7 ways to enjoy Osaka Castle in the winter

The colder months provide some of the best opportunities to see Osaka Castle, the crown jewel of Japan’s second city.

Powdery ski slopes, spectacular snow-sculpture festivals and steaming hot-spring towns are more than enough to draw travellers to Japan during the frosty winter season. But many forget the huge bonus of travelling to Japan’s main cities in the winter time – that is there are far fewer tourists to contend with at the major sites.

Osaka Castle is the crown jewel of Japan’s second city, and no trip to Osaka is complete without a visit to this important historic site. While very pleasant and picturesque in the warmer months, the trade-off is sharing your picnic site with the crowds. In the winter, there is much more space to enjoy the expansive grounds comfortably at your leisure. Here are seven ways to spend the day at Osaka-jo and its surrounds during the chilly season.

1. Cruise the castle moat on the Golden Wasen

Bundle up on a crisp winter’s day and board the Golden Wasen – a gleaming gold traditional-style Japanese boat that takes you on a 20-minute ride around the stone walls of the inner moat while giving a history lesson on the castle. This roofed gozabune (pleasure boat) with tatami (straw mat) floors takes visitors to rare vantage points for snapping photos of the castle’s main keep. The cruise allows for a deeper appreciation for the imposing 20-metre-high stone walls that surround Osaka-jo, which was regarded as impregnable in its time.

Osaka Castle moat — Take a ride around the inner moat of Osaka Castle on the Golden Wasen.

2. Roam Nishinomaru Garden on the castle grounds

Osaka Castle’s Nishinomaru Garden is the perfect place for a relaxing stroll year round. The approximately 64,000-square-metre open garden area was once the private residence of Kita no Mandokoro, the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. One of the ‘three great unifiers’ of Japan during the 16th century, it was Hideyoshi who commissioned the construction of Osaka Castle. The garden boasts impressive views of the main keep and outer walls from across the moat. For those visiting in mid-February, the garden’s winter landscape is splashed with bright pink plum blossoms. These dominate a section of the garden aptly named the Umebayashi (Plum Garden) and home to 1270 plum trees of around 100 different varieties.

In the north-east corner of Nishinomaru Garden is the tea ceremony house Hosho-an. This tatami-floored tea house among the trees is a prime example of the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi – the idea of accepting the beauty of imperfection. It is easy to admire the beauty of the structure from the outside, but reservations are required to partake in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

Osaka Castle viewed from Nishinomaru Garden — Take a stroll through Osaka Castle’s Nishinomaru Garden.

3. Venture inside the castle and take in views from the top

Osaka-jo was originally built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1583. While the current structure only dates from 1931 and is completely modern inside, the inner workings of the castle still serve as an interesting and informative museum housing around 10,000 historical items. These include armour, weapons, gorgeous folding screens depicting epic battles fought on the castle grounds, personal items of Hideyoshi’s, and much more. The observation deck on the top floor 50 metres up offers sweeping views of Osaka City.

4. Shop and eat your way around Osaka Castle Park

If you’re feeling peckish, Jo-Terrace Osaka in front of the castle is the perfect spot to take a break and grab a bite to eat. Opened in June 2017, the modern outdoor complex features a variety of eateries and cafes in a relaxed atmosphere surrounded by the greenery of Osaka Castle Park. Try classic Osaka dishes such as takoyaki (doughy fried balls containing diced octopus and topped with a rich brown sauce) and okonomiyaki (a savoury pancake with fried meats mixed in).

Located in front of the castle tower is Miraiza Osaka-jo, a complex built from the former military headquarters of the 4th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army. Originally constructed in 1931, this Western-style redbrick building was refurbished in October 2017 and now contains a host of duty-free souvenir shops, cafes, and Japanese confectionery shops. The restaurants inside offer unparalleled views of the castle.

5. Take Japanese sword-fighting lessons

Have you ever dreamt of becoming a ninja or samurai? Bring your Japanese history fantasies to life at the Japan Tate-do Association in the Miraiza Osaka-jo building. Tate, or the art of Japanese sword fighting, was considered a special technique only for stage and movie actors performing in samurai dramas. Now visitors to Osaka-jo can take 60- to 90-minute classes learning sword fighting and theatrical combat techniques. Best of all, you get to dress the part and look like a character straight out of a Japanese period drama.

Katana — Take a sword-fighting class at Osaka-jo.

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6. Visit the Osaka Museum of History

Located at the south-west corner of Osaka Castle Park, the Osaka Museum of History is a worthwhile add-on to a castle visit if you happen to have extra time on your hands. Each floor explores a different period in Osaka’s past, allowing visitors to experience the 1350-year history of Osaka with life-size reconstructions, scale models, documentary movies and photographs. The top floor of this museum is a partial full-size recreation of the inside of the Naniwanomiya Palace, a construction from the era when Osaka was Japan’s capital.

7. Admire the luminous castle during a winter light show

One of Japan’s best winter light-up events is the Osaka Castle Illuminage. Held in Nishinomaru Garden on the castle grounds in the evenings between December and March, millions of colourful LED lights illuminate the area. Tunnels and light sculptures of Japanese-style buildings, trees, animals, paper cranes, bridges and folding fans decorate the winding path through the garden. The white-walled Osaka Castle is splashed with an array of colours and special effects during the annual 3D projection-mapping extravaganza often designed with a historical theme in mind. With traditional Japanese street performances, food stalls, and lots of other attractions, this night event is one of the most memorable ways to experience Osaka Castle.

Planning a trip? Read our ultimate travel guide to Osaka for more attractions, where to stay and what to eat while you’re there.

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.