At a Glance: The Hidden Garden of Osaka

Posted on 12/15/2020 Last updated on 01/26/2021

Top image: Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau

If you live in northeast Osaka, you might unknowingly be living right beside one of the most magnanimous gardens around! Tsurumi Ryokuchi Park, officially known as Tsurumi Ryokuchi Expo ’90 Commemorative Park, is as gigantic as its name. Blanketing over 300 square acres of the city in green, it’s an extraordinary and surprisingly unknown secret. Typically less crowded than other popular parks in Osaka, it is well worth your time to seek out and explore. Despite its seeming obscurity, the park is well-maintained and offers a variety of activities and views the whole year round.

In the spring season, when people partake in picnics under the blossoming cherry trees almost daily, this is a perfect flower-viewing spot. Though beautiful any time of the year, the chance to visit the park while the cherry blossoms are in full bloom is an unforgettable experience.

Cherry blossoms or sakura bloom as early as end of February and tend to last up to the third week of April. Each area of the park is filled with different kinds of cherry blossoms, making for a very colorful viewing experience.

Moreover, the park does not only offer cherry blossom trees in spring; It also features a glamorous presentation with its expansive tulip garden. A windmill, the symbol of the park, stands on a hillside, overlooking tulips, salvias, cosmos and other flowers. Visit during the peak of spring for the best possible viewing experience.

In May, rose displays explode in a splash of color. Easily walkable from the windmill area, the park’s Rose Garden has 140 species of 5,400 roses. You can see all manner of lovely flowers while walking around the park.

The park also boasts a large pond filled with ducks and other wildlife. The park in general is home to hundreds of types of birds, insects, and other living creatures year-round. There’s never a shortage of things to see in Tsurumi Ryokuchi!

As if that wasn’t enough, tennis courts, a dog park, bathhouse, wedding reception hall, campsite, children’s playground, swimming pool, and a fitness center are just some of what this massive space has to offer.

As wonderful as the facilities are, the main draw of the park is still nature. There is the “Big Lawn,” a stretch of green about the size of four Koshien Stadiums (the home Osaka’s beloved baseball team). This wide green space is perfect for picnicking or viewing the park’s Zelkova trees.

One of Japan’s (and the world’s) largest greenhouses, the tall glass-covered Sakuya Konohana Kan, dominates the southern end of the park. This large flower pavilion houses plants in climate-controlled areas to recreate their native homes. There is a section for plants native to dry, arid areas as well as greenery from hot, humid places. Over 15,000 plants are grown and kept in the conservatory.

Planning your trip: Consider spending a whole day around the park; it’s so big, you may need more than one! The best way to get there is to take a train to Nagahori Tsurumi Park. You don’t need to bring a large picnic food as many convenience store and supermarkets nearby offer bento packs and drinks. Several stores are available near each entrance. Above all, have fun, and enjoy the park!

Photo Credits:

Top image: Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau

Additional photos cited