Osaka Castle

Must-see for History Nerds

This castle has some fun exhibits with holograms and decent English so tourists can easily enjoy the history of the castle and the people who lived there. I recommend coming here early in the morning because standing in line in the middle of the day sucks. If you don't mind being in a kind of a crowd of people, also a great view of the Osaka landscape. I remember being a little confused about the elevator system and I'm not sure why but I think they send you to the third floor, then you walk up to the fifth and back down. It was a really fun experience and we got to see a lot of cool historical things and get a feel for who lived in the castle and why and how their lives were. It's a little different coming from a different part of Japan and celebrating personally when we see names we know, like Date Masamune who qe know because he founded Sendai. If you're a bit of a history nerd or like views of the city, it's a good time even with the crowds. The gift shop inside the castle is small, so make choices and don't stand around debating how much 1100 yen is like some foreigners I saw there during our visit, blocking up the shop unnecessarily. It is really cool to have stuff that you bought from a castle that you can then go and send to people or give to people. And it's not just green tea. It's green tea you bought in a castle. Even if the tea isn't necessarily that much more special than anything you can get in the supermarket elsewhere, it still feels more special because it came from this cool place. If you don't find any souvenirs that suit you there, across a little bit of a walk, there's a little shopping mall that has a larger super souvenir shop in it. In any case, this is a really fun time and I recommend it, especially if you're a little bit of a history nerd.