PEACE OSAKA (International Peace Center)
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
- Morinomiya Station · 3 min walk (Osaka Metro Chūō Line, Osaka Metro Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line, JR Osaka Loop Line)
- Hours
- 9:30–17:00 (last admission 16:30); closed Mondays, the day following national holidays (except Sep–Nov), month-end inventory days, and Dec 28–Jan 4
- Admission
- ¥250 (adults), ¥150 (high school students), free (junior high school students and younger, adults 65+, visitors with disabilities)
- Time needed
- 45–60 min
- Best time to go
- Weekday afternoons; mornings frequently host school group field trips
Hours can change on holidays — check the official site before travelling.
About
Located in Osaka Castle Park, Peace Osaka is a sobering museum dedicated to the devastating WWII air raids on Osaka and the broader realities of war. Its three floors feature evocative artifacts, reconstructed bomb shelters, and firsthand survivor testimonies that offer a deeply moving, reflective contrast to the surrounding park. It is a must-visit for history enthusiasts seeking a raw, honest look at Japan's wartime past.
What Japanese guides note
The museum stands in the southern section of Osaka Castle Park on land that once formed part of the Osaka Artillery Arsenal complex. Japanese guides emphasize combining an indoor visit with a walk through the surrounding park to inspect surviving military remnants, including bullet-scarred ramparts and former arsenal gates. Because the museum regularly accommodates school peace-education excursions during weekday mornings, afternoons tend to be substantially less crowded.
Details from local sources
- The facility is built directly on the former grounds of the clinic for the Osaka Artillery Arsenal, which was once one of East Asia's largest military production complexes. [source]
- Inside the courtyard dome known as Toki no Niwa, copper nameplates preserve the documented names of over 9,000 victims who died in the Osaka air raids. [source]
- The museum shop sells a specialized folding fieldwork map titled War Scars Remaining Around Osaka Castle for ¥50. [source]
- Visitors can access free multilingual audio explanations in English, Chinese, and Korean by scanning on-site QR codes or using the Pocket Curator app. [source]
Insider Tip
Rent an English audio guide at the front desk, as many of the deeply personal diary and artifact exhibits only have Japanese signage.
Frequently asked
How does Peace Osaka relate to the surrounding Osaka Castle Park?
During World War II, the land surrounding Osaka Castle housed the Imperial Japanese Army's primary munitions factory, the Osaka Artillery Arsenal. Peace Osaka stands on the arsenal's former clinic site and details how that military presence made Osaka a prime target for sustained allied air raids.
Are English audio guides or translations provided?
Yes. Key exhibits feature bilingual signage, and visitors can access English audio guidance on their own smartphones by scanning QR codes located beside major exhibits or downloading the free Pocket Curator application. English overview brochures are also distributed at the second-floor reception counter.
Where is the main entrance located?
The entrance and reception desk are situated on the second floor of the building rather than at ground level. Visitors approaching on foot from Morinomiya Station enter via an elevated pedestrian plaza connected to the park pathways.
Our Osaka walking tours
On the same walk
Photos
