Birding at Osaka Expo Park

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Osaka Expo Park Bird Watching

In December 2014, I went birding at Osaka Expo Park with a small group of media people to see this beautiful commemorative park, which once hosted the Osaka Expo in 1970. It has since been turned into the Expo ’70 Commemorative Park to remember this fantastic feat.

Now, it serves as one of the main parks in the greater Osaka area and also hosts many local and international events in the vast park area. In addition, I revisited the Osaka Expo Park in 2023 to attend the Pokemon Go Fest held there.

Birding at Osaka Expo Park

During my 2014 trip, it was winter in Osaka, and a small media group from Malaysia was invited to go and see the world-famous Expo Park. It was cold, with very few visitors, and it almost felt like we were the only ones in the park.

Back then, my birding was not focused as I was travelling with a group of non-birders who only wanted to see the famous autumn foliage, which is popular at the Expo Park.

Photo of Osaka Expo Park
I took this photo in 2014 with my DSLR camera, and the main image for this article was taken in 2023.

Therefore, my trip here was quite enjoyable as I had to do my birding along the way, taking some photographs with my back then Nikkor 18-300mm travel lens and trying to jot down the birds I saw at the Expo Park. Mind you, there was no eBird app or anything like that back then.

In total, we spent about three hours there, and out of that, I managed to see only a few species of birds because of the winter and mainly the route we were taking. Nevertheless, I did see several lifers back then.

Osaka Brown-eared Bulbul
During my walk here, a Brown-eared Bulbul is spotted on one of the trees.

Birds Spotted at Osaka Expo Park

I saw a lot of Large-billed Crows, which was my first time seeing such a massive amount of them in one place. I must have seen at least 40-50 of them. But overall, I would say that the birds seen at Osaka Expo Park are just common, ordinary birds and nothing special. Again, it’s still birding.

While walking along one of the trails, I saw some Eurasian Tree Sparrows (as if I’ve not seen enough in Malaysia), Brown-eared Bulbul, Feral Pigeons, and some swallows, which I could not identify.

In August of 2023, there were just too many people in the park, and I hardly saw any birds, not even the waterbirds by the main ponds. I guess the Pokemon Go Fest event was a little overwhelming for the birdlife on that weekend. I went into one of the main birding trails where you supposedly spot the Kingfisher, but there was none due to the noise.

Random Photos of Osaka Expo Park

Osaka Expo Park Birding
One of the main paths inside the Expo Park.
Osaka Park Kingfisher
The Kingfisher spot is at one of the birding trails in the park.
Osaka Expo Park Bird Watching
A couple of Spot-billed Ducks were seen in one of the ponds.
Osaka Expo Park Birds Large-billed Crows
At least 40-50 Large-billed Crows were spotted during my 2014 trip here.
Birds of Osaka Expo Park
A Eurasian Tree Sparrow is commonly seen around the park.
Birdwatching Trail Osaka Expo Park
One of the many birding trails of the park.
Ducak at Osaka Expo Park
A Spot-billed Duck is seen at a small waterfall.
Osaka Expo Park Birdwatching
The Expo Park Monument is seen from one of the trails.

Osaka Expo Park Information

  • Address: Senribanpakukoen, Suita, Osaka 565-0826, Japan
  • Hours: 9.30 AM – 5.00 PM
  • Closed: Every Wednesday
  • Tel: +81 6-6877-7387
  • Website: Osaka Expo Park

Location of Osaka Expo Park

Birding Locations Osaka Expo Park
A sign shows the many places in the park and where you can go birding.

Conclusion

This is one of the birding locations in Osaka, but getting here will take you roughly an hour, and the setback is that the park opens only at 9.30 AM. Therefore, there would be fewer birds. But if you have the extra time and want to experience outer Osaka for birding, this is one of the places to try.

On my note, I visited for other reasons besides birding, but I did try my luck when I was there, and I guess I may need to come back again, purely just for birding at Osaka Expo Park or Expo ’70 Commemorative Park, as it is also known.

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