Osaka Castle

First built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1583 and rebuilt several times since, Osaka Castle's current five-story main tower is a 1931 ferroconcrete reconstruction housing a museum on Hideyoshi and the castle's history. The surrounding park, ringed by massive original stone walls and moats, holds some 3,000 cherry trees and is one of Japan's great hanami spots.

Osaka Castle is a Landmark in Osaka. You will find it at 1-1 Osakajo, Chuo-ku, Osaka 540-0002.

Osaka Metro's dense subway network and the JR Osaka Loop Line cover the center; an IC card handles all of them. Kita (Umeda) and Minami (Namba/Dotonbori) are each compact, flat and walkable districts.

Reaching Osaka: Osaka International Airport (Itami), about 12 km north of the center, handles mostly domestic flights. Kansai International Airport, on an artificial island in Osaka Bay about 37 km southwest, is the international gateway, Nankai and JR express trains reach Namba and Umeda in 40–50 minutes. Shin-Osaka is a major shinkansen hub: about two and a half hours from Tokyo by Nozomi, and 15 minutes from Kyoto. The JR Osaka Loop Line circles the city center.

Worth knowing: One IC card (Icoca, Suica, Pasmo) covers the subway, JR lines and private railways, no need for separate tickets. Dotonbori is best after dark, when the neon signs and the Glico Running Man light up over the canal. The castle park grounds are free to wander; only the tower museum has admission, with an elevator to the top. At kushikatsu shops, the no-double-dipping rule is strictly observed, one dip per skewer.