There are only a few months left before Cherry Blossom/ Sakura Spring festival in Japan. Since we receive so many questions regarding to it, so here it is Spring Travel Guide for recommended places/ park to see Cherry Blossom in Osaka. For Tokyo, you can check our previous blogpost https://anakjajan.com/2017/02/09/japan-cherry-blossom-sakura-guide-best-spots-in-tokyo/

Tokyo is no doubt a popular city to visit on spring since the cherry blossom festival is AMAZING. But Osaka has its own charm as well, there are a few great places to visit to enjoy the romantic pink bloom.

Sakura normally starts to bloom at the end of March and the BEST TIME so see it would be early April. Imagine walking in the park surrounded by pink blooms with sakura petal falling, isn’t it romantic?

While we were lucky to visit Tokyo during the peak blooming time (4-7 April 2016), for Osaka we were a few days or a week too late, we still got a lot of it but only around 70-80% left (we were there 8-13 April 2016). Check Japan Cherry Blossom Forecast to know when is the best time to see the blooms.

First of all, here are some important tips:
– Sakura only has short life span of about 10 days from the day 1 of blooming, after that the delicate petals will fall, so be sure to check the blooming forecast for best timing, here’s the link for Japan Cherry Blossom Forecast https://anakjajan.com/2018/01/29/japan-cherry-blossom-sakura-schedule-forecast/
– Since it’s high season, it is highly recommended to book the hotel and flight ticket long before your travel date to avoid overbooking and expensive price. We recommend you to book it at least half a year before or check travel fair to get the best price.
– Bring jacket or light coat since the weather is still quite cold around 15 to 20 Celsius.
– We highly suggest you to visit the sakura spot as early as possible to avoid the crowd in the afternoon.
– For more info about airport, transportation, vending machine, restaurant, etc, check our Complete Japan Guide & Tips on the following link anakjajan.com/2014/08/14/ultimate-japan-travel-guide-tips/.

Alright, here are some of the best spots for cherry blossom in Osaka:

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1. OSAKA CASTLE
Best cherry blossom viewing time: early April.

Known as one of the signature landmarks of Osaka, the castle is a great place to visit on Cherry Blossom season. It’s surrounded by more than 4,000 sakura trees and the spacious ground makes it a great place for picnic.

To satisfy the tummies, there are a few food trucks and stalls selling snacks including Sakura ice cream!

Me and Mr. Jajan had our first HANAMI or cherry blossom viewing picnic there, we brought picnic carpet we got from nearest 7eleven as well as some snacks and bento. It was an unforgettable moment for us, enjoying the cool breeze surrounded by pink blooms with sakura petals falling overlooking Osaka Castle🌸💕

Specially on peak blooming time, visitors can enjoy Sakura Tree Light Illumination in the evening.

Access:
Tanimachi 4-chrome Station (Tanimachi Subway Line/ Chuo Subway Line)
Osakajokoen Station (JR Line)
Fees: free except for the Nishinomaru Garden (JPY 200 daytime, or JPY 350 evening)
Address:
1-1 Ōsakajō, Chūō-ku, Ōsaka-shi, Ōsaka-fu 540-0002, Japan

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2. EXPO ’70 COMMEMORATIVE PARK/ BANPAKU KINEN KOEN (万博記念公園)
Best cherry blossom viewing time: early April.

Out of many places we visited in Osaka, Banpaku Kinen Kōen is the MOST MEMORABLE ONE! We got our most favorite shot in this park too 🌸😍

The park literally GOT US IMPRESSED beyond our expectation!! During our visit, the trees were still in PEAK BLOOMING TIME and the park is incredibly HUGE with more than 5,000 cherry trees.

The large public park that happens to be former site of 1970 World Exhibition features large lawn areas, making it an amazing place for family picnic. The were so many family visiting the park during our visit.

In the middle of the park, there’s a huge tower easily noticeable, it’s called Tower of the Sun. Right across the street, there’s a huge mall called Expo City filled with tons of shops and restaurants as well.

Access:
Banpaku Kinen Koen Station (Osaka Monorail)
Fees: JPY 250
Address:
Japan, 〒565-0826 Osaka Prefecture, Suita, Senribanpakukoen, 1−1

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3. OSAKA MINT BUREAU
Best cherry blossom viewing time: mid April.

Osaka Mint Bureau was in our low priority but since we had nothing to do, we decided to give it a try. It’s basically a Museum highlighting the production of Japanese coins but the building is surrounded by tranquil cherry tree garden.

While the size of garden isn’t too big with around 300 trees, there are OVER 100 VARIETIES of Cherry Blossoms there. WOW!

You might not get the super instagrammable shot there but you surely will get impressed by the collection of trees. Visiting the garden made us realize there are so many varieties of sakura, we even saw the yellow sakura there.

Another interesting factor from Osaka Mint Bureau, there was a street market filled with tons of yummy street snacks next to the garden. It was very festive with all the delicious food just like the one we saw in tv or anime.

Access:
Temmabashi Station (Tanimachi Subway Line/ Keihan Main Line)
Fees: Free
Address:
1 Chome-1-79 Tenma, Kita, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture 530-0043, Japan

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4. KEMA SAKURANOMIYA PARK
Best cherry blossom viewing time: early April.

Kema Sakuranomiya Park is located on the banks of Okawa River with row of 5,000 cherry trees on both side of the river. Since the park features spacious lawn areas, it makes a nice space for picnic as well.

Access:
Sakuranomiya Station (JR Loop Line)
Fees: Free
Address:
Japan, 〒534-0027 Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Miyakojima Ward, Nakanocho, 1 Chome, ほか １０

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Well, if we have to compare Tokyo and Osaka, AnakJajan personally feel that Tokyo has more festive and interesting spots for cherry blossom viewing, but cherry blossom in Osaka is just as beautiful and less crowded.

Check link below for more Japan Travel posts  https://anakjajan.com/category/location/japan-location/

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