2014年7月2日

Ultimate Guide to Osaka Castle: 01

From JR Osaka St. to East Outer Moat of Osaka Castle

來自 Takako Sakamoto

社團作家

This is your final destination, the main tower of Osaka Castle!

JR Osaka Station. This is the 'Sakurabashi Gate', but you can enter the station from any of its gates

To go to Osaka Castle, the best way would be to take the Osaka Loop Line

Take the Osaka Loop Line from Platform No. 2 bound for Kyobashi or Tsuruhashi

Get off the train at 'Osakajokoen (Osaka Castle Park)'. It takes 9 minutes from JR Osaka Station

Here you are! This is 'Osakajokoen (Osaka Castle Park)' Station

'Osakajokoen (Osaka Castle Park)' Station viewed from the pedestrian overpass

Go down the stairs... Where is Osaka Castle anyway?

The red-squared mark on the right upper part of the map is where you are. You still have a long way to go to the main tower of Osaka Castle...

Walk straight and you'll see the big Osakajo Hall (Osaka Castle Hall). When I went, there were huge cargo trucks on which the poster of Seiko Matsuda, the famous Japanese pop singer, was put up. Her concerts were schedulded to be held at the Osakajo Hall

Turn left in front of Osakajo Hall (Osaka Castle Hall) and walk straight

...and you'll see the top of the main tower of Osaka Castle in the distance

This is the East Outer Moat...you are still at the 'Outer' moat...

Although I've lived in the Kansai region for many years and visited the Osaka Castle Hall to see concerts on various occasions, I'd never visited the castle itself. This time, I made up my mind to see it with my own eyes and explore its vast grounds inside and out with my own legs. I stayed at the Westin Osaka, which is located near JR Osaka Station, from which I started off my journey to visit the castle for the first time in my life. This is the step-by-step guide to exploring Osaka Castle and the Osaka Castle Park. The first leg of my journey begins at JR Osaka Station. If you follow my footsteps, I can guarantee that you won't miss anything important! For the rest of my journey, please refer to the links below.