What a disappontment
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 7/3/06
We visited Osaka castle for the first time in 1984, when the city celebrated the castle�s 300 year anniversary, and then yesterday (July 2006). In 1984 we saw the castle as it was rebuilt in 1931 in an attempt to reproduce Hideyoshi`s castle, which was destroyed by Ieasu in 1615. Of course we could not see either of the real castles that stood there (Hidayoshi`s and the Iemitsu�s (grandson of Ieasu)) we did get a sense of what it was like. This year we saw the castle after it was converted into an air-conditioned museum. The strongest impression was the sense of fakeness. The collection of the museum is indeed impressive, but I would have preferred to see it in the previous museum (an army building of the 1800`s) next to the castle. Also, I found that the museum was not well planned, with multiple exhibits speaking at you loudly, at the same time.
Visit the castle only if you are very interested in the History of Japan, if you have a lot of patience, and can speak Japanese. And if you do want to see a real castle, take an hour train to Himeji, and see one of the most beautiful castles the world has ever seen.