Morning Stroll Through Nakanoshima Park
What better way to start the morning than stopping to smell the roses?

I wasn’t necessarily planning on walking through Nakanoshima Park when I left my hotel this morning, but Google Maps indicated I would be walking right through it on my way to Osaka Castle, so might as well.

Nakanoshima Park was the first public park to open in Osaka, about a km and a half in length and nestled between two rivers. It also included my other favorite type of garden, a beer garden. Also the city’s first.

On the west end of the park is Osaka Central Public Hall.

Despite being only a few days away from the start of winter, the roses were blooming in colors I had never seen before.

The park also houses the Nakanoshima Library and the Museum of Oriental Ceramics.

It’s open all day, and I can imagine sunsets and sunrises here must be quite spectacular. 

The morning wasn’t busy, but I somehow managed to interrupt two separate photo shoots and what I can only assume is the setting of the lights for the end-of-year illumination.

On the east end, there’s a big lawn and a spiral ramp that takes you back to the street level. And at the very, very end of the pier (?) there’s a little teal fountain.

So while I truly am a proponent of stopping to smell the roses, perhaps I can be a bit quicker about it next time. Especially with a packed itinerary.