Osaka Castle Area in May

Cherry blossom season transforms this place into chaos - beautiful chaos, but chaos nonetheless. Early April brings 4,000 cherry trees into bloom, plus crowds of 50,000 people on weekends. If you can handle the madness, go on a weekday morning around 8am. Fall colors peak in mid-November, when the ginkgo trees along the main path turn electric yellow. Winter is actually underrated here. Snow dusting the castle walls creates postcard scenes, and you'll have the place mostly to yourself. Summer is brutal - 35°C heat with zero shade on the castle approaches. But summer evenings bring beer gardens to the park grounds, open until 9pm. The illumination season runs December through February, when they light up the castle keep until 10pm. Honestly, any season works if you time it right.