The Setting: Nakanoshima, Osaka
The View with Osaka City Central Public Hall
Nakanoshima is the name of the island-like strip of land between two rivers, just south of Umeda in Osaka.
The surrounding area is home to government offices and business districts, and Kitahama, where you'll find the Osaka Securities Exchange, is just a short walk away. (Kitahama is great in its own right too, so I might write about it in another article someday.)
This is Nakanoshima’s best-known landmark: Osaka City Central Public Hall.
This beautiful red-brick building, associated with Kingo Tatsuno, who also worked on the Marunouchi building of Tokyo Station, is one of the great examples of modern architecture not just in Osaka, but in Japan as a whole. …That said, today’s story isn’t about Osaka City Central Public Hall itself, but about Naniwabashi Station right in front of it.
Tadao Ando and Nakanoshima
Before we head into Naniwabashi Station, let me take a short detour. If you're even a little interested in architecture, “Tadao Ando in Nakanoshima? Ah, that one,” is probably a story you already know.
Tadao Ando is from Osaka, and as part of his efforts to make the city better, he once proposed a dramatic renovation of the Osaka City Central Public Hall I mentioned earlier. It was called Urban Egg.
The idea was to leave the exterior of Osaka City Central Public Hall as it was, while creating a huge egg-shaped space inside. In the end, the project never came to fruition, but much later the concept was realized at Tokyu’s Shibuya Station. (Though from what I hear, it’s not especially well regarded as a station…)”
Even so, I imagine he still has a strong attachment to Nakanoshima, long after that Central Public Hall renovation plan faded into the past. In spring 2020, right in front of the hall, the children’s library Nakanoshima Children’s Book Forest, which Ando himself designed, was created through his proposal and donation. (Apparently its opening was postponed because of the coronavirus.)
So between designing Naniwabashi Station in front of Osaka City Central Public Hall and creating Nakanoshima Children’s Book Forest above it, Nakanoshima is gradually being colored more and more by ANDO architecture.
It makes me wonder if he still hasn’t completely given up on the Urban Egg plan for Osaka City Central Public Hall… (lol) Though maybe that’s a bit much.
https://kodomohonnomori.osaka/
Now, On to Naniwabashi Station
It’s Especially Beautiful at Night
Nakanoshima is wonderfully beautiful at night too, and Naniwabashi more than holds its own. The glass blocks at the entrance are illuminated.
You can even enjoy this kind of pairing with the Public Hall. Lovely, isn’t it?
From a distance, it looks like this. No matter how many times I see it, the entrance has such a curious shape.
The illuminated Public Hall has an incredible atmosphere. I’ve never been inside, so if I get the chance, I’d really love to visit.
If you go to see Osaka City Central Public Hall in Nakanoshima, be sure to stop by Naniwabashi Station right in front of it and do a little exploring too. The end.
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