OSAKA - Osaka’s Minami district, now entering another period of major change with the planned opening of the Naniwasuji Line, the redevelopment of Midosuji and improvements around Nankai Namba Station, has transformed from an area once described as "scary" and "dirty" into one of Japan’s leading tourist destinations.
Minami, a landmark district in Osaka, is visited by about 70% of foreign travelers who come to the city, making it one of the country’s most prominent sightseeing areas. Visitors today point to its lively atmosphere and a sense of safety as part of its appeal, but about 25 years ago the district faced serious problems with garbage, aggressive street touts and declining foot traffic.
Around 2000, Minami was widely regarded as a place where families found it difficult to visit. Local business circles described the area at night as one where even office workers hesitated to walk alone. The deterioration was reflected in the number of people using the Ebisubashisuji Shopping Street, a key route connecting Namba and Dotonbori, where foot traffic fell by 40% over the previous decade.
The situation came at a critical time for Osaka, which was preparing for the opening of Universal Studios Japan in 2001. Restoring public safety became an urgent task if the city hoped to draw visitors from around the world into Minami.
A book published in May documenting the district’s revival describes the efforts of local merchants who decided the situation could not be left unchanged. One of its authors, Hideo Yamamoto, who worked for many years on community development in Minami as a staff member of the Ebisubashisuji Shopping Street, said the book begins with the story of people who stood up to address a district that around 2000 had become known as unsafe and unclean.
Among those who took action was Fukunaga, a sushi restaurant owner in Soemoncho who opened his business in the area about 40 years ago. He recalled first being impressed by the scale of the city after arriving from the countryside, but said street touts gradually became more conspicuous. Some would lure customers by claiming shops were cheap or spacious, only for visitors to encounter fraudulent billing and other problems. By the early 2000s, reports of malicious touting and rip-offs had become common in Minami.
Fukunaga began patrolling the streets, recording how many touts were present at which locations and at what times before submitting the information to police. On some days, he went out more than 10 times, both day and night. He said he often faced danger, including being threatened and chased away by touts.
As the patrols continued, more people joined the effort. Masuda, who runs a bar in Soemoncho, was among those who supported the campaign. She said the nature of touting had changed over time and that it was difficult for individual shop owners to act alone when they were already focused on protecting their own businesses. Without someone taking the lead and calling on others, she said, it would have been hard for the community to move.
Fukunaga’s small initiative gradually grew into a broader movement. Uniformed police officers eventually began taking part in the patrols, a development he described as a major turning point.
The campaign also reached the government. In 2005, Osaka Prefecture revised an ordinance to strengthen measures against touting. The following year, it implemented Japan’s first ordinance regulating adult entertainment information centers. Osaka City also adopted its own ordinance that, regardless of business category, in principle prohibited touting in parts of entertainment districts including Minami.
The results were dramatic. According to the Ebisubashisuji Shopping Street, the number of touting incidents confirmed in a month fell sharply from 983 in 2011 to 93 in 2014 after regulations were strengthened. Fukunaga said people who knew the old Minami now call the change almost miraculous, adding that he hopes the district will become a model for safety and security in Japan and around the world.
As public safety improved, efforts were also under way to revitalize the district by making better use of the Dotonbori River. In 2001, Minami merchants invested in a new shipping company with the aim of establishing a route connecting Universal Studios Japan and Minami.
Suemaru Kaiun, a company involved in port transport, also joined the project. Because some bridges in the area were extremely low, with one bridge in Minami allowing only about 1.2 meters of clearance, the company developed a low-profile vessel with a cabin that could move up and down to pass safely beneath them.
The company launched a regular service linking Universal Studios Japan and Minami in about 40 minutes one way, using a boat carrying a large octopus object and naming it the Octobus. That initiative later helped lead to the Dotonbori river cruise, now a signature Minami attraction used by about 2,400 people a day on busy days. The revival of the waterfront also changed how people used the riverside, drawing crowds to areas that had once attracted little attention.
Minami continues to change. In May, Osaka Shochikuza, long a symbol of the district, brought down the curtain on 103 years of history. The area is now preparing for another major transformation, with the Naniwasuji Line scheduled to open in five years.
Shinya Hashizume, professor emeritus at Osaka Metropolitan University and a co-author of the book, said the area could change dynamically as the Naniwasuji Line brings a new station near Namba and attracts more people. He said the creation of new theaters across the district could help carry on Minami’s traditions. At the same time, he noted that the district still faces problems and challenges, and that overcoming them will be essential for its next stage of revival.
Source: Television OSAKA NEWS
