Osaka Castle Japanese Garden

Involved in many battles throughout history, the Osaka Castle was destroyed and reconstructed numerous times. The last famous battle, known as the Fall of Osaka castle took place during the Meiji Restoration, when after the defeat in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, the troops loyal to the former shogun Yoshinobu Tokugawa regrouped inside the Osaka Castle. But on January 31, 1868, Tokugawa run away and a couple of days later the castle was captured by the Imperial forces and burnt down.

The reconstruction started in 1931, when the main castle tower was rebuit and with this occasion a small Japanese garden was established inside the castle grounds. Like most of the traditional Japanese gardens, the garden of the Osaka Castle features a lake and a small hill, decorated with beautiful stone lanterns.

It is well worth to take your time and stroll through the garden, because look what I discovered in one of the garden's corners: a perfect place to admire the Main Tower, beautifully reflected on the lake's water surface...