Naniwa-ku, Osaka

Location of Naniwa-ku in Osaka City

Minato-machi River Place

Den Den Town

Parks Tower

Naniwa-ku (浪速区^?) is one of 24 wards of Osaka City, Japan. 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 Namba district, which is south Osaka City's transport hub and centre of commerce, entertainment, shopping, and culture.

Naniwa retains significant Burakumin 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. Nipponbashi, 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), an entertainment district 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 Osaka - the Osaka Human Rights Museum. Naniwa also contains the massive modern shopping, dining, and entertainment complex, Namba Parks.

Landmarks

• Den Den Town
• Festival Gate
• Imamiya Ebisu Shrine
• Namba City
• Namba Parks
• Osaka City Air Terminal
• Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium
• Tsutenkaku
• Liberty Osaka (Osaka Human Rights Museum)
• Sports Palace, Osaka

Mass media

Newspaper

• Sankei Shimbun - Namba Sankei Building

FM Radio Station

• FM OSAKA - Minatomachi River Place

Train stations

JR West

Kansai Line (Yamatoji Line): Shin-Imamiya Station - Imamiya Station - JR Namba Station

Osaka Loop Line: Ashiharabashi Station - 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: Imamiyaebisu Station (only local trains of the Koya Line stop)

Kōya Line (Shiomibashi Branch): Shiomibashi Station - Ashiharachō Station

Hanshin Railway

Hanshin Namba Line Sakuragawa Station

Osaka Municipal Subway (In regestration, Namba Station is located in Chūō-ku)

Midōsuji Line: Daikokuchō Station

Yotsubashi Line: Namba Station (a platform) - Daikokuchō Station

Sennichimae Line: Sakuragawa Station

Sakaisuji Line: Ebisuchō Station

Hankai Tramway (In regestration, Minami-Kasumichō Station is located in Nishinari-ku)

Hankai Line: Ebisuchō Station

External links

Media related to Naniwa-ku, Osaka at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website of Naniwa (English)

Coordinates: 34°39′34″N 135°29′59″E / 34.65944°N 135.49972°E / 34.65944; 135.49972