is a district in the Chūō-ku

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, Japan and the city's main shopping area. At its center is , a covered shopping street, that is north of

Dōtonbori is a district in Osaka, Japan. Known as one of Osaka's principal tourist and nightlife areas, the area runs along the Dōtonbori canal from Dōtonboribashi Bridge to Nipponbashi, Nipponbashi Bridge in the Namba district of the city's Chūō-ku, O ...

and

Sōemonchō is an entertainment district in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Chūō-ku, one of the wards of Japan, wards of Osaka, Japan. The district borders on two other entertainment districts, Shinsaibashi to the north and Dōtonbori to the south. Sōemonchō has a hi ...

, and parallel and east of Mido-suji street. Associated with Shinsaibashi, and west of Mido-suji street, is

Amerika-mura Amerikamura (also America mura; アメリカ村, ''American Village'') is a sizable retail and entertainment area near Shinsaibashi in the Chūō-ku district of Osaka, Japan. It is usually referred to by locals as "Ame-mura". Amerikamura is a ...

, an American-themed shopping area and center of Osaka's youth culture. Major stores and boutiques concentrates are found around the area. Shinsaibashi is easily accessed via the subway.

History

Like many place names in Osaka, the Shinsaibashi shopping district gets its name from one of the many "Machi-bashi" (town bridges) that were built and managed by the local merchants. Shinsaibashi was a much-loved landmark bridge that spanned the Nagahori-gawa canal. In 1622, at the time of the excavation of the Nagahori-gawa canal, the original 35 metres-long and 4 metres-wide wooden bridge was built by Shinsai Okada, one of the four merchants who dug the Nagahori-gawa canal. The bridge was named after its builder. As the popularity of Shinmachi to the north and the Dōtonbori theatre district to the south increased, so did the popularity of the shops lining the streets connected by the bridge, establishing the area as Osaka's main shopping district. The well-used wooden bridge required considerable maintenance and repairs by the townspeople who owned it. In 1873, the wooden bridge was replaced with a 37.1 metres-long and 5.2 metres-wide arched truss iron bridge that had been imported from Germany. The arched bridge was considered to be quite unusual, and became a popular topic of conversation amongst Osakans. In 1909, accompanying the construction of a street car along the Nagahori-dori road, the iron bridge was replaced with Osaka's first stone bridge. It was a Western-styled, elegant double arched bridge with a row of four-leafed clovers carved into the railings. At night the bridge was illuminated by eight gas lamps. The bridge was affectionately nicknamed "Eyeglasses bridge" by the townspeople because, with the reflection of its two stone arches in the water, it looked like a pair of glasses. In 1964, the Nagahori-gawa canal was reclaimed to become a road, the bridge taken down, and the carved railings and the lamps from the stone bridge were used in the construction of a pedestrian overpass. This bridge was used in one of the scenes in the 1989 Hollywood movie ''

Black Rain Black rain is liquid precipitation polluted with dark particulates, especially soot and ashes (including coal ash) resulting from wildfires, coal combustion, or nuclear explosions (a liquid type of nuclear fallout Nuclear fallout is res ...

''. The overpass was removed as a part of the construction of the Crysta Nagahori, an underground shopping mall beneath the Nagahori-dori road. The mall opened in 1997, and the lamps and part of the carved stone railing of the overpass were used for a sidewalk bridge above the mall. Water in the ceiling of the mall flows under the bridge. In 1973, to commemorate its 100th anniversary, the German-made iron bridge was reconstructed; it is now a pedestrian overpass in Tsurumi Ryokuchi Park.

Retail establishments

DAIMARU Shinsaibashi store Osaka Japan01-r

Daimaru is a Japanese department store chain, principally located in the Kansai region of Japan. The chain is operated by Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores, a subsidiary of J. Front Retailing. At one time Daimaru was an independent company, , hea ...

*Shinsaibashi-suji

shopping arcade An arcade is a succession of contiguous arches, with each arch supported by a colonnade of columns or piers. Exterior arcades are designed to provide a sheltered walkway for pedestrians; they include many loggias, but here arches are not an esse ...

*OPA *

Tokyu Hands , known as Hands (formerly Tokyu Hands), is a Japanese department store chain. Hands is now part of Cainz (itself a member of the ). Tokyu Hands opened their first store in Shibuya, Tokyo in 1976 as a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) store, hence the logo ...

Apple Store The Apple Store is a chain of Retail, retail stores owned and operated by Apple Inc. The stores sell, service and repair various Apple products, including Macintosh, Mac desktop and MacBook laptop personal computers, iPhone smartphones, iPad ta ...

*Camera Naniwa *Crysta Nagahori *Shinsaibashi ZERO GATE *

Coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...

Gucci Guccio Gucci S.p.A., doing business as Gucci ( , ), is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house based in Florence. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and ...

Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...

Diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine ...

Cartier Cartier may refer to: People * Cartier (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Cartier Martin (born 1984), American basketball player Places * Cartier Island, an island north-west of Australia that is part of Australi ...

Harry Winston Harry Winston (né Weinstein; March 1, 1896December 8, 1978) was an American jeweler. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade. He also traded the Portuguese Diamond to the Smithsonian in ...

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury elite fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as '' haute couture'' under it ...

Armani Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (), commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and ...

Dolce & Gabbana Dolce & Gabbana (), also known by initials D&G, is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, ...

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Rolex Rolex () is a Swiss watch brand and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by German businessman Hans Wilsdorf and his eventual brother-in-law Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex ...

* Beams *

Hermès Hermès International S.A. ( , ) is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, silk goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Since the ...

Omega Omega (, ; uppercase Ω, lowercase ω; Ancient Greek ὦ, later ὦ μέγα, Modern Greek ωμέγα) is the twenty-fourth and last letter in the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numerals, Greek numeric system/isopsephy (gematria), it has a value ...

Givenchy Givenchy (, ) is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert d ...

* Yves Saint-Laurent * Dunhill *

BVLGARI Bulgari (, ; stylized as BVLGARI) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1884 and known for its jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods. Headquartered in Rome, the company was acquired by the French conglomerate ...

Fendi Fendi Srl () is an Culture of Italy, Italian luxury goods, luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925 by fashion designers Edoardo Fendi and ...

Samantha Thavasa Samantha Thavasa is a Japanese luxury fashion house founded in 1994 by Kazumasa Terada. The label is known primarily for its handbags popular among women in their twenties. Other accessory lines such as Samantha Thavasa Deluxe, Samantha Vega, S ...

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* Benetton *

Uniqlo ( ; ) is a Japanese casual wear designer and retailer. The company is a subsidiary of Fast Retailing, Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. Clare Waight Keller is the creative director. History Men's Shop OS was founded in Ube, Yamaguchi. It was rebrand ...

* Gap *Ships *

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* H&M *

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Osaka Metro stations

Shinsaibashi Station is a metro station on the Osaka Metro located in Shinsaibashi, Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. Lines * ** (Station number: M19) ** (Station number: N15) ** (, Station number: Y14) For the purpose of fare calculation, Shinsaibashi Station is treated a ...

- Midosuji Line (M19),

Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line The is an underground rapid transit system in Osaka, Japan, operated by Osaka Metro. It was the first linear motor rapid transit line constructed in Japan (and the first outside North America, predated only by the Intermediate Capacity Transi ...

(N15) * Yotsubashi Station -

Yotsubashi Line The is an underground rapid transit line in Osaka, Japan, operated by Osaka Metro. The line connects Umeda, Hommachi, Yotsubashi, Namba, Daikokuchō and Suminoe, and runs parallel to the Midōsuji Line from Daikokuchō to Nishi-Umeda. Despite b ...

(Y14)

Gallery

File:Shinsaibashisuji Gate Night View 201407.jpg, Shinsaibashisuji Gate night view File:Shinsaibashi-street-2017-Luka-Peternel.jpg, Shinsaibashi street (facing south) File:Shinsaibashi-street-2019-Luka-Peternel.jpg, Shinsaibashi street (facing north) File:Soemoncho-facing-east-2017-Luka-Peternel.jpg, Border between Shinsaibashi and

References

External links