TOKYO, Japan Wire – Osaka Castle was the most popular of Japan’s castles among foreign visitors in 2025, topping rankings for both Asian and Western tourists, according to an analysis by travel app provider Navitime Japan Co.
While the two visitor groups showed different preferences further down the rankings due to travel styles, Osaka Castle reigned as the universal favorite between January and December last year, in rankings based on an association list of 100 notable castles in Japan.
Tokyo-based firm Navitime Japan used GPS data and survey responses gathered from users of its travel service app for foreign visitors, Japan Travel by Navitime, to compare the number and length of visits to castles between Asian and Western visitors for the analysis published in April.
Among visitors from Asia (predominantly Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, South Korea, and China), Nagoya Castle and Kumamoto Castle made up the top three behind Osaka.
Nijo Castle, in Kyoto, and Himeji Castle completed the top three for Western visitors (predominantly from the United States, Australia, and France).
Hirosaki, Okayama, and Matsuyama castles, while popular among Asian visitors, did not make the top 10 among Western visitors. Navitime Japan said their high ranking among Asian visitors was likely due to ease of access from regional airports served by direct international flights.
On the other hand, the castles of Odawara, Kanazawa, and Matsumoto were popular with Western travelers. The castles are located near the well-trodden “Golden Route” — connecting Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Mt. Fuji — or the “Three-Star Route” — connecting Kanazawa, the Shirakawa-go area, Takayama, and Matsumoto in central Japan.
Osaka Castle enjoyed its busiest year on record in fiscal 2025 with the total number of visitors topping 2.8 million, according to preliminary data released by the Osaka city government in April. The western Japan city hosted the World Exposition between April and October the same year.
The castle, in Osaka’s Chuo Ward, dates back to the late 16th century, when it was built under the orders of warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
When the Toyotomi family was defeated by Tokugawa Ieyasu — the first of the Tokugawa shoguns — in 1615, the castle was left to burn following the decisive siege, although the foundations remained. The castle that Ieyasu rebuilt was struck by lightning in 1665, with the “tenshukaku,” or main tower, burning down as a result.
The current tower is a 1931 reconstruction. Major repairs to address deterioration, completed in 1997, included improvements to earthquake resistance and restoration of the exterior walls.
A museum displaying a section of the original stone wall of the Toyotomi period opened near the tower in April 2025.
Osaka Castle was one of the most popular attractions in Japan for foreign visitors in 2025, according to spot searches by users of Navitime Japan’s navigation services. The castle ranked fourth behind Universal Studios Japan, Nara Park, and Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine in Kyoto.
This article was submitted by a contributing writer for publication on Japan Wire.
AloJapan.com