Daisen Park

Introduction

Daisen Park is 35.6 hectares of green in Sakai, set between the Nintoku Emperor's mausoleum (Daisen Kofun) and the Richu Emperor's mausoleum rather than ringing a single tomb. Since the Mozu-Furuichi Kofun Group joined the World Heritage list in 2019, the park has become the place to start understanding the keyhole-shaped giant: the Nintoku mound runs 486 metres, one of the largest in Japan, but the imperial mausoleum is managed by the Imperial Household Agency and closed to the public. What you can do is walk the outer moat and look across at the fenced woodland; to see the outline, use the free 21st-floor observatory at Sakai City Hall, the 8K aerial footage at the Mozu Kofun Group Visitor Centre, or, in the right weather, the tethered balloon. The park has its own substance too. Chikaraike Pond at the centre began as an Edo-period reservoir, the ginkgo avenue and Peace Tower at the north gate are old city landmarks, and cherry blossom in spring and ginkgo and zelkova in autumn colour the whole expanse. A 26,000-square-metre Japanese garden, ticketed at JPY 200, unfolds as a strolling pond landscape with a great pond, a clear stream, the Eiha and Ingetsu bridges and a waterfall; the Shin'an teahouse, a registered tangible cultural property built a century ago in sukiya style, serves matcha. Sakai City Museum covers the tombs and the trading city with excavated objects and a 200-inch VR theatre, which makes a wet day worthwhile. The park is free and open at all hours, while each facility keeps its own hours and fee; ten minutes on foot from Mozu Station, it pairs with the city hall observatory for a half day.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info