OSAKA Cherry blossom season

Cherry blossoms usually bloom in Osaka in the last week of March and the first week of April. So you must be pretty lucky to catch them on a short trip to Japan.

For a year, cherry blossoms begin to bloom on March 21 in Osaka. The flowers then begin to bloom (called "mankai" in Japanese) on April 1 in Osaka. About a week later, most of the flowers have fallen.

Here are the best cherry blossom viewing spots in Osaka

1.Osaka Castle Park: The park around the castle is filled with cherry trees and they made some great shots with the castle background. During cherry blossom season, this area is lit up from 6pm to 9pm, allowing you to see the illuminated sakura trees behind Osaka Castle. The fanciful atmosphere in the fresh spring evening air here is an unforgettable experience. If you visit Osaka in spring, you should definitely try to visit Osaka Castle park. You will quickly understand the charm of cherry blossoms.

2.Osaka Mint: A short walk from Tenmabashi Station on the Keihan Line, Osaka Mint (Osaka Zoheikyoku) is Osaka's most famous cherry blossom viewing spot.

The Osaka Mint Garden is normally closed to the public, but for a week during cherry blossom season, they are open and allow visitors to admire some rare and exotic varieties. There are 350 trees with 134 different varieties and this is a particularly good spot for late bloomers like yaezakura. There is a tunnel effect and it is one of the picturesque places in the city with lanterns and lights in the evening. Surprisingly, admission is completely free - although if you're going to visit the Mint Museum, it's closed during the garden's opening hours. No hanami picnics are allowed here, but you can head to the nearby Kema Sakuranomiya Park.

The opening date varies from year to year, but tends to be early to mid-April, as mint gardens have many yaezakura trees that bloom late and leave leaves later than other varieties.

3. Ryokuchi-koen Park: In northern Osaka, near Ryokuchikoen Station on the Midusuji subway line, this spacious park has some pretty trees and is a good place for hanami parties. This park houses the excellent Open Air Museum of Japanese Farms, which is a great addition to cherry blossom viewing.

4. Daisen Park If you're looking to escape the city for a day, we recommend Daisen Park: a lush 35-hectare park with a large Japanese garden. They have 400 cherry trees and plenty of space to enjoy them. There are a few varieties, including mountain cherry and Oshima, but the flowers all come together to make a dramatic sight, especially near Dada Pond. The garden has a tea house and many other attractions to explore, including the Sakai Museum and a water and flower park. How to get there: From Osaka, you can catch the Kansai Airport Express Service and change to the Hanwa Line at Mikunigaoka, getting off at Mozu Station. The journey takes about 30 minutes and costs ¥390. Alternatively, it takes about 15 minutes from Namba on the Nankai Koya Line with a change point at the same station, or you can walk a little further to the park.

5. Banpaku Memorial Park : North of Osaka, this wonderful park has some pretty cherry trees. You'll find the wonderful National Museum of Ethnology in the park, and Expo City's huge shopping/entertainment/dining complex just across the street, so it's a full day picnic out of central Osaka. Expo Commemorative Park is an area famous for its cherry blossoms, which has been selected as one of Japan's top 100 cherry blossom viewing spots. There are nine varieties of sakura including Yamazakura (mountain cherry), Yaezakura (double cherry), Yoshino cherry and many more, with more than 5,500 trees blooming throughout the spacious grounds. During the cherry blossom festival at Expo Commemorative Park, the cherry blossom trees at Shizen Bunke-en (National Cultural Park) and Higashioji are illuminated in the evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. dark. Expo Commemorative Park not only has cherry blossoms, but also some traditional Japanese gardens to enjoy. Additionally, it features a trampoline trampoline, unique bicycles and a range of children's playground equipment, making it ideal for the whole family.

6. Kishiwada Castle | Home to the famous Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri, this castle was originally built in 1334 and has over 130 blooming trees around it. The grounds are illuminated in the evening and it attracts quite a crowd in the spring. The garden includes the remains of the original castle (the current castle was rebuilt in 1954 after many fires/disasters/battles) and a rock garden designed to represent the fort. . Although the castle is about 25 minutes from central Osaka, it's actually on the way to the airport, so you're probably on your first or last stop in the city. During Kishiwada Castle's Ojo Matsuri, the grounds are lit with paper lanterns from sunset until 11 p.m., giving you the chance to admire the artistic spectacle of cherry blossoms at night around around the castle

How to get there: Take the Nankai Airport Express from Namba Nankai Station and get off at Kishiwada — it takes 26 minutes and costs 490 yen. (Be careful not to catch the Nankai Limited Express, as it's only 6 minutes faster and costs 1,000 yen).

7. Satsukiyama Park, Ikeda

Ikeda is about 20 minutes by express train from central Osaka. Mount Satsuki is the 315-meter-high mountain in the city center, and the mountain Satsukiyama Park is a popular spot for its azaleas and autumn foliage. During the sakura season, Yoshino and the mountain cherry trees bloom beautifully.

Inside the park is the free Satsukiyama Doubutsuen zoo, hiking courses, and an observatory where you can see the city of Ikeda and the Ina River. The area is loved by the locals.

8. Settsukai Park, Takatsuki

Katsuoji is a shrine famous for its kachi-daruma (a kind of lucky charm) and a place for good luck, so it's visited all year round. Throughout the 800,000 square meters of the ground are drooping cherry blossoms, mountains, and Taiwanese cherry trees. The peak bloom here is quite late, between the end of March and the beginning of May. The main gate and bridge of the temple are bright red creating a beautiful scene with pink flowers.

Not only do they have a graceful weeping cherry blossom, they also have a rare yellow sakura variety. This shrine is also famous for being lucky in love, so drop by and pick up a lucky draw if you're interested.

10. Eiraku Dam, Sennan

Sennan is a district in the southern part of the province, and it is a bit far from the city, taking about an hour and ten minutes to get there from the center. However, the Eiraku Dam is well worth the visit! 1,000 Yoshino trees and mountain cherry trees are a wonderful sight. The dam itself is located in the Okuyama Ameyama Natural Park, and it is a lush area that has not only been selected as one of Osaka's Top 100 Green Areas, but also one of the Suigen no Mori Top 100 Forests. , a forest that acts as an intermediary between humans and water. You can see an almost spiritual sight of the sakura reflected in the water, as well as a portion of the trees lit up with lanterns during peak times. Right next door is Eiraku Yume no Mori Park, and you can also enjoy hanami there. However, as it is not very easy to get to, this is best for nature lovers who like to get off the beaten track.