Nishinomaru Garden
A big lawn on the west side of the castle with about 300 cherry trees and one of the best views of the Main Tower. Two original turrets, a stone gunpowder store and a tea house are inside. Adults pay 300 yen.
T is the entrance and ticket window. The numbers match the list below. Tap one for walking directions.
Hours and tickets
| Hours | 9:00–17:00 (March to October) 9:00–16:30 (November to February) Last entry 30 minutes before closing |
|---|---|
| Closed | Mondays (Tuesday if Monday is a holiday), December 28 to January 4 |
| Adults | 300 yen |
| Free | Junior high school students and younger; Osaka City residents aged 65 and over (with ID); visitors with a disability certificate |
| Cherry blossom season | Different hours and price. Check the official site before you go. |
- Buy at the ticket window at the entrance, just north of Tamon-yagura, or online on the official web ticket page (asoview).
- The Main Tower ticket does not include the garden.
- On turret opening days, the turret ticket (900 yen) includes the garden, and the Main Tower combo ticket (2,000 yen) covers all three. Turrets special opening
Hosho-an tea house: matcha in autumn 2026
The tea house is usually closed. From September to November 2026, it opens on Thursdays and Fridays (not October 2, October 16 or November 19) and serves matcha with a Japanese sweet, looking out over the garden and the castle.
10:00 to 16:00, last entry 15:30. About 30 minutes. 1,500 yen, cash only. The garden entry (300 yen) is extra. On busy days you book a time at the tea house door and come back. It can close at short notice for private events; questions in Japanese to the garden reception, 06-6941-1717.
What to see inside
1. Sengan-yagura Turret
Corner turret guarding Otemon Gate, built in 1620: with Inui-yagura, the oldest building in the castle. Open inside on turret opening days.
2. Inui-yagura Turret
The L-shaped northwest corner turret, also from 1620, with both floors the same size. It could be seen from three sides outside the moat. Open inside in summer.
3. Ensho-gura (Gunpowder Storehouse)
Built in 1685 to store gunpowder after an earlier store blew up in a lightning strike. Floor, walls, ceiling and beams are granite, and the stone walls are about 2.4 m thick. No other stone gunpowder store like it survives in Japan. Seen from outside only.
4. Site of Hitsujisaru-yagura
A two-story turret from about 1620 stood on the southwest corner. It survived the fire of 1868 but burned in an air raid in World War II.
5. Site of the Castle Warden's Residence
The Osaka Jodai, the shogunate's official in charge of the castle, lived and worked here. It was the second-largest palace in the castle. It burned in 1868.
6. Kita-shikiri Gate
The gate north out of the garden area. The stone walls on each side are offset so no one could walk straight through. The present gate was built in 1963 and does not match the original.
7. Osaka Guest House
Built in 1995 to host leaders at the APEC meeting in Osaka, modeled on the Shiro-shoin hall of Nijo Castle in Kyoto. The G20 Osaka Summit dinner was held here in 2019. Official site
8. Hosho-an Tea House
Hideyoshi held tea gatherings at Osaka Castle with the tea master Sen no Rikyu. With that in mind, Konosuke Matsushita, founder of Panasonic, built this tea house in 1969 and gave it to the city.
9. Benchmark Cherry Tree
The Somei-yoshino tree the Osaka Regional Meteorological Observatory watches each spring. When five or six flowers open on it, the cherry blossom season in Osaka is officially announced.
A bit of history
Nishinomaru was the most important area of the castle after the inner citadel. Hideyoshi's brother Hidenaga is thought to have lived here. After Hideyoshi died in 1598, his wife Kitanomandokoro (Nene) lived here for a time; when she left for Kyoto, Tokugawa Ieyasu moved in, ran the government from here and built a tower of his own to rival the main one. Under the Tokugawa, the area was lined with storehouses.
Questions
What are the Nishinomaru Garden opening hours?
9:00 to 17:00 from March to October and 9:00 to 16:30 from November to February. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. It is closed on Mondays (Tuesday if Monday is a holiday) and from December 28 to January 4. Hours change in cherry blossom season.
How much is Nishinomaru Garden?
Adults pay 300 yen. Junior high school students and younger enter free. Prices change in cherry blossom season.
Is Nishinomaru Garden included in the Osaka Castle ticket?
No. The Main Tower ticket does not cover the garden. On turret opening days, the Main Tower combo ticket (2,000 yen for adults) covers the Main Tower, the turrets and the garden.
Can you have tea at Osaka Castle?
From September to November 2026, the Hosho-an tea house in Nishinomaru Garden serves matcha and a Japanese sweet on Thursdays and Fridays, 10:00 to 16:00. It costs 1,500 yen, cash only, plus the garden entry.
Written by Kyoya Fujioka. Hours, prices and history from the Osaka Castle Park official pages on Nishinomaru Garden, the Hosho-an tea service and the 2026 YAGURA special opening (October 2026). Hours and prices can change.