JR Osaka Station, Reborn and Gleaming
Umekita Plaza, a Relaxing Space in Front of the Station
Next up is JR Osaka Station. After major construction in recent years, it has been transformed into something absolutely gleaming and new. First is the space spreading out in front of the north gate: Umekita Plaza. The design supervision was by Tadao Ando.
On the broad staircase leading from the station down to the plaza, couples were sitting at neat intervals, like a familiar local pattern you often see in Kyoto, where pairs naturally spread out and sit side by side along the riverbank.
At the center of the plaza stands another striking structure, a glass-walled building called Umekita SHIP Hall. Photos really can’t convey how expansive the space feels, but Umekita Plaza is a wonderful place—spacious, generous, and luxuriously laid out.
There’s a large water garden here, and as someone who loves water gardens, that alone put me in a good mood… haha. It’s worlds apart from places like the Konan side of Shinagawa Station, where you get bleak, cheap-looking plazas instead.
Beyond the water garden, it turns into a large waterfall, and if you go down the stairs that run alongside it, you can even sit and drink coffee while looking at the falls. It’s such a dynamic experience—very strong ANDO architecture vibes… haha.
And this isn’t some suburban park or museum—it’s right in front of a major terminal station. Osaka Station really built something special…!!! There are also several other spots here where water is used effectively, so there’s plenty to see.
The Station Building Is Impressive Too
At the top of those stairs is Osaka Station itself, along with the huge shopping complex LUCUA Osaka rising through a vast open atrium.
Take one of these cool escalators up and you’ll even find a park. Maybe they were consciously channeling Namba Parks? (That’s just me saying that.)
Covering the platforms is yet another enormous roof. I’m sure they built it thinking they wanted an impact that could rival Kyoto Station.
And Finally… a Ventilation Tower!?
The “Umeda Ventilation Tower” on the Hankyu Side
Head out toward the Hankyu side with that giant roof off to the side, and you’ll come to the final piece of architecture on today’s walk. You might be thinking, Wait, this counts as architecture…??? But this is the Umeda Ventilation Tower, designed by Togo Murano.
It reflects a muted light, which gives it a slightly uncanny atmosphere.
At the same time, it also feels like an object that naturally blends into the city. If you go to Osaka Station, definitely take a walk over and see this ventilation tower too.
Bonus: For Food and Drinks, I Think Baruchika Is a Fun Choice
If you get the chance to eat around Osaka Station, places like Dai-ichi Building and Whity Umeda are good too, but I’d also recommend Baruchika in the basement of the LUCUA Osaka I mentioned earlier.
Having a restaurant floor in the basement of a commercial building doesn’t feel all that common in Tokyo… though one did open recently at Shibuya PARCO. But Baruchika is packed with popular places, so it’s hugely popular.
Bistro Kohaku, which is famous for its French oden, usually has a line. In this photo there wasn’t one, but that’s because it was late and also a weekday, haha.
↓ Oden daikon topped with porcini sauce. This is French oden.
Baruchika is also home to Kyu Yamu Tetsudo, which appeared in my recent spice curry article as well.
I recommend it. Just be warned: it gets crowded, so go when you have plenty of time!
https://www.lucua.jp/
By the way, it’s written as LUCUA 1100 and read as “Lucua Ire.” The joke is in the number 1100 itself. In Japanese, a department store is hyakkaten, so it contributes 100. The Japanese word senmontengai, meaning a shopping mall or arcade of specialty stores, begins with sen, which is pronounced the same as 1000. So 1100 is a wordplay combination of 100 and 1000. How is anyone supposed to figure that out?
And with that, this architectural walking tour of Umeda comes to an end.
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