Spacious, open and conveniently located in central Osaka, Tennoji Park is one of the city’s best-loved green spaces. Tenshiba, located in the part nearest to Tennoji Station, is popular with local families spending time outdoors, with many cafés and restaurants alongside futsal courts and a kids’ play centre. The rest of the park also has lots of beautiful greenery in addition to a Zen garden and an art museum for the adults.
Tennoji Zoo right next to the park is also a decent, budget-friendly activity for those who can’t make it out to NIFREL or the Kaiyukan: just ¥500 per adult (¥200 for elementary and junior high school students) nets you entrance to one of the oldest zoos in Japan, with over 1,000 animals to see. Some highlights include the polar bears, Malayan sun bear, Humboldt penguins, and California sea lions.