Naniwa-ku (浪速区) is one of 24
wardsA is a subdivision of one of the cities of Japan that is large enough to have been designated by government ordinance. Wards are used to subdivide each city designated by government ordinance...
of Osaka City,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It has an area of 4.37 km², and a population of 51,567.
Largely a residential area itself, Naniwa-ku is adjacent to and has in recent years blurred into the
Nambais a district of Osaka, Japan. Namba is regarded as the center of so-called Minami area of Osaka. Its name is a variation on the name of the surrounding ward, Naniwa...
district, which is south Osaka City's transport hub and centre of commerce, entertainment, shopping, and culture.
Naniwa retains significant
Burakuminare a Japanese social minority group. The burakumin are one of the main minority groups in Japan, along with the Ainu of Hokkaidō, the Ryukyuans of Okinawa and the residents of Korean and Chinese descent....
and Korean communities.
Naniwa-ku (浪速区) is one of 24
wardsA is a subdivision of one of the cities of Japan that is large enough to have been designated by government ordinance. Wards are used to subdivide each city designated by government ordinance...
of Osaka City,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It has an area of 4.37 km², and a population of 51,567.
General information
Largely a residential area itself, Naniwa-ku is adjacent to and has in recent years blurred into the
Nambais a district of Osaka, Japan. Namba is regarded as the center of so-called Minami area of Osaka. Its name is a variation on the name of the surrounding ward, Naniwa...
district, which is south Osaka City's transport hub and centre of commerce, entertainment, shopping, and culture.
Naniwa retains significant
Burakuminare a Japanese social minority group. The burakumin are one of the main minority groups in Japan, along with the Ainu of Hokkaidō, the Ryukyuans of Okinawa and the residents of Korean and Chinese descent....
and Korean communities. The plight and struggle of both communities in Japan is represented in Liberty Osaka (Osaka Human Rights Museum).
Almost the entire ward was decimated in air attacks during bombing in March, 1945. Few buildings pre-dating WWII remain.
Attractions
Naniwa is the site of a number of well-known commercial areas.
Nipponbashiis a shopping district of Naniwa Ward, Osaka, Japan. The area is centered along Sakaisuji Avenue, extending from the Ebisu-chō Interchange of the Hanshin Expressway in the south, to Nansan-dōri in the north...
, locally known as Den Den Town (Electric City) was traditionally a concentration for Osaka's electrical appliance outlets, though the emergence of several large electrical department stores over in recent years has seen its shop space make a gradual shift away from the electrical appliance sector. Directly to its south is Shin Sekai (New World), a seedy entertainment area famous for the Tsutenkaku Tower and Janjan Alley.
Amongst Naniwa's sites is the Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, which sponsors the lively Toka Ebisu Festival. Naniwa is the site of the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium (Osaka Furitsu Taiiku Kaikan) where the Grand Sumo Tournament is held in March (Ozumo Sangatsu Basho) and
Liberty OsakaSituated in Naniwa-ku, a ward in south Osaka City, Liberty Osaka was originally founded in December 1985 to document the history of the Osaka human rights movement and was relaunched in a renewal opening in December 1995 as the Osaka Jinken Hakubutsu-kan...
- the Osaka Human Rights Museum. Naniwa also contains the massive modern shopping, dining, and entertainment complex,
Namba ParksNamba Parks is an office and shopping complex located in Namba-naka Nichome, Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan, the south of Namba Station on Nankai Railway. It consists of a high office building called Parks Tower and a 120-tenant shopping mall with rooftop garden...
.
Landmarks
- Den Den Town
- Festival Gate
Festivalgate was an amusement park in Osaka, Japan, just beside the Shin-Imamiya Station of the Osaka Loop Line of Nishinihon Japan Railway and Nankai Railway....
- Imamiya Ebisu Shrine
- Namba City
- Namba Parks
Namba Parks is an office and shopping complex located in Namba-naka Nichome, Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan, the south of Namba Station on Nankai Railway. It consists of a high office building called Parks Tower and a 120-tenant shopping mall with rooftop garden...
- Osaka City Air Terminal
Osaka City Air Terminal is a multi-purpose commercial complex in Osaka City housing South Osaka's inter-city bus terminal and coach ferry services to Kansai International Airport, JR Namba station and six floors of shops, restaurants, travel agencies and tourist offices...
- Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
thumb|280px|right|thumb|Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium is an indoor sporting arena located in Namba, Osaka, Japan. It first opened in 1952 and the current building was constructed in 1987. It is a venue of professional sumo tournament held in March every year. The capacity of the arena is 8,000 people...
- Tsutenkaku
, lit. "Tower Reaching Heaven", owned by Tsūtenkaku Kanko Co., Ltd. is a well-known landmark of Osaka, Japan and advertises Hitachi, Ltd. It is located in the Shinsekai district of Naniwa Ward, Ebisu Higashi 1-18-6....
- Liberty Osaka (Osaka Human Rights Museum)
- Sports Palace, Osaka
Train stations
JR West
- Kansai Line (Yamatoji Line
The is the common name of the western portion of the Kansai Main Line. The electrified portion is one of commuter rail lines and services in Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, owned and operated by West Japan Railway Company...
): Shin-Imamiya StationShin-Imamiya Station is a train station operated by West Japan Railway Company and Nankai Electric Railway, and Minami-Kasumicho Station is a stop on the Hankai Tramway Hankai Line...
- Imamiya Stationis a train station on the Kansai Main Line in Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan.-Lines:*West Japan Railway Company*Kansai Main Line *Osaka Loop Line-Layout:|}...
- JR Namba StationJR Namba Station is a train station in Namba, Naniwa Ward, Osaka, Japan, adjacent to Namba Station and Osaka Namba Station operated by the West Japan Railway Company...
- Osaka Loop Line
The is a railway line in Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company . It encircles central Osaka.The second loop line, the Osaka Higashi Line, from Hanaten to Kyuhoji was opened on March 15, 2008, and the line from Shigino to Shin-Ōsaka is planned to open in 2012.-Outline:This loop line consists...
: Ashiharabashi Stationis a train station on the West Japan Railway Company Osaka Loop Line in Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan. There is a transfer to the Nankai Electric Railway Shiombashi Line at Ashiharachō Station.-Layout:*There are two side platforms with two tracks elevated....
- Imamiya Station - Shin-Imamiya Station
Nankai Railway (In regestration, Namba Station on Nankai Railway is located in Chūō-ku, and Shin-Imamiya Station in Nishinari-ku)
- Nankai Main Line
|}|} is one of the two main railway line of Japanese private railway company Nankai Electric Railway, together with Kōya Line. The route is from Namba Station in south downtown of Osaka to Wakayamashi Station in Wakayama via Sakai, Kishiwada, Izumisano and Misaki municipalities...
: Imamiyaebisu Stationis a train station in Naniwa-ku, Osaka Osaka Prefecture, Japan.-Adjacent stations:|-!colspan=5|Nankai Electric Railway...
(only local trains of the Koya Line stop)
- Kōya Line (Shiomibashi Branch)
|}|}|} of Nankai Electric Railway is a railway line in Osaka Prefecture and Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. It connects Osaka and Koyasan, the capital of Japanese Buddhist sect Shingon, via suburbs of Osaka, such as Sakai, Osakasayama, Tondabayashi and Kawachinagano in Osaka Prefecture and Hashimoto...
: Shiomibashi Stationis a train station in Naniwa-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.-Layout:*There is an island platform with 2 tracks.-Adjacent stations:...
- Ashiharachō Stationthumb is a train station in Naniwa-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.-Adjacent stations:...
Hanshin Railway
- Hanshin Namba Line Sakuragawa Station
is a train station on the Osaka Municipal Subway Sennichimae Line and the Hanshin Railway Hanshin Namba Line in Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan.-Lines:*Osaka Municipal Subway*Sennichimae Line *Hanshin Electric Railway*Hanshin Namba Line...
Osaka Municipal Subwayis the metro network in the city of Osaka, Japan, an integral part of the extensive mass transit system of Greater Osaka , having 125 out of the 1,108 rail stations in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto region. It is operated by Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau...
(In regestration, Namba Station is located in Chūō-ku)
- Midōsuji Line
|}The is one of the Osaka Municipal Subway lines, the rapid transit system in Osaka City, Japan. Constructed under Midōsuji, a north-south major street, the line is the oldest line of the Osaka subway system and the second oldest in Japan, following the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.North of Nakatsu it...
: Daikokuchō StationDaikokuchō Station is a train station on the Osaka Municipal Subway in Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan.-Lines:*Osaka Municipal Subway**Midōsuji Line **Yotsubashi Line...
- Yotsubashi Line
|}The is one of the lines of Osaka Municipal Subway, the underground rapid transit system in Osaka City, Japan. The line connects Umeda, Hommachi, Yotsubashi, Namba, Daikokuchō and Suminoe.-History:*May 10, 1942 - Daikokuchō - Hanazonochō...
: Namba Station (a platform)is a name of two train stations in the Namba district of Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. One is owned by Nankai Electric Railway and the other is by Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau. The names of both stations are written in hiragana on signage within the stations, because the two kanji can be also...
- Daikokuchō StationDaikokuchō Station is a train station on the Osaka Municipal Subway in Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan.-Lines:*Osaka Municipal Subway**Midōsuji Line **Yotsubashi Line...
- Sennichimae Line
|} is one of the lines of Osaka Municipal Subway, the underground rapid transit system in Osaka City, Japan.-History:*April 16, 1969 - Nodahanshin - Sakuragawa *July 25, 1969 - Tanimachi Kyūchōme - Imazato...
: Sakuragawa Stationis a train station on the Osaka Municipal Subway Sennichimae Line and the Hanshin Railway Hanshin Namba Line in Naniwa-ku, Osaka, Japan.-Lines:*Osaka Municipal Subway*Sennichimae Line *Hanshin Electric Railway*Hanshin Namba Line...
- Sakaisuji Line
|}The is one of the lines of Osaka Municipal Subway, the underground rapid transit system in Osaka City, Japan.-History:*December 6, 1969 - Tenjimbashisuji Roku-chōme - Dōbutsuen-mae *March 4, 1993 - Dōbutsuen-mae - Tengachaya -Stations:...
: Ebisuchō Station
Hankai Tramwayis a company which owns two tramway lines in the cities of Osaka and Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The parent company is Nankai Electric Railway Co., Ltd.-Now owned:*Hankai Line 14.1 km...
(In regestration, Minami-Kasumichō Station is located in Nishinari-ku)
- Hankai Line
The is a tramway in the cities of Osaka and Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Hankai Tramway Co., Ltd. owns and operates the line.In Japan, trams are called "chin-chin trains" because when they run on city roads with many cars and people, they ring their bells to make them beware of it...
: Ebisuchō Station
External links