With kids
Expo ’70 Commemorative Park
Expo ’70 Commemorative Park is the former site of the 1970 Osaka World Expo, now a vast green park in Suita, north Osaka. Its landmark is Taro Okamoto’s Tower of the Sun, which you can also go inside on a reserved visit.
For families it is mostly about space: wide lawns, gardens and paths where small children can run freely. Admission for middle-schoolers and younger is free, so it makes an easy, low-cost half day.
What to see and do
The giant 1970 sculpture stands near the Central Gate. Tours of the interior need a reservation by the day before; the visit takes about 30 minutes.
The Natural Culture Garden and Japanese Garden share one ticket and offer long, open lawns that suit picnics and toddlers.
Park entry is free for middle-school age and younger; adults pay a small fee.
A small museum about the 1970 Expo, free for children accompanied by a guardian.
Strollers and babies
Free stroller loan at the park gates, first come first served (no reservations, limited numbers), for babies from 1 month to under 24 months; return to the gate where you borrowed it. Nursing rooms at five places, including the Central Rest House, Nature Observation Learning Center and the Japanese Garden. Strollers cannot go inside the Tower of the Sun (parking area at the entrance).
Good to know
- Check the calendar before you go: the park closes on Wednesdays for much of the year, but not in April to early May, October or November.
- Inside the Tower of the Sun, children under 4 cannot be carried up the stairs, so reserve the elevator if you have a baby or toddler.