Osaka is a historic, vibrant and exciting city. We stayed here for a month at the beginning of our first trip to Japan! We stayed at an apartment right by the river, and we were able to witness the gorgeous cherry blossoms at their peak, something that we’ll never forget! We loved this city. One of the reason we also went to Osaka was to join a world schooling pop up. (For a week we met with other traveling families: we did activities together and parents & kids got to chat with likeminded people!).

Below are a couple of the activities we did and recommend:

• Osaka Castle: This castle is absolutely breathtaking! Situated on the top of a manmade hill in the middle of the city, Osaka Castle is beautiful from all angles. The castle parks are massive, and it’s so pleasant to walk around the beautiful park, which has a wide variety of different cherry and plum blossoms. Especially during sakura season it gets busy, so the line to get into the castle was very long, so we actually did not visit the inside of the castle. However you can walk right to the castle and the surrounding park is immense. During Sakura you will find many street vendors and locals having picnics under the cherry blossom. You can also take a boat on the moat and rent bikes to explore the park. Osaka Castle & surroundings is definitely a must when visiting this city!

• Sakuranomiya Park: The apartment we stayed at was less than 5 minutes from this park, which runs parallel to the river. People have said this is one of the best places to see the cherry blossoms! The park is always super active (runners, beach volleyball, people walking and picnicing), and it was spectacular to watch the cherry blossom trees go from completely bare to blooming pink and white flowers, and then to a brilliant green! This park is not overrated at all, as it’s so fun to see the cherry blossoms, when in season!

• Karaoke: we did karaoke twice with friends we met in Osaka. It’s fun to sing along to some of your favorite tunes, and just goof off with friends! You can buy severaltypes of packages, like lunch or drink packages. Check our their websites to see what deals they have. Some of the popular karaoke chains are Big Echo and Joyjoy. Definitely try it out if you’re in Japan!

• Free Walking Tour: This is always a good way to explore a city and you will find these all over the world. We used THIS one. Besides seeing some of the popular sites, it is always a good way to get a locals point of views, ask questions and listen to stories, legends and fun facts. In Osaka it was a really fun way to see the city, but also spend time with our friends and have good food. Check one out if you want to explore the city in a really fun and interactive way! (They are free but tips are expected at the end.)

• Universal Studios Japan (USJ): What a fun place! There are so many fun rides and things to see! The turkey legs are delicious, and walking through the park is just as fun as riding the rides. A couple of tips to take on this busy and popular place:

  • buy tickets in advance. I used Klook. This will make it easier to enter the park.

  • the park was supposed to open at 9 am but we got there at around 8 am and they were letting everyone in!

  • download the official USJ app. It is super helpful by having a map, seeing updated waiting times of rides, finding food, etc. We used it a lot!

  • Before your visit, make a list of the rides you or your kids wanted to do and the things they wanted to see. (Use the app or youtube) Besides the rides, there are parades, street performances, etc. On the day I kept checking the app I could see the waiting times throughout the day and guide us where to go next.

  • as soon as you enter the park try and get a timed entry for the Super Nintendo World through the app (you’ll have to upload your entry tickets in the app beforehand to be able to do this). Keep refreshing the app until you get a timed entry (I did this as soon as we entered, around 8 am, and I got an entry for 5:30 pm). If the app doesn’t work, the USJ staff is super helpful and can assist you in getting it.

  • we started with Harry Potter World and did the rides first (shorter lines earlier in the day)

  • if you want to spend the extra $, see if you can get express tickets. They will save you a lot of time! (We didn’t get them but I think they can be useful if you are limited in time and patience. We brought books to read in line and some rides had fun entertainment.)

  • frequently we used the single-person line (they use it to ‘fill’ rides) but it is not guaranteed you will be together. We did this in several rides and were always close behind each other which saved us 2 hours of waiting in lines.

  • bring snacks as the lines for food are huge. Although USJ does not allow outside food and they inspect bags, they saw our snacks and said we couldn’t have them in the park. But didn’t take them from us and I saw many other people eating outside snacks during the day.

  • our favorite rides were Harry Potter, Jurassic Park the Ride, the minion one, and the Spider-Man ride.

  • For Super Nintendo World, get the bracelet when you enter (it allows to collect points and interact with the whole area) We didn’t but our kids would’ve loved it.

    Many people complain the USJ is busy and not worth it. We were a bit skeptical but had a fabulous and fun-filled day!

• Cup Noodles Museum: This is a really cool museum, which talks about the history of cup noodles, which you can find everywhere in Japan. There is also the option to write make your own noodle cup (you pick flavors and draw on your cup). Furthermore, they offer a class that shows you how to make your own noodles! We didn’t do any of these, as it’s fun just to watch other people make it!

• Sumo: We went to one night of a tournament that was happening. (Check for dates as it is not an all year round event. Check for location and dates HERE) It is an all day event. We went right after lunch and had no expectations to stay longer than an hour and a half, but it was so fun we stayed until the end! The whole thing was spectacular, especially the long ritual at the beginning, which is normally longer than the match itself. This is definitely a must when in Japan!

• Some other places worth exploring: The aquarium, Sumiyoshi Taisha, Diasen Park (great for cherry blossom viewing and nearby moats were fascinating), Minoh park, Expo 70’s commemorative park (don’t miss the tulip garden in spring!), miPig cafe (!!!!!) and Teamlabs botanical garden.

Osaka was an incredible city! It is very walkable (although public transportation works great), diverse, historic, cosmopolitan, welcoming, gastronomic, entertaining and vibrant.

It’s definitely a city to visit when you’re traveling through Japan!

*** A note on cherry blossom in Japan: we planned to be in Japan for this renowned event. It usually is between mid march through early april (in places like Osaka and Tokyo), however it varies every year due to factors like temperature lows in fall and winter. There are many website that give you an estimate of its peak (like THIS ONE)