Just An Ordinary Girl

Photo By: Elin Chow

Leaving Osaka Castle Park, we headed to Kema Sakuranomiya Park next. Located just a few hundred metres from Osaka Castle, Kema Sakuranomiya Park is a riverside park that is famous for cherry blossoms viewing.

Getting from Osaka Castle Park to Kema Sakuranomiya Park is easy. The closest station is Sakuranomiya Station. To get to Sakuranomiya Station, you will need to walk to Morinomiya Station and take the JR Osaka Loop Line. It will take about 7 minutes and costs 160 Yen to get from Morinomiya Station to Sakuranomiya Station.

Stretching over four kilometres along the Ogawa river, Kema Sakuranomiya Park is one of the popular cherry blossoms viewing spots for the local Japanese people. There are over 4,500 cherry trees scattered within the park.


The park is a great place for strolling, cycling and jogging. You can enjoy a picnic or a relaxing stroll along the river under the flowering trees.There are lots of benches around the park where you can sit, take a rest and enjoy doing nothing.


We did not take a stroll in the park, but rather we stood on a bridge that is located near Sakuranomiya Station and enjoyed looking down on the pink forest of cherry blossoms from the top. Surprisingly, the park does not attract as many foreign tourists as the nearby Osaka Castle. Most people we saw here were locals, thus the park is very quiet and serene.

The other way to enjoy the cherry blossoms along both side of the river is to take a river cruise. The Okawa Sakura Cruise is a 25 minutes cruise that only operates during the cherry blossoms season. The boat departs at Hachikenyahama Harbour, in front of Temmabashi Station at every 10 to 20 minutes.

Price for the cruise is 1,200 Yen for adult, 600 Yen for elementary school children and free for children under elementary school age. However, it is free for one child of elementary school age or under who is accompanied by an adult.

The cherry trees are illuminated at night from end of March to Mid April, so you can enjoy cherry blossoms during both day time and night time. Seeing cherry blossoms at night is an entirely different experience! We have enjoyed fantastic night view of cherry blossoms at Meguro River in Tokyo and Kyoto Botanical Garden.


We only stayed here briefly because it was a really chilly day. After taking some photos, we decided to head back to Namba Station to grab a late lunch. From Sakuranomiya station, we took the JR Osaka Loop Line to Tsuruhashi Station. Then transfer to OsakaMetro Sennichimae Line to Namba Station.

We had lunch at Sarashina Hirotaya, a restaurant that specializes in Udon and Soba noodles that is located near Namba Station. The restaurant is pretty spacious with plenty of seating. There was no English menu, so we have to take photo of what we want from their display outside and show it to their staffs to order our food. But the staffs were very friendly despite not being fluent in English.

Price: 850 Yen

I ordered udon noodle soup with beef while my husband ordered udon noodle soup with seafood. The soup was rich in taste and deeply flavored and the price was fairly cheap. However the serving size is a little small. You might want to order their noodles-rice combination sets if you have a big appetite.

Photo By: Elin Chow

Good morning! It was the seventh day of our 9D8N Japan trip. Our plan of the day was to visit the Osaka Castle Park, which is the second largest park in Osaka. A famous landmark in Japan, it is a popular tourist spot and a must-see attraction on every first-time visitor's list. We could not visit this attraction during our last Japan trip due to time constraints. So we must visit this time.

Price: 725 Yen

For breakfast, we had the Rikuro Ojisan's cheesecake. This is our favorite cheesecake in Japan and you can only buy Rikuro Ojisan's cheesecake in Osaka. There are a few stores in Osaka but we bought this from their original store in Namba.

We love this cheesecake because it was very light and super fluffy. It was extremely mild tasting with no crust. It was so heavenly good that we can eat half a cake in one sitting!

The easiest way to get to Osaka Castle Park is by train. There are four train stations that are located within easy walking distance from the park. But the closest stations are Tanimachi Yon(4)chrome station along the Tanimachi and Chuo subway line and JR Osakajokoen station on the JR Loop Line.

From Namba Station, it is cheaper and more convenient for us to get to Tanimachi Yon(4)chrome Station instead of JR Osakajokoen station. To get to Tanimachi Yon(4)chrome Station, we have to take the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line to Hommachi Station first. At Hommachi Station, transfer to the Chuo Line to Tanimachi Yon(4)chrome Station. The entire journey takes about 17 mins and costs 230 Yen. From Tanimachi Yon(4)chrome Station, it is about 12 minutes walk to the Otemon gate, the main entrance of the park. You will know that you have arrive when you see tiled roof of the castle tower.

Measuring 105.6 ha, Osaka Castle Park is an extensive public urban park located in the center of Osaka, consisting of vast expanse of greenery, gardens and open spaces, as well as cultural and sport facilities like Osaka Castle Hall, an arena, baseball field, a jogging track and Tenshukaku - the Main Tower of Osaka Castle. Access to the park grounds surrounding the castle is free and you are allowed to take as many pictures as you like. However, you will need to pay separate entrance fees if you want to enter the castle tower or Nishinomaru garden in the park.


The massive castle tower is surrounded by secondary citadels, gates, turrets and impressive stone walls and moats. It is a very magnificent sight! Standing at 20 metres tall and 90 metres wide, the huge walls, which are laid in mosaic pattern, are a symbol of strong defence. It is estimated that 500,000 to 1 million large stones were used to construct the walls.


You can take a short boat ride around the moats if you want to take a closer look at the stone walls. The boat ride takes around 20 minutes and costs 1,500 Yen for adult, 750 Yen for children and 1,000 Yen for senior citizens.


With changing seasonal scenery, Osaka Castle Park can be enjoyed throughout the year, but it is particularly popular during spring cherry blossoms season and autumn foliage season. So do expect a huge tourist crowds, especially during the cherry blossoms season. But don't worry because the park is huge and you would not feel crowded as there are more than enough room for everyone.



Home to over 3,000 cherry trees, the park transforms into an ocean of pink from late March to early April. It is known to be one of the most popular cherry blossoms viewing spots in Osaka. In fact, just like Osaka Expo 70' Commemorative Park, Osaka Castle Park  is also ranked as one of "100 best cherry blossom viewing spots" in Japan.

The spacious lawn grounds are perfect for concerts and picnics. You might want to pack some lunch and enjoy a picnic under the flowering trees with your family and friends. There are often street performers or free concerts on the park grounds for you to enjoy. You will also find plenty of food stalls where you can grab some food.


You can easily spend a few hours roaming around the beautiful park. But please wear comfortable shoes because there will be a lot of walking to do. The main tower of the castle is fairly far from the train stations, which can be challenging for those with mobility issues. Even though the park is generally wheelchair accessible, there are steep slopes which you might find it difficult to push.



The centrepiece of the park is Osaka Castle Tower. From the outer edge of the park, it is about 15-20 minutes walk to the tower. Osaka Castle is probably the most visited castle in Japan, attracting more than 2.5 millions visitors every year. Although it is crowded, the park is huge and spread out, so we do not feel crowded at all.

Scattered around the castle tower, you will find thirteen structures, including several gates, gun power storehouse and turrets that are designated as Important Cultural Assets by the national government.

Standing at 55 metres high, the castle tower appears to be five-storey structure on the outside, but it has eight-storey inside. A striking historical landmark surrounded by modern skyscrapers, it was destroyed and rebuilt a number of times because of fires and wars.

Entrance to the castle tower is 600 Yen for adult and free for children under 15 years old. It houses a museum where you will find historical artifacts, colorful screen painting, samurai costumes that you can try for a fee, and a scale model of the original 16th century castle tower. There is also an observation deck at the top, offering panoramic view of Osaka city. But we did not pay to enter the tower because we were not interested in museum.

The castle tower is completely wheelchair accessible, with an elevator that you can use to access every floor. There are also shops inside if you wish to bring some souvenirs home.

Located next to Sakura-mon Gate is Hokoku Shrine, a shinto shrine dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a famous samurai, general and politician. He was greatly known for his achievement to unify Japan.

You will find a bronze status of Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the entrance of the shrine. Many people visit the shrine to wish for both success and good luck in their careers.


Leaving Hokoku Shrine, we headed to Morinomiya Station to take the train to our next destination.  From here, it is about 20 minutes walk to Morinomiya Station.



It was quite a long walk to Morinomiya Station. For people who have mobility problems, do not visit Osaka Castle Park from Morinomiya Station. You will need to climb up a fairly steep staircase in order to reach the park.



There is a flower and plant market in spring and fall near Morinomiya entrance of the park. Overall, Osaka Castle Park is a nice place to spend a few hours with your family and friends. The castle grounds is extensive, so make sure you wear comfortable shoes because there will be quite a lot walking to do! Try to come as early as possible or late in the evening if you wish to avoid the crowds.


If you are interested to know more about our trip, you may want to check out our 9D8N Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka Trip Itinerary + Overview for the list of attractions that we had visited during our 9 days in Japan. For anyone planning your first trip to Japan but have no idea where to start, you should read my "How To Plan A Trip To Japan" post.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates on my 9 days adventures in Japan! You might also want to check My Wanderlust page for some of my other travel adventures.