A new complex containing restaurants and stores opened in Osaka Castle Park on Thursday with the operator aiming to cash in on the growing number of foreign and local tourists visiting the major historical attraction in Osaka.
The two-story complex, named Jo-Terrace Osaka, is located near JR Osakajokoen Station and has a total floor space of around 4,800 square meters. It houses about two dozen outlets, including restaurants, cafes and a convenience store as well as a tourist office providing multilingual information.
Also among the outlets is a facility serving runners, and a range of restaurants, with one Japanese-focused eatery offering an experience in which customers can dress up in traditional Japanese attire.
Osaka Castle is known as a token of the power and fortune of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a prominent 16th-century warlord. Its main tower attracted 2.56 million visitors in fiscal 2016 to last March, an all-time annual record.
"Hopefully this park will draw more visitors and continue to grow as an attractive regional tourism hub by showcasing a piece of history," Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura said in a speech at the opening ceremony of the complex operated by a business consortium including Daiwa House Industry Co.
Another similar complex is scheduled to open near the castle's main tower in October as local businesses and municipalities look to take advantage of the recent tourism boom.
