Osaka Castle Park Area

Osaka Castle Park is an urban park with much greenery and water. Many cultural and historical assets can be found here including Osaka Castle Tower, which is popular with foreign tourists. The Osaka City Government enacted a park management system whereby private-sector businesses manage the entire park. Their flexible and exceptional ideas have brought new attractions to the park.

For example, an existing historical building that was once the headquarters of the 4th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army (former Osaka City Museum) was renovated into the MIRAIZA OSAKA-JO (Miraiza Osaka Castle), where visitors can enjoy meals, etc. with close-up views of the castle. There is also JO-TERRACE OSAKA, a commercial complex established in front of JR Osakajokoen Station, providing dining, merchandise sales, information and more. Furthermore, COOL JAPAN PARK OSAKA has opened, which features three theaters of different sizes, ideal for entertainment such as stage performances and Manzai comedies.

As such, the Osaka City Government aims to make the area even more attractive and prosperous by offering high-quality dining, merchandise sales, and entertainment for visitors.

Toyotomi Ishigaki Revelation Project

To mark the 400th anniversary of the Summer Siege of Osaka, Osaka City has been working on the “Toyotomi Ishigaki Revelation Project,” which involves excavating the stone walls (ishigaki) of the original Osaka Castle, built by Hideyoshi, and putting in place a facility that allows visitors to view them up close. Osaka Castle, built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi as a base for unifying the country, was a magnificent castle that was praised as “unparalleled in the three kingdoms” and “the strongest in Japan,” but it fell during the Summer Siege of Osaka in 1615. Later, when the Tokugawa Shogunate rebuilt Osaka Castle, they buried the old castle underneath piled earth, as if to erase the authority of the Toyotomi clan. At this facility, an approximately 6m-high underground stone wall that was uncovered during excavation surveys is open to the public. Experience the attraction and power of these stone walls in contrast with those rebuilt by the Tokugawa shogunate, as well as the astonishing thickness of the piled up earth.

Tennoji & Abeno Area

The Tennoji & Abeno Area, known as the southern gateway to Osaka, has a variety of sightseeing spots including Tennoji Park, Tennoji Zoo and the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts, which represent the core of this district. To transform this area into a cultural tourism base, the Osaka City Government is leveraging flexible ideas and know-how from private business operators, creating and promoting new urban attractions in a green-filled space, while enhancing the attractiveness and convenience for visitors and creating lively atmospheres.
The entrance area of Tennoji Park called Tenshiba was revitalized in 2015 by introducing a lawn space of 7,000 m², along with restaurants and cafes. Located in the midst of an urban setting with skyscrapers present in the background, Tenshiba is a place where visitors can relax and appreciate nature up close.
In addition, Tennoji Zoo and Tennoji Park Entrance Area "Tenshiba" were joined in November 2019, and "Tenshiba i:na" was created as a new dynamic spot to make Tennoji Zoo even more interesting for visitors. “Friendship Garden” opened in April 2022, “Penguin Park & Sea Lion Wharf” in April 2023, and “World of Birds” in November, allowing visitors to get up close and personal with lively animals in an environment mimicking their natural surroundings.
In addition, the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts has completed large-scale renovation work, and, while the exterior of the building, a registered tangible cultural property (structure), has remained unchanged since the museum first opened, the facility has been equipped with the essential features of a modern museum and reopened in March 2025 as an "open museum."
Going forward, the vitality of the private sector will continue to be utilized to enhance capabilities for various services, such as dining and merchandise sales, which can significantly contribute to raising the attractiveness of the zoo as well as the visitor satisfaction level.