. It was build during the Edo period in 1624. Interestingly, all the stones in Osaka Castle are made out of interlocking granite blocks without any motar.
After the main tower, we took the path down the backside through several gates and over the inner moat. The castle grounds also have a pretty garden which we wandered through a little of. Like many of the gardens and parks in Japan, there are several pathways leading to wonderful sights and we could only take one.

Inner moat bridge, Osaka Castle

I waited about 5 or so minutes until there weren’t any people for the photograph. It’s well worth the time to wait a few minutes to get a better photo.