Namba and Dotonbori
難波なんばNambaNeon, theatre and street food on Osaka's Dotonbori canal
Namba is the centre of Minami, the southern downtown of Osaka, and Dōtonbori is its canal-side entertainment street, where giant neon signs, theatres and food stalls embody the city's motto of kuidaore – eating oneself into ruin.
Overview
Osakans divide their city centre into Kita, the north around Umeda, and Minami, the south around Namba. Namba is less a precise district than a cluster of stations and streets on the border of Chūō and Naniwa wards: the Nankai terminal for Kansai Airport and Wakayama, the Kintetsu and Hanshin station for Nara and Kobe, and the Midōsuji subway line. Around them lie Dōtonbori, the Sennichimae entertainment streets, the shopping arcades of Shinsaibashi to the north, Kuromon Market and the electronics district of Nipponbashi to the east.
Dōtonbori takes its name from Yasui Dōton, the merchant who began digging the canal in 1612; he died in the siege of Osaka Castle in 1615 and relatives completed it. The shogunate licensed theatres along its south bank, and for two centuries Dōtonbori was the kabuki and puppet-theatre district of Osaka – the stage of Chikamatsu Monzaemon's plays. The theatres have mostly given way to restaurants, but the street keeps its theatrical façades: a mechanical crab, a giant pufferfish lantern and the Glico running-man sign by the Ebisu bridge.
Minami is Osaka at its most informal: takoyaki and okonomiyaki stands, stand-up comedy at the Yoshimoto theatre, the narrow lanes of Hōzen-ji Yokochō and the youth fashion of Amerika-mura. The National Bunraku Theatre in Nipponbashi keeps the district's theatrical tradition alive.
Landmarks
Dōtonbori
道頓堀DōtonboriCanal and street of restaurants under giant three-dimensional signs; the view from the Ebisu bridge is Osaka's best-known image.
Glico sign
グリコサインGuriko SainThe running athlete of the confectioner Glico, renewed several times since 1935, above the canal by the Ebisu bridge.
Hōzen-ji
法善寺Hōzen-jiSmall temple whose Mizukake Fudō statue is covered in moss from centuries of visitors splashing it with water; the stone-paved Hōzen-ji Yokochō lane beside it is lined with small restaurants.
- 国立文楽劇場Kokuritsu Bunraku Gekijō
The home stage of bunraku puppet theatre, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage born in Osaka.
Kuromon Market
黒門市場Kuromon IchibaCovered market street of fishmongers, greengrocers and food stalls, long known as Osaka's kitchen.
Shinsaibashi-suji
心斎橋筋Shinsaibashi-sujiCovered shopping arcade running north from Dōtonbori, one of the oldest shopping streets in the city.
Namba Yasaka Shrine
難波八阪神社Namba Yasaka JinjaNeighbourhood shrine whose stage is shaped like a giant lion's head with an open mouth.
Districts
Dōtonbori
道頓堀DōtonboriThe canal-side restaurant and entertainment street.
Sennichimae
千日前SennichimaeEntertainment streets south of the canal with comedy theatres and the Doguya-suji kitchenware arcade.
Shinsaibashi
心斎橋ShinsaibashiDepartment stores, arcades and fashion houses along Midōsuji.
Amerika-mura
アメリカ村Amerika-muraYouth quarter west of Midōsuji with vintage clothing, music shops and street food.
Nipponbashi (Den Den Town)
日本橋NipponbashiOsaka's electronics, anime and games district, read Nipponbashi unlike Tokyo's Nihonbashi.
History
The name Namba recalls Naniwa, the ancient name of the Osaka area. After the canal was completed in 1615, the shogunate concentrated theatres on Dōtonbori's south bank, where five great playhouses operated in the Edo period; Takemoto Gidayū opened his puppet theatre there in 1684, founding the jōruri tradition that became bunraku. Sennichimae, south of the canal, grew from a temple approach and execution ground into a quarter of variety halls and shows.
The Hankai Railway, forerunner of Nankai, opened its Namba terminus in 1885. In the twentieth century cinemas, cafés and neon signs made Dōtonbori a symbol of modern Osaka; the Glico sign first appeared in 1935. The area burned in the air raids of 1945 and was rebuilt. The National Bunraku Theatre opened in 1984, Namba Grand Kagetsu, the flagship of Yoshimoto comedy, in 1987, and a canal-side promenade was built in the 2000s.
1612
Yasui Dōton begins digging the Dōtonbori canal.
1615
The canal is completed by Dōton's relatives after his death at the siege of Osaka.
1684
Takemoto Gidayū opens the Takemoto-za puppet theatre in Dōtonbori.
1885
The Hankai Railway, later Nankai, opens its terminus at Namba.
1935
The first Glico running-man sign appears on Dōtonbori.
1945
Air raids destroy most of Minami; the district is rebuilt after the war.
1984
The National Bunraku Theatre opens in Nipponbashi.
1987
Namba Grand Kagetsu opens as the flagship theatre of Yoshimoto comedy.
Culture
Minami is the home of Osaka's popular culture: the manzai comedy of Yoshimoto Kōgyō, the bunraku puppet theatre, and kuidaore, the local passion for food. Its street signs and shopfronts are designed to be seen from the canal and to draw passers-by in. When the Hanshin Tigers baseball team wins a championship, fans have famously jumped from the Ebisu bridge into the canal – a custom the police now try to prevent.
Festivals
Tōka Ebisu at Imamiya Ebisu Shrine
今宮十日戎Imamiya Tōka EbisuFrom 9 to 11 January, huge crowds pray for business luck and buy lucky bamboo branches at the shrine south of Namba.
Namba Yasaka Shrine tug-of-war
綱引神事Tsunahiki ShinjiIn January, a rope made in the form of a great serpent is pulled to pray for a good year.
- 文楽公演Bunraku Kōen
Regular programmes at the National Bunraku Theatre throughout the year, including the New Year performances.
Food
- たこ焼きtakoyaki
Batter balls with octopus, turned in iron moulds at stands all along Dōtonbori.
- お好み焼きokonomiyaki
Savoury cabbage pancakes griddled at the table, Osaka style.
Kushikatsu
串カツkushikatsuBreaded, deep-fried skewers dipped once – and only once – in a shared sauce pot.
- きつねうどんkitsune udon
Udon topped with sweet fried tofu, claimed by an old Minami noodle house as its invention.
Fugu
ふぐfuguPufferfish, served as sashimi and hotpot in winter; a giant pufferfish lantern marks one of Dōtonbori's old restaurants.
Getting around
- Namba Station on the Midōsuji subway line links Minami with Umeda and Shin-Osaka in about fifteen minutes.
- Nankai Namba is the terminus of the rapi:t airport express to Kansai International Airport and of trains to Kōyasan and Wakayama.
- Osaka-Namba (Kintetsu and Hanshin) has direct trains to Nara and Kobe; JR Namba serves the Yamatoji Line.
- Dōtonbori, Shinsaibashi, Kuromon and Nipponbashi are all within walking distance; canal cruises run along Dōtonbori.
Day trips
The rebuilt keep and its park, a short subway ride north-east.
Kita, the northern centre, at the other end of the Midōsuji line.
Direct Kintetsu trains from Osaka-Namba take about forty minutes.
The temple mountain, by Nankai train and cable car from Namba.
Other cities in the prefecture
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Namba and Dōtonbori?
Namba is the wider station and shopping area of southern Osaka; Dōtonbori is the canal and entertainment street at its northern edge, a few minutes' walk from Namba Station.
What do Kita and Minami mean in Osaka?
North and South: Kita is the business and shopping centre around Umeda and Osaka Station, Minami the older entertainment and food district around Namba and Dōtonbori.
What is kuidaore?
An Osaka word meaning to ruin oneself through eating, used for the city's devotion to food; Dōtonbori is its symbolic home.
Is Namba a good base for Kansai Airport?
Yes. Nankai trains run directly from Namba to Kansai International Airport, and there are good connections to Nara and Kobe.
Related
Sources
- 1.大阪市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 大阪市
- 2.OSAKA-INFO (opens in a new tab) — Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau
- 3.Osaka (opens in a new tab) — Japan National Tourism Organization