It’s astounding to think that one of the oldest castles ever built could withstand fierce wars and harsh weather and still be standing and fully functioning today. Today my group had the opportunity to tour Osaka-jo castle, one of the oldest and most famous castles in Japan, now modified into a 5 floor museum! As we climbed over moats and made our way to the entrance, we got to witness the castle’s beautiful white walls and feudal-styled decorations. Inside the castle were interactive videos and many figurines depicting the battles that took place in ancient Japan. It was interesting to learn about the battle of Sekigahara and how the castle managed to stay standing even though their forces were outnumbered 2 to 1. That just adds to the Osaka-jo’s prestige!
The impregnable fortress!
Field trip time!
Another interesting aspect we took notice of was that the majority of visitors to the castle were all elementary schoolers and very young children. One thing I’ve noticed from touring Japan is the emphasis they put on knowing and valuing historical events. I think it’s wonderful that they have the chance to tour Osaka-jo and learn about its history because it’s one of the most important landmarks that unified Japan. I now have much more respect for Japan’s building architecture and am happy to see that this castle is still in great shape today!
Adventures in Japan (日本の冒険) 
I love this castle not because it’s extraordinary history position, it because I really like the castle itself. It looks so safe and high. It likes an aircraft carrier that could radiate a big area, defend the sector. I remember the castle has seven floors, each floor may has their own defensive strategy at that time.
It was really cool just how big the grounds around the castle were. It would probably be incredibly difficult for invaders to get in during an attack. The scenery the moat, and the castle itself were all really beautiful. All of the floors had something really neat to see on them. I did not expect to see so many children there.
The Osaka-jo museum is awesome. There are many great collections of the Japanese samurai culture. The stairway has separated directions so that people won’t suffer when it get crowded. Castles are great witnesses of the history. The Osaka-jo is a perfect combination of art, science, defensive function, and living function. I will definitely go there again.
The castle was really an amazing site to see. I always wanted to see this castle from my interest in the during the war time period it was built in. It amazing how much thought was put into the constructions of the whole area to keep enemies out of the castle. The little holes in the walls on the castle was also neat for surprise archer attacks.