Nakanoshima, Osaka, is a place where visitors can enjoy historical architecture and art while feeling the pleasant river breeze. Nakanoshima is a natural island created by the Okawa River, an offshoot of the Yodo River, which divides into the Dojima River in the north and the Tosabori River in the south, and a natural sandbar stretches east to west for about 3 km in the shape of a boat. Nakanoshima has been the center of water transportation at the intersection of the two rivers since the Edo era, and has developed as the administrative, economic, and cultural center of Osaka City. Let us trace the charm of the "City of Water" where the spirit of our predecessors who laid its foundation still lives on today.
A fusion of old and new. Visit famous architecture in Nakanoshima
Nakanoshima's famous architecture has been created by renowned Japanese architects. One of its charms lies in the way tradition and innovation blend into the waterfront landscape. Let's take a look at some representative buildings that tell the story of Nakanoshima from the Meiji era to the present day.
Nakanoshima Children’s Book Forest
The Nakanoshima Children's Book Forest opened in 2020 at the foot of the Namba Bridge, which spans the eastern edge of Nakanoshima. The cultural facility was designed and built by world-renowned architect ANDO Tadao (1941- ), who was born and raised in Osaka, and donated it to the city of Osaka with the intention of creating a facility in Nakanoshima Park where children can develop their creativity through books and artistic culture.
The three-story building features Ando's signature fair-faced concrete and an exterior that curves in an arch along the river. The interior features a full-length bookshelf wall, a maze-like bridge passageway, and an atrium, creating a playful space that will delight children.
Address | 1-1-28 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka City |
Opening hours | 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
Closed | Mondays (if Monday is a national holiday, the library is open on Monday and closed on the following weekday.) Collection clearance period and year-end and New Year holidays |
Note | Admission is free. For the time being, admission is restricted by an advance reservation system (capacity of 100 people per session, complete replacement system) (in addition to the 100 people, the first 50 people to arrive at each session can enter without a reservation); the number of people who can make a reservation is limited to 5 per session (children under 2 years old are not included in the number of people). |
Official Website |
OSAKA CITY CENTRAL PUBLIC HALL
The Osaka City Central Public Hall, with its red bricks standing out against the water, is the symbol of Nakanoshima. IWAMOTO Einosuke (1877-1916), a stockbroker known as a "chivalrous marketeer," donated 1 million yen (approximately 5 billion yen in today's value) to the city of Osaka in order to "build a large hall in Osaka. Based on the proposal of then 29-year-old OKADA Shinichiro, who was selected in a design competition, TATSUNO Kingo and KATAOKA Yasu undertook the implementation design, and the hall opened in 1918.
It is a steel-frame brick structure with three floors above ground and one below, based on the Neo-Renaissance style of the Taisho era.Among the highlights are the magnificent large meeting room, the middle meeting room with its high arched ceiling hall, and ceiling paintings in the special room based on "The Chronicles of Japan".In 2002, it was designated as a National Important Cultural Property.
Original goods are available for visitors to purchase in the B1 office, and there is also a restaurant in the museum where visitors can relax and spend time. At the restaurant, visitors can enjoy French and Italian cuisine prepared by a Michelin-starred chef in a restaurant that is a collaboration between Tom Dixon, a British interior design brand, and Barnibavi Design Studio, which operates the restaurant.
Address | 1-1-27 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka City |
Opening hours | 9:30 - 21:30 (reservations accepted from 9:30 - 20:00), the fourth Tuesday of each month (or the immediately following weekday if the day falls on a national holiday), and December 28 - January 4 of the following year. |
Note | Guided tours of special rooms and exhibition rooms by the public hall staff are available (held irregularly; advance reservations required; fee from 500 yen). |
Official Website |
Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library
The Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library, with its bronze circular roof in the center and four towering stone pillars at the front entrance of the main building, has the appearance of a temple. While the exterior of the library is in the well-proportioned Renaissance style, the interior is in the Neo-Baroque style, with its many curves and ornate decorations. The gently curving staircase in the main building and a pair of elaborately designed columns convey these characteristics.
Completed in 1904, the library was built after SUMITOMO Kichiemon Tomozumi (1865-1926), the 15th head of the Sumitomo family, an Osaka conglomerate, donated the library building and book purchase funds to Osaka Prefecture, and in 1922, both wings of the building were extended. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the library's opening, a poem by the poet KAWAGUCHI Jun is inscribed on a monument by the front side of the building, expressing the hopes of the people of Osaka who entrusted the library with their lives.
「The tree of wisdom planted in the middle of Naniwazu has passed 50 years and become a large tree.」
Address | 1-2-10, Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka City |
Opening hours | Monday-Friday 9:00-20:00, Saturday 9:00-17:00 |
Closed | Sundays, national holidays, second Thursdays in March, June, and October, and year-end and New Year holidays |
Note | Guided tours are available every Saturday (11:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm). The tour lasts about 40 minutes. Accepted on a first-come, first-served basis 30 minutes prior to each tour (no advance reservation required).Capacity is limited to the first 10 people for each session. Participation fee: 500 yen (with original goods) |
Official Website |
Bank of Japan Osaka Branch
Facing Midosuji Avenue stretching from north to south, the Bank of Japan's Osaka Branch has a stately appearance. The old building, with its domed roof and triangular roofs on both sides and a heavily decorated entrance porch, was completed in 1903.
The building was designed by TATSUNO Kingo (1854-1919), known as the "father of modern architecture in Japan," and others, with reference to the National Bank of Belgium, etc. The new building was constructed in 1982 to match the restoration and reconstruction of the old building, which had deteriorated, and took on its present appearance. The stone blocks on the exterior of the old building and the top-quality teak wall carvings, doors, and stained glass windows in the second-floor guest room remain as they were when the building was constructed. The building still retains the spirit of the Meiji era, when Japan was striving to westernize its society.
Address | 2-1-45 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka City |
Opening hours | Monday-Friday 9:00-15:00 (except holidays and Dec. 31-Jan. 3) |
Closed | Tours are available by advance reservation only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The tour takes about 60 minutes. (Except for national holidays, year-end and New Year holidays (December 31-January 3), and days or times when there are obstructions due to the implementation of events, etc.). Free of charge. Reservations must be made at least 90 days to 14 days prior to the desired date of visit via the reservation website. |
Official Website |
Osaka International Convention Center (Grand Cube Osaka)
*The center is temporarily closed from December 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
Osaka International Convention Center, built on the banks of the Dojima Ohashi Bridge over the Dojima River, was designed by the world-renowned architect KUROKAWA Kisho (1934-2007). As its nickname "Grand Cube Osaka" suggests, it is characterized by its sophisticated cube-shaped architecture.
It is a steel-framed structure with 13 floors above ground and 3 floors below. It opened in 2000 as a comprehensive exchange facility for people, goods, and information from around the world. The interior is designed in a " traditional Japanese " style, with the walls and ceiling of the main hall and entrance hall inspired by origami paper and pine branches, respectively. The Special Conference Hall, a hemispherical space designed by Kurokawa in the image of the earth, was the main venue for the G7 Osaka-Sakai Trade Ministerial Meeting in October 2023.
Address | 5-3-51 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka City |
Opening hours | 9:00〜21:00 |
Closed | December 29 - January 3 |
Note | Temporarily closed from December 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 for major repair work. |
Official Website |
Contemporary, Western, and antique art. Enjoy art at the museums in Nakanoshima.
Nakanoshima is dotted with unique art museums, and a stroll through them is recommended. The National Museum of Art, Osaka boasts a collection of 8,200 pieces of contemporary art from Japan and abroad (as of March 2022).
For those who wish to enjoy the finest artworks selected by connoisseurs, there is a wide variety of museums where visitors can encounter a wide range of art, including the Nakanoshima Kosetsu Art Museum, which exhibits swords and tea ceremony utensils collected by the founder of Asahi Newspaper, and the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka (closed as of December 2023, scheduled to reopen in spring 2012), whose core collection is oriental ceramics by the former chairman of Ataka Sangyo (scheduled to reopen in spring 2012).
A fusion of food and art. Taste exquisite French cuisine at a restaurant near Nakanoshima.
If you want to experience art even at a meal, we recommend the Michelin regular LE PONT DE CIEL. Its French cuisine with a warm, traditional flavor is perfect for a trip to Nakanoshima.
LE PONT DE CIEL
"Le Pont de Ciel" is a French word meaning "the bridge between heaven and earth. The name was chosen to express our wish to be a cultural bridge that connects our customers' sense of relaxation and taste. It is located in the Kitahama area across the Yodoyabashi Bridge from Nakanoshima.
Designed around the concept of a "bridge," the restaurant also features a private room with a continuous white-walled passageway and a wood-fired oven, creating a hideaway-like space that creates a sense of the extraordinary. A statue of British sculptor Antony Gormley stands at the entrance, and inside the restaurant, numerous artworks, including those by members of the Gutai Art Association (GUTAI), which has close ties to Nakanoshima, add color to the space. The restaurant offers creative French cuisine that pursues new tastes based on the theme of tradition and evolution, with lunch starting at 12,000 yen and dinner at 17,600 yen (both tax included).
Related article：The serenity created by Antony Gormley's works.
Address | B1, Nippon Seimei Yodoyabashi Building, 3-5-29 Kitahama, Chuo-ku, Osaka |
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Closed | Sunday, Monday and holidays |
Note | No smoking; dress code:lunch time: smart casual, dinner time: smart elegance |
Official Website |
An exquisite art space in the sky. Stay at a luxury hotel in Nakanoshima
If you want to fall asleep in the afterglow of the excitement of your Nakanoshima trip, we suggest the luxury hotel Conrad Osaka, where more than 389 artworks are on display, like a museum where you can stay overnight.
Conrad Osaka
Conrad Osaka, based on the concept of "Your Address in the Sky," guests check in by taking the elevator up to the top 40th floor of Nakanoshima Festival Tower West from the ground floor entrance, which is adorned with a magnificent chandelier.
Panoramic views 200 meters above the ground can be enjoyed from all hotel rooms, restaurants, banquet rooms, spa & fitness center, indoor swimming pool, conference rooms, etc. The artwork of a series of 5 meter high spheres decorating the lobby floor on the 40th floor was created by sculptor NAWA Kohei, inspired by the Wind God and Thunder God. Fu / Rai. The guest rooms and dining room are designed in a modern style with a Japanese flair, and are sure to relax you after a long day of travel. The hotel is also equipped with a spa, fitness center, and swimming pool.
Related article：Conrad Osaka｜Sharpen your senses at the luxury hotel in the sky
Address | 3-2-4 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka |
Tel | 06-6222-0111 |
Access | By train:
By car:
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Check-in | 15:00 - 24:00 |
Check-out time | 12：00 |
Note | Foreign language support by staff available |
Official Website |
Walking around Nakanoshima, experience the energy inherited by Osaka, the water city.
Nakanoshima is a place where the charms of Osaka as a water city can be experienced anew. Walking through this historical area, one can feel firsthand how Osaka's prosperity was built by the power of its predecessors. And when you come into contact with the innovations of modern architecture and art, you realize that this energy is being passed on and new vitality is being born every day. The charm of the old and the new coexist in Nakanoshima, and when you come into contact with its vibrant climate, you will surely feel the energy to live for tomorrow.