Osaka Seen from the Sky

Osaka Seen from the Sky

The area around Yodoyabashi Station in Midosuji Line of Osaka Metoro, which is the next station south of Umeda Station, is the most important office district in Osaka City. Skyscrapers having 30 flowers or more stand side by side, and multiple buildings under construction can be seen. Now, I’ll show you scenes of the business district in Osaka, viewed from an observation platform in a tower building along Midosuji Avenue.

1. YODOYABASHI Sky Trace
2. Wowus
3. Osaka Station 3 Building

1. YODOYABASHI Sky Terrace
YODOYABASHI Station One is a skyscraper having 31 stories above ground, 3 stories below ground, and a height of about 150 meters, which just opened a business in September of this year (2025). The building has an observation platform named YODOYABASHI Sky Terrace at the thirty-first floor.

We can see views of Umeda and Nakanoshima (the north direction), Osaka Castle (the east direction) and Osaka Port (the west direction) from big windows facing the north in Sky Terrace. The opening time is from 10 am to 11 pm. It may be a first time to see roofs of retro buildings including Osaka City Central Public Hall (Nakanoshima Public Hall), Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library (Nakanoshima Library), and Bank of Japan Osaka Branch. Cars running on Midosuji Avenue look like miniature cars. We can understand that Osaka Bay is surprisingly near to the downtown. On sunny days, we can see Akashi-Kaikyo Ohashi Bridge, and also Osaka Castle between buildings.

The vertically running road is Midosuji. It is a one-way southbound traffic and has 8 lanes.

The lower half part is the Nakanoshima. The City Hall, the Library. and the Putlib Hall line up from the left side. The upper half part is the Umeda area.

We can see Kyocera Dome, red Minato-Ohashi Bridge, and Osaka Bay.

We can certainly see that Nakanoshima is sandwiched between two rivers; that is a sand bank.

• The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka
  

  Nakanoshima Public Hall
  

  Nakanoshima Library
  

  Osaka City Hall
  

  Miotsukushi Bell
  

  Bank of Japan Osaka Brannch
  

  Nakanoshima Festival Towers (twin towers)
  

  High Ways and Skyscrapers
  

• Cars running on the road look like miniature cars.
  

  The two rivers merge into one.
  

  Urban Direct
  

  Green Area on Roof
  

  Building under Constraction
  

  Can you see Akashi-Kaikyo Ohashi Bridge?
  

  Castle Tower of Osaka Castle having a green roof.
  

2. Wowus
You will find Osaka Dojimahama Tower at the west side of Midosuji Avenue when you walk north from YODOYABASHI Station One and cross two rivers. It is a skyscraper having 32 stories above ground, 2 stories below ground, and a height of 143 meters. It has an observation platform called Wowus at the sixteenth floor. I don’t know exactly but the height of the observation platform may be 5 to 100 meters from ground. The floor can be used as the observation platform but also as a space for workshop or event.

• There are terraces at the east and west ends.
  

  Passageway connecting the two ends.
  

• Lounge inside Terraces
  

  We can see the outside from the lounge.
  

  Art Gallery
  

The windows of Wowus faces the south. The confluence of the two rivers and the Nakanoshima area, Midosuji Avenue extending to the south, and high ways on the river and buildings around Osaka Station can be seen from the east end, from the south, and from the west end. The opening time is from 8 am to 9 pm.

Nakanoshim seen from the east end

View on the south side

High ways seen from the west end

• Nakanoshima
  

  Pablic Hall, Library, and City Hall
  

  Midosuji Avenue
  

  Midosuji and East Area of it
  

  Bank of Japan Osaka Branch
  

• SMBC Building
  

  Festival Towers
  

  Hanshin High Way
  

  Osaka Station 1 Bldg., Osaka Station 2 Bldg., and Hilton Hotel behind them
  

  Osaka Station 1 Bldg. and Osaka Station 2 Bldg.
  

3. Osaka Station 3 Building
Osaka Station 3 Building opened in 1979, and has 34 stories above ground, 4 stories below ground and a height of 142 meters. The building has exclusive restaurants on the thirty-first and thirty-second floors and has observation windows a　t the east and west ends on the floors. We can see the scenes of the Umeda area and Midosuji Avenue from the windows. Mountains seen behind buildings on the east side are Ikoma mountain range, and Osaka Bay can be seen on the west side. The opening time is from 7 am to 11 pm.

Nakanoshima Area

Entrance of Osaka Station seen behind three big buildings

Looks like a city in the near future I thoughyt when I was a child

• The Nakanoshima Public Hall and the Nakanoshima Library buried in buildings
  

  The roof of Ohatsu-tenjin Shrine
  

  Intersection of Midosuji and National Route 1
  

  Footbridbe and Highway
  

  Ikoma Mountain Range seen in the distance
  

  

• Entrance of Osaka Station in the central lower part
  

  Buildings around Osaka Station
  

  Osaka Bay seen in the distance
  

  Taxi Lane
  

  Kita-Shinchi Area
  

  

What do you think about Osaka seen from the heights? Didn’t you feel that the buildings to which we usually look up seem to be small, did you? The observation platforms above are all free, and open until late at night. I think the night views are also great!