Osaka Castle during cherry blossom season

Опубликовано: 23 Апрель 2024
на канале: Xellow Travel

Osaka Castle Park, one of Osaka’s most popular attractions, is a well-known cherry blossom viewing spot in Japan. The park has over 3,000 cherry trees scattered about a plot of nearly 250 acres, making it possible to find a spot to sit and picnic despite the high volume of people that pass through every day. The combination of cherry blossoms alongside Osaka Castle is surely a picture you’ll want to capture during your visit.

If this isn’t enough sakura for you, you can also check out Nishinomaru Garden where over 300 blossoming trees will be on view. Do note that to enter the garden, you’ll need to pay a small fee (somewhere around 350 JPY but dependent upon the season). No payment is necessary for just the castle park itself.

At night, Osaka Castle is also lit up, creating a dazzling contrast with the cherry blossoms. While it can be great to stay until evening to catch the lights, coming early would allow you to avoid the crowding.

Located about a 30-minute train ride from the center of Osaka City is Expo ‘70 Commemorative Park, the former site of the 1970 World Exhibition. After the exhibition, the space was turned into a large public area with a Japanese landscape garden, artwork from the exhibition, and two cultural museums. With plenty to do at the park, it’s worthwhile to note that around 5,500 cherry trees are planted throughout the grounds.

Spacious in its own right, the Commemorative Park is a popular place for visitors to hold their hanami party as they are able to enjoy viewing the plentiful cherry trees with the famous “Tower of the Sun” looming in the back. During cherry blossom season, the park is open until 9:00 p.m., so travelers can see the beautifully lit cherry blossoms at night.

In some years, the cherries in Osaka all start to open about the same time and then all seem to hit full bloom about the same time. In other years, there’s huge variation between trees, even in the same neighborhood. Needless to say, it’s glorious when the cherries are all in synch, but this is far from guaranteed.

To tell the truth, it’s hard to catch the cherry blossoms at their peak during a short trip to Japan. If you plan a short stay in Osaka hoping to see the cherries at full bloom, you’re more than likely to be disappointed. Thus, I recommend that you consider the cherry blossoms to be a bonus. If you see them at their best, consider yourself lucky, but don’t make them the focus of your trip. Make Japan the focus of your trip and you won’t be disappointed.