Osaka Castle – in the Dark and in Daylight

Thursday 25.12.

After so many day trips and activities, it was nice to take a little break. So yesterday, on the 1st Christmas Day, we just stayed in bed for a long time and didn't start our day until around noon. Then, we just strolled a bit through Osaka (which is why there isn't a separate blog entry for that day).

Osaka is actually a great place for strolling: There are plenty of nerd shops with retro consoles and old games, many stores for trading card games, and countless manga and comic shops. Perfect for us to just wander around the city at a relaxed pace.

In the evening, we did manage to do something that I want to mention: the gardens around Osaka Castle at night. They were festively illuminated and reminded us a bit of the light installations we had previously seen at Busan beach. Very calm, very atmospheric, and a nice conclusion to an otherwise relaxed day.

Friday 26.12.

Since we had already seen Osaka Castle illuminated from the outside the night before, we wanted to take a look at it during the day and from the inside today.

So we woke up at a more normal time and headed towards Osaka Castle.

The castle itself is now a museum that spans several floors:

On the 1st floor, you are greeted by golden statues and can read basic information about the castle.

On the 2nd and 3rd floors, there are special exhibitions, including historical letters, drawings, and paintings – photography was not allowed here.

On the 4th floor, you can read all about the “Summer Campaign of Osaka,” the summer siege of Osaka in 1615, including information about Toyotomi Hideyori and the 21 generals involved.

The 5th floor describes various historical events, presented as videos. Due to the many visitors and the purely Japanese audio track, it was somewhat hard to follow.

At the very top, on the 6th floor, there was, as in the other castles, an observation deck with a panoramic view over Osaka.

Overall, the castle was extremely crowded – noticeably fuller than all the other castles we have seen so far. So honestly, it was quite pleasant to be back outside.

For the next item on our agenda, we had originally planned to check out the Expo ’70 Commemorative Park. The park commemorates the World Expo of 1970 – the first expo ever held in Japan – and was established on the former exhibition grounds. The Expo 2025 also took place here in Osaka until October, but at a different location.

However, after the last very pleasant days, it had turned significantly cooler, so we first returned to the hotel to dress warmer.

After a short break, we then realized that the outing wouldn't really work out time-wise: It was already half past three, the trip would take about an hour, and the grounds close around five. So, change of plans.

Instead, we headed – as often on this trip – first for a coffee. After not having had one for two days, it was definitely time to continue this tradition.

Afterwards, we strolled through a small garden towards Dōtonbori. The district is one of the most famous nightlife and entertainment areas in Osaka, known for its gigantic neon signs (especially the Glico Running Man), street food, and a generally vibrant nightlife.

There we had some Takoyaki – small dough balls filled with octopus, a true Osaka specialty – and we left a few hundred yen at the Japanese “gambling” in the form of claw machines and similar things.

After strolling through the streets like that, we walked back to the hotel, packed a few more things since tomorrow we have to say goodbye to Osaka. The journey continues to Kyoto – the ancient capital of Japan.