Japan :: Osaka Castle

“Tokyo may have more money and Kyoto more culture; Nara may have more history and Kobe more style, but Osaka has the biggest heart.” – Vikas Swarup

I had heard that Osaka used to be called “Naniwa” (like the StarCraft player!!11). Reason to go!
Just kidding. I went to Osaka to eat food and see the lights. In true Annie-form I found out about the castle just one day before I arrived 😛 Typical me…

Osaka wasn’t really the most special place, by that I mean that most of the stuff I saw there I could see pretty much anywhere in Japan. That doesn’t mean Osaka isn’t special, it just means I didn’t find one mindblowing thing that makes me say “you absolutely HAVE TO see Osaka”. My impression of Osaka is positive though, nice city to walk around in, great city lights at night, good food and Osaka Castle is very beautiful. I even go to see yet another wedding photography session while there.

“Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan’s most famous landmarks and it played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.”

Osaka Castle was pretty much it for me in Osaka, I only stayed one night and spent the days walking around trying different foods from stalls and taking pictures of the cityscape. It’s worth a visit if you, like me, have a lot of time in Japan. according to Wikitravel “to this day, while unappealing and gruff on the surface, Osaka remains Japan’s best place to eat, drink and party” – which explains why I didn’t find it too special. I don’t do a lot of drinking and partying on my own and to be honest, eating dinner by myself is starting to become more of a chore than a “joyous meal” at this point…

But the castle was beautiful.