Kita-ku

Incidents and accidents

1970 Tenroku gas explosion

2021 Osaka building fire

Notable locations

Kita-ku, particularly the Umeda area surrounding Osaka Station, is one of the main commercial centers of Osaka. Kita-ku is also a financial administration center, housing the headquarters of the Japan Mint and the Osaka branch of the Bank of Japan.

Firms headquartered in Kita-ku

Daicel

Daikin (Umeda Center Building)

Daiwa House

FM802

Hankyu Hanshin Holdings

Hankyu Railway

Kansai Electric Power Company

Kansai Telecasting Corporation

Kaneka Corporation

Mainichi Broadcasting System

Nichibutsu

Nippon Paint

Nipro

Oh-Ebashi LPC & Partners

Santen Pharmaceutical

Suntory

Toyobo

West Japan Railway Company

West Nippon Expressway Company (Dojima Avanza)

Yanmar (Umeda Gate Tower)

Zojirushi

Asahi Kasei, Itochu Corporation, Kuraray and Kaneka Corporation each have "headquarters" in both Kita-ku and in Tokyo.

Firms with branch offices in Kita-ku

Dentsu and Yomiuri Shimbun have branch offices in Kita-ku. Mazda has an office in the Umeda Sky Building Tower East. Air France has an office on the third and sixth floors of the Shin-Sakurabashi Building in Umeda. The office handles Aircalin-related inquiries. Google has an office in the Hankyu Grand Building in Kita-ku. Bandai Visual's Kansai Office opened in Kita-ku in March 1988; the division is now known as the Osaka Branch. Japan Airlines at one time operated a ticketing facility on the first floor of the Daiichi Seimei Building in Umeda, Kita-ku.

Diplomatic missions

The Consulate-General of the United States in Osaka is located in Kita-ku. The Consulate-General of Belgium in Osaka is located on the twelfth floor of the Snow Crystal Building in Umeda, Kita-ku. The Consulate-General of Germany in Osaka is located on the thirty-fifth floor of the Umeda Sky Building Tower East in Kita-ku. The Consulate-General of Italy in Osaka is located since April 2013 on the 17th floor of the Nakanoshima Festival Tower in Nakanoshima.

Landmarks

Umeda downtown

Commercial and business centre of Kansai region with many high-rise buildings and large underground complexes.

Nakanoshima island

Government facilities and museums, and office buildings are situated on this island. Notable establishments is City hall, Central Public Hall, Bank of Japan Osaka branch and Osaka International Convention Center.

National Museum of Art, Osaka and Osaka Science Museum is also in this island.

Parks

Nakanoshima Park

Yodogawa riverside park and Kema-Sakuranomiya Park

Ohgimachi Park

Ogimachi Kids Park (Kids Plaza Osaka)

Sakuranomiya Park

Minami-Temma Park

Umeada Umekita Gardens

Grand Green Osaka

Shrines and Temples

Kokubun-ji (Osaka)

Osaka Temmangu Shrine

Others

Tenjimbashisuji Shōtengai (the longest covered shopping street in Japan)

Festival Hall

The South Korean government maintains the Korea Education Institution (Korean: 오사카한국교육원, Japanese: 大阪韓国教育院) in Kita-ku.

Department stores

Hanshin Department Store Umeda Main Store

Hankyu Department Store Umeda Main Store

Daimaru Umeda-mise

Mass media

Newspapers

Mainichi Shimbun Osaka Office – Umeda

Yomiuri Shimbun Osaka Office – Nozakicho

Asahi Shimbun Osaka Office – Nakanoshima

Broadcasting stations

Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) – Chayamachi, TV and radio

Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) – Oyodo-minami, TV and radio

Kansai TV – Ogimachi, TV

Education

High Schools

Kita-ku is home to Osaka Prefectural Kitano High School (大阪府立北野高等学校), a public high school operated by the Osaka Prefecture. It is widely regarded as one of the leading public high schools in both Osaka Prefecture and Japan.

Universities

Osaka Institute of Technology (Umeda Campus)

International Professional University of Technology in Osaka

Osaka Health and Medical University

International Fashion Professional University (Osaka Campus)

Takarazuka University (Osaka Umeda Campus)

International schools

Osaka YMCA International School

Railway stations

Terminals:

Osaka Station (JR West)

Umeda Station (Hankyu, Hanshin, Osaka Subway)

Yodoyabashi Station (Keihan, Osaka Subway)

The following stations are also connected to Osaka and Umeda by underground passageways:

Kitashinchi Station (JR West)

Higashi-Umeda Station (Osaka Subway)

Nishi-Umeda Station (Osaka Subway)

Other stations in Kita-ku:

Minami-morimachi Station (Osaka Subway)

Nakatsu Station (Hankyu)

Nakatsu Station (Osaka Subway)

Nakazakicho Station (Osaka Subway)

Ogimachi Station (Osaka Subway)

Osaka-Temmangu Station (JR West)

Tenjimbashisuji Rokuchōme Station (Hankyu, Osaka Subway)

Temma Station (JR West)

Notable people from Kita-ku, Osaka

Yasunari Kawabata - Japanese writer, 1968 Nobel Prize in Literature winner

Etsuko Inada – Japanese figure skater

Kagaku Murakami – Japanese painter and illustrator

Kenta Kiritani – Japanese actor and singer

Tetsuji Takechi – Japanese theatrical and film director, critic, and author

Emiko Yagumo – Japanese silent film actress