OCAT Osaka City Air Terminal

 

Osaka City Air Terminal does have buses that run to both Kansai Airport and Itami Airport, but in reality it is a multi-use business and commercial complex in Namba.

As well as the bus terminal, which was the biggest in all of west Japan at one point, the complex hosts government offices, commercial offices, and a variety of retail establishments.

I rarely visit cities, so for me they are somewhat similar to safari parks... the chance to see exotic, possibly dangerous, creatures in their natural habitat.

As many of you know, I am also a sucker for modern architecture, and that is usually where my gaze falls....

Two floors of OCAT are below ground, and one of the underground passageways was the subject of the previous post.

I have been unable to find out who created the large metal sculpture in the underground entrance...

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Luminous Wall OCAT Walk Namba

 

Not long after arriving in Japan, and having seen the massive complex of underground shopping malls and passageways in Osaka, I entertained the notion that maybe the Japanese were becoming troglodytes.

Of course they do offer protection from the traffic and inclement weather, including the dangerous sunshine that the Japanese female lives in terror of....

As a visitor, I hate them, not least because I get lost a lot and find the direction signage confusing...

However, in OCAT WALK, an underground passage that connects Namba Station with OCAT, I found this delightful art installation cum lighting system.

An undulating wall of fairly standard glass bricks with subtle lighting behind and miniature artwork in some bricks.

I have been unable to learn anything about it, who designed it, etc.

This is the first in a series of posts on an afternoon I spent in Namba.

I spend very little time in cities. I find them strange, and if I can I treat my visits to them as if visiting a theme park like disneyland

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Osaka Museum of History

 

The Osaka Museum of History is located to the SW of Osaka Castle.

It occupies the top floors of an elliptical tower 83 meters tall.

It was completed in 2001.

It shares an entrance in a shared atrium with the NHK building next door.

Both buildings were constructed at the same time.

It is said to have been designed by Cesar Pelli, though I can find no reference to it on the Pelli Associated website.

Pelli is more well known for his design of the Osaka Museum of Art. I will be posting on oy a little later.

My favorite Pelli building in Japan is the Kurayoshi Park Square in Tottori.

From the Museum of History there are great views across to Osaka Castle.

The previous post in this seriers on maodern architecture of Osaka was on Umeda Sky Building.

Floating Garden Observatory at Umeda Sky Building

 

The observation deck on top of Umeda Sky Building in Osaka offers full 360 degree views over Osaka and beyond.

An elevator takes visitors most of the way up, but the final section is by a glass-enclosed escalator that crosses the circular open space high above the ground.

In Japanese it is called Kuchuteien, "floating garden".

The 39th and 40th floors have views but the best are from the open-air rooftop, 170 meters above the ground.

The previous post was on the Umeda Sky Buildings itself.

The view across the Yodo River towards Kobe.

The view towards the Northeast

Not sure what this bridge carries.... maybe utilities of some kind... certainly not any vehicles, trains etc as it just connects to two structures, one of them an NTT building I believe.

Another iconic Osaka building, the Gate Tower Building is a 16 storey office building with an off-ramp of an expressway passing though the building.

The view looking East...

The Osaka Hilton in front of Osaka Station to the SE of Umeda Sky Building.

Below is another iconic Osaka building, the perfect replica of a 14th century Belgian chapel, part of the hotels wedding facilities.

The descending escalator from the observatory.