Befitting a city whose Expo will serve as a laboratory for the society of the future, Osaka’s neighbourhoods are forward- thinking, adaptable and open to change.
Take Nakazakicho, an unassuming district tucked behind Osaka Station which, having been spared the Second World War bombings that devastated much of the city, has kept its old-school charm intact. Until not long ago, however, it was largely abandoned and semi-derelict, but today it’s Osaka’s hipster hub, with cafés, restaurants, galleries and boutiques lining its winding lanes. Salon de Amanto, the art café that sparked Nakazakicho’s revival, turned a dilapidated 19th-century building into a lively community space, and other small businesses followed suit, revitalising the neighbourhood.
It’s a similar story in Kitakagaya, where artists and creatives have turned factories and warehouses into studios and galleries, bringing life to an industrial area that struggled after the decline of the local shipbuilding industry. Indeed, Osaka’s neighbourhoods are no stranger to reinvention – Umekita used to be largely disued railway sheds until it was transformed by the ambitious Grand Green project.
Likewise, the once unfashionable Fukushima neighbourhood has become a culinary hub in recent years, while Tsuruhashi – the city’s Koreatown, the largest in the country – has benefited from increased interest in food and culture from across the Sea of Japan. On its atmospheric shopping streets there are plenty of places selling kimchi, Korean corn dogs and tteokbokki, the addictive street food of rice cakes in spicy sauce, while other retailers ride the Korean wave with K-pop items and cosmetics for sale.
AloJapan.com