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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 CastleSumo wrestlers in coloured mawashi posing with hands raised beside a guest in an inflatable sumo suit, on a straw-ringed dohyo under stage lightsOsaka Sumo Experience at The Sumo Hall HirakuzaFive riders in baseball jerseys throw their arms up from red go-karts halted on a bridge, the green-roofed, gold-trimmed keep of Osaka Castle rising above the trees behind themJAPANKART go-kart tour around Osaka CastleThree huge angled screens standing in a night garden, swirling gold and green light playing across them and mirrored in the still water below, one visitor watchingteamLab Botanical Garden OsakaThree visitors in red jumpsuits and safety harnesses leaning out from the open edge walkway at the top of Abeno Harukas, with the Osaka cityscape stretching 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 DeckTwo visitors leaning in to point at bright red cleaner shrimp on pale coral inside a curved cylindrical tank, a blue-lit gallery behind themNIFREL Interactive Aquazoo

When to catch the colours in Osaka?

Average cherry blossom and autumn foliage 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