OSAKA - Osaka's iconic Midosuji boulevard hosted its first-ever bread-eating race on November 6 as part of a three-day event exploring new ways to use public space, with 1,200 servings of sweet bean buns and dorayaki pancakes prepared for participants over two days as the city moves ahead with plans to transform the major thoroughfare into a more pedestrian-friendly destination by 2037.
The unusual competition, traditionally held at school sports festivals and community events, involves participants racing to bite into bread suspended from strings without using their hands. On Midosuji, one of Osaka's busiest and most recognizable streets, a side road was closed to traffic to accommodate the event, drawing participants eager to experience the novelty of racing for food in the heart of the city.
"I ran because I wanted something for lunch," one participant said. Another described the difficulty of catching the suspended treats in the wind, saying, "The wind was quite strong, so they kept swinging around. It was difficult. This was my first time." A third participant said the experience brought back childhood memories. "I hadn't done a bread-eating race since kindergarten. It brought back how I felt as a child, and I genuinely enjoyed it."
The competition was organized as part of Midosuji Challenge 2026, an initiative examining how expanded sidewalks and public spaces could be used as Osaka gradually reduces the amount of road space dedicated to vehicles. The program, running from November 6 to November 8, also features food trucks, corporate tug-of-war competitions, putting golf experiences and other activities designed to encourage people to spend time on the boulevard rather than simply pass through it.
Midosuji has long symbolized Osaka's ambitions for urban development. In 1937, the road was expanded into a major boulevard more than 40 meters wide, a scale that initially prompted skepticism among residents. Some reportedly joked that the city appeared to be building an airport runway rather than a street.
As Japan's economy expanded after World War II and automobile ownership increased, Midosuji became a vital transportation artery for central Osaka. The boulevard was eventually converted into a southbound one-way road to accommodate growing traffic volumes, reinforcing its role as a major route through the city's commercial districts.
In recent years, however, changing transportation patterns have prompted Osaka to reconsider how the boulevard should function. Automobile traffic has declined, while the number of pedestrians and cyclists has increased, creating demand for wider sidewalks and more accessible public spaces.
Osaka began work in 2019 to convert Midosuji's side roads into pedestrian areas, drawing inspiration from the Champs-Elysees in Paris. Several sections had already been converted by 2025, including areas near Takashimaya department store in Namba, where spaces once occupied by vehicles are now available to pedestrians.
The city ultimately aims to complete the pedestrianization of the side roads by 2037, marking 100 years since Midosuji was developed into its modern form. The project is intended to create a boulevard that functions not only as a transportation corridor but also as a place where residents and visitors can gather, relax and participate in community activities.
Participants at the bread-eating race offered several suggestions for how the expanded public space could be used. One said holding a sports festival on Midosuji would be exciting, while another proposed organizing relay races extending as far as Namba. Others expressed hopes that the redesigned boulevard would provide more places for children to run and play.
Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama said the city's long-term vision is to transform Midosuji into a public space resembling a park, where people naturally gather and spend time.
"Our goal is to create something that functions like a park, where people come together and stay," Yokoyama said. "It will be completely different from the image people have today."
Yokoyama described the boulevard's centennial in 2037 as an opportunity for a fundamental shift in how people think about urban streets.
"The 100th anniversary will represent a paradigm shift," he said. "I want to work together with the people of Osaka to create a completely new dimension of Midosuji."
The transformation is already attracting favorable reactions from visitors. Pedestrianized areas around Takashimaya in Namba, where roads have been replaced by walking spaces, have received positive feedback, including from overseas visitors impressed by the improved accessibility and atmosphere.
While restricting vehicle access can cause inconvenience for motorists, supporters of the project say the changes have made the boulevard easier to navigate on foot and have helped create a more attractive urban environment.
The redevelopment also reflects a broader shift in urban planning priorities, with Osaka seeking to balance transportation needs against the growing demand for public spaces that encourage recreation, social interaction and economic activity.
Midosuji will mark the 90th anniversary of its modern development in 2027, followed by its centennial in 2037. Over that period, the city plans to continue converting road space into pedestrian areas, with public events such as Midosuji Challenge providing opportunities to test how the transformed boulevard might be used.
For a street once criticized for being unnecessarily wide, the redevelopment represents another major change in its purpose. Having evolved from an ambitious prewar construction project into one of Osaka's most important traffic arteries, Midosuji is now being reshaped from a road designed primarily for movement into a place where people can spend time.
Source: YOMIURI
