Osaka may be known as “the nation’s kitchen” but there are also a lot of interesting museums that you can visit and explore while visiting Osaka. These Osaka museums provide a fascinating look into the city and provide a dose of culture and context before you proceed to indulge into the next scrumptious meal.
Here are some of the most interesting Osaka museums that you can visit on your trip to Japan’s third city.
Interesting Osaka Museums to Put On Your Trip Itinerary
Osaka Castle Museum
The current Osaka Castle building is the third to be built on the site. It is home the Osaka Castle Museum which has exhibits about the feudal period in Japan. This spans eight floors and includes video installations and dioramas, along with arms and armor. Once you reach the top of the castle, you will be rewarded with some pretty amazing views out over Osaka Castle Park.
While you are at Osaka Castle Park during cherry blossom season, you may also wish to pay a visit to Nishinomaru Garden on the western side of the park. A separate fee applies to this area of Osaka Castle Park. Also take out some time to explore the castle turrets and the otemon gate, which have exhibits and displays, and will be of interest to history buffs too.
Where: 1-1 Ōsakajō, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 540-0002, Japan
Osaka Museum of History
Just at the southwestern edge of Osaka Castle Park is the Osaka Museum of History. Located in a tall, modern building, the museum provides plenty of rich information about the history of Osaka and its surrounds. It starts off with a look at Osaka’s long gone past with a peek into the remain of the Naniwa Palace, which dates back to 645. A scale model of the Naniwa Palace also provides a good overview of its buildings. There ar also various artefacts, such as ceramics, on display.
From ancient times, the Osaka Museum of History then moves on tell of the development of Osaka as a port and city. This culminates in a reproductions of Osaka street scenes from the early 1900s.
Where: 4 Chome-1-32 Otemae, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 540-0008, Japan
Osaka Museum of Housing and Living
Not to be confused with the Osaka Museum of History, the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living can be found in the a municipal building in the northeast of the Kita Area, near Osaka Station. Inside the museum. are life-sized re-creations of buildings, streets and neighbourhoods from Osaka’s past.
Take a wander around the museum and you will feel as if you have stepped back in time to the late Edo period. Projections on the ceiling even makes it feel as if the sun is rising and setting on the little town. Some of the buildings that you can explore include a bath house, children’s sweets and toy shop, and a cosmetics shop. You can even step inside the reconstructed buildings and imagine what it must have been like to live back in the Edo era.
Where: 6-4-20 Tenjimbashi, Kita-ku, 8F, Osaka 530-0041, Japan
Osaka Science Museum
The Osaka Science Museum is great for kids to visit. It has four levels of exhibits, many of which are interactive and engaging. Start from the fourth floor and work your way downwards. Each floor covers different areas of science. It starts off with the universe and discovery, before moving on to chemistry and then to a highly interactive area for younger children on the second floor, and electricity and energy on the ground floor.
The exhibits present different science facts and concepts as games, making it informative yet fun for visitors. There is also a planetarium on the ground floor but do take note that the presentation is in Japanese.
Where: 4-chōme-2-1 Nakanoshima, Kita Ward, Osaka, 530-0005, Japan
Osaka Museum of Natural History
Located at Nagai Botanical Garden is Osaka Museum of Natural History. Spread over two floors, the museum’s first floor provides a look at the Osaka region including the flora and forest of Osaka and life in Osaka Bay. The second floor of the Osaka Museum of Natural History focuses on different species and the lives of different living things.
Where: Nagai Park 1-23 , Higashi-Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, 546-0034, Japan
Website
National Museum of Art, Osaka
The subterranean National Museum of Art, Osaka first opened in October 1977, with its current building opening in 2007. It has more than 8,000 works of art in its collection. It houses changing exhibitions on two underground floors so you may wish to check its website for what’s on to see if it is of interest before deciding whether or not to pay it a visit.
Where: 4-2-55 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka, 530-0005, Japan
Website
Cup Noodles Museum, Osaka
This is a fun Osaka museum where visitors can get an interesting look at the birth of instant ramen. Even if you aren’t an instant ramen fan, you will still enjoy the story of Momofuku Ando, the creator of instant noodles, and his invention that spawned an entirely new industry. One of the most interactive part of the Cup Noodles Museum, Osaka is the My Cup Noodles Factory. You will get to customise your own original cup noodles by choosing from different varieties of broths and tops. It is a fun and interactive museum in Osaka to visit, especially with kids.
Where: 8-25 Masumi-cho, Ikeda-shi, Osaka 563-0041 Japan
Dotonbori Museum Namikiza
This small museum provides a look at the history of the Dotonbori theater district, kabuki and other theatrical styles performed in Japan over the last 400 years. Visually striking, the museum will make you feel as if you have been transported back in time. You may even be able to wear a period Kabuki costume and pose for pictures.
Where: 1-chōme-1-6 Dōtonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0071, Japan
Glico Museum
Mention Glico and Japanese snacks like Pocky come to mind. In fact, the Pocky running man is such an icon of Osaka. If you are a big fan of the confectionery company, there is a Glico Museum or Ezaki Memorial Hall where you can watch nostalgic TV commercials, and there is a corner where you can take commemorative photos with successive Glico signs, and a souvenir shop corner. Reservations are needed. You can also take a VR tour of the museum online.
Where: 4-chōme-6-5 Utajima, Nishiyodogawa Ward, Osaka, 555-8502, Japan
GLion Museum
The GLion Museum is a classic car museum that display cars from all over the world. The cars are displayed against a backdrop that looks like the urban streets of New York and old European cities. the museum is divided into four different exhibition halls, each with a different theme of classic cars.
Where: 2-6-39 Kaigan-dori, Minato-ku, Osaka (inside the Red Brick Warehouse, Osaka)
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