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Things to Do in Osaka

Hand-picked sights and experiences across Osaka, with day trips to Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara and more.

The stacked brick and grass terraces of Super Nintendo World with question blocks, warp pipes and Yoshi's Adventure below, Bowser's grey castle to one sideUniversal Studios Japan's Movie MagicThe Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan building lit at dusk, its facade covered in a mosaic of fish and waves under a deep blue skyOsaka Aquarium KaiyukanThe green-roofed keep of Osaka Castle rising above cherry trees in full bloom and golden autumn foliage, a stone rampart and bridge in frontHideyoshi's Osaka CastleFive riders in baseball jerseys raise both arms from orange JAPAN KART go-karts stopped on a bridge, the green-roofed, gold-trimmed keep of Osaka Castle rising over the trees behind themJAPANKART go-kart tour around Osaka CastleTwo tall angled screens standing in a dark night garden, swirling green, gold and orange vortices projected across them, trees silhouetted along their feet under a deep blue skyteamLab Botanical Garden OsakaVisitors crossing the open-air wooden deck of the Sky Garden court at Abeno Harukas, glass walls rising either side beneath a canopy marked 300M, café tables along one edge and Osaka spread out far belowOsaka's Highest View From HARUKAS 300Visitors on the circular open-air rooftop walkway of the Umeda Sky Building, clouds and blue sky reflected in the curved glass below themUmeda Sky Building Kuchu Teien Observation DeckA Victoria crowned pigeon in close-up at NIFREL, its lacy blue crest fanned above a crimson eye, deep blue and maroon plumage against the pale gallery behindNIFREL Interactive AquazooThe giant Ferris wheel at Hirakata Park seen from below, its spokes and gondolas banded in green, blue, red, orange and yellow, with the park's script name sign mounted across the hubHirakata Park

When to catch the colours in Osaka?

Average red maple, golden ginkgo and cherry blossom dates for Osaka, from the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991–2020 normals — the fortnight to aim for, not a promise for any particular year.

Where to look next?

The prefectures we've mapped so far, nearest to Osaka first.

Frequently Asked Questions