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38-567: The first capsule hotel in the world opened in 1979 and was the Capsule Inn Osaka, located in the Umeda district of Osaka , Japan and designed by Kisho Kurokawa . From there, it spread to other cities within Japan. Since then, the concept has further spread to various other territories, including Belgium, China, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Poland, South Korea and Canada. The guest room

76-469: A key transportation hub for the greater Osaka area. Underneath the main roads is an underground city which connects most of the local train stations and provides retailers, eateries and access to the area's department stores and the Dojima area of Kita ward. Official districts of Umeda: The area commonly referred to as Umeda, though outside of Umeda-proper, includes: These areas are not officially part of

114-539: A lounge with upholstered chairs for relaxing, along with newspapers and reading material. Capsule hotels vary in size, from 50 or so capsules to 700, and primarily cater to men. Some capsule hotels offer separate sections for male and female guests, or even separate floors and elevators. Clothes and shoes are exchanged for a yukata and slippers on entry, and a towel and bathrobe may also be provided. Luggage and valuables are usually stored in lockers or—if available—in-room safes . Guests are asked not to smoke or eat in

152-618: A majority stake (65%) in Toshiba Building to Nomura Real Estate co. but maintains a 35% ownership. Sekisui House , which serves as the complex's owner and developer, serves as the main tenant of the tower, and serves as the company's headquarters. Mazda has an office in the Umeda Sky Building Tower East. The German consulate-general is located on the thirty-fifth floor of the Umeda Sky Building Tower East. AstraZeneca have their Japanese and Asia-Pacific headquarters in

190-460: A prominent skyscraper district. Shibata 1-chome, Kakuda, Chayamachi, Tsuruno, Nishi-Nakazaki 2-chome The Hankyu Umeda/Kita-Umeda district is the area of Umeda immediately surrounding Hankyu Umeda Station , the largest terminal of the Hankyu Corporation. The area extending to the east and north of the station hosts many buildings owned or funded by the Hankyu Corporation, so it

228-462: Is a chamber roughly the length and width of a single bed, with sufficient height for a hotel guest to crawl in and sit up on the bed. The chamber walls may be made of wood, metal or any rigid material, but are often fibreglass or plastic. Amenities within the room generally include a small television, air conditioning, an electronic console, and power sockets . The capsules are stacked side-by-side, two units high, with steps or ladders providing access to

266-558: Is a two-tower mixed-use skyscraper located in Osaka , Japan . Located in the outskirts of Umeda business district in Kita-ku, Osaka , the Umeda Sky Building consists of two 40-story towers that connect at their two uppermost stories, which are interconnected via glass bridges with escalators and elevators which crosses the tower's open atrium space in the ground floor area. It is currently

304-565: Is among the highest in Osaka, so it has come to be known as the "Diamond District". The area contains some of the largest skyscrapers in Osaka, department stores and recognizable buildings. The Osaka Maru Building has become a symbol of Umeda, due to its early construction and unique cylindrical shape. Umeda 2-chome / Umeda 3-chome / Osaka Garden City Nishi-Umeda refers to the area of Osaka Garden City in Umeda 2-chome and 3-chome. The Nishi-Umeda district

342-460: Is being undertaken in the area, land prices have been rising, and now Obukacho 4-chome has become the site with the highest land prices in West Japan. The area's rise has been attributed to the opening of the large Yodobashi Camera electronics department store in 2001, and since then other large developments such as Grand Front Osaka and a satellite campus of Osaka University have been completed. It

380-549: Is colloquially referred to as Hankyu-mura (lit:Hankyu village). Buildings such as the HEP Five building and Ferris wheel, Hankyu Mens department store, TOHO Cinemas , the Hankyu Grand Building, Hankyu Sanbangai shopping street, a string of antique book and art sellers, and the main branch of Hankyu Department Store, a 187 meter, 41-story building. The west side of Hankyu station hosts hotels, restaurants, fitness clubs, and

418-519: Is commonly called "Umekita". Komatsubara, Hoyama, Sonezaki, Taiyuji, Togano, Doyama-cho Located to the east of JR Osaka Station, it is a less-developed area of Umeda, with fewer skyscrapers, and generally far smaller buildings. Higashi-Umeda is known for its low-cost retailers in the covered Hankyu Higashidori and Sonezaki Ohatsutenjin shopping streets. The area boasts a bustling nightlife, with Japanese izakaya bars, restaurants, arcades , sex shops, love hotels and pachinko parlors. The area hosts

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456-554: Is famous for its kushikatsu restaurants. Tōru Hashimoto , former mayor of Osaka and Governor of Osaka Prefecture , while working as a lawyer in the Tobitashinchi red light district in the south of Osaka, was revealed to have had an affair with hostesses in Kitashinchi before entering politics, a scandal that led to heavy criticism during political campaigns, along with allegations of ties to yakuza . The Osaka Underground City

494-643: Is the main business center of the Umeda area. Nishi-Umeda hosts the facilities of the Ritz Carlton Osaka, Mainichi Shimbun main office and many corporate headquarters for western Japan, it is easily accessible underground via Hanshin Umeda Station and serviced by the Osaka Metro subway system. The comparatively high concentration of tall buildings in Nishi-Umeda (and neighboring Dojima and Nakanoshima ) form

532-691: The Great Recession , some unemployed or underemployed workers who had become homeless during the crisis temporarily rented capsules by the month. As of 2010, these customers made up 30% of visitors at the Capsule Hotel Shinjuku 510 in Tokyo . Umeda Umeda ( Japanese : 梅田 ) is a major commercial, business, shopping and entertainment district in Kita-ku , Osaka , Japan , and the city's main northern railway terminus ( Ōsaka Station , Umeda Station ). The district's name means "plum field". Umeda

570-856: The Osaka Municipal Assembly . In 2018, the Kita electoral district was represented by Takayama Mia from the Osaka Restoration Association , Maeda Kazuhiko from the Liberal Democratic Party and Yamamoto Tomoko from Komeito . The number of representatives from Kita was increased to four prior to the April 2019 Japanese unified local elections . The 2019 election saw all three incumbent representatives re-elected, along with Osaka Restoration Association newcomer Kuramoto Takayuki. Umeda officially only covers JR West Osaka Station and

608-526: The Hankyu Corporation's headquarters. The area to the northeast of the station has been rapidly developing since the 1990s. The Chayamachi area, in particular, is growing quickly since the construction of NU Chayamachi shopping mall. Ofukacho, Shibata 2-chome The area to the north of JR Osaka Station. This area hosts the Seiseikai Nakatsu Hospital, JR West Japan Headquarters, and JR Umeda Freight Station. Since large-scale redevelopment

646-461: The Sanzu River which separates the world of the living and the afterlife) and juzudama (rosary-style prayer beads). A stone wall separated a mass grave with skeletons that were only covered by soil. These are suspected to have died in a plague. Until the 1870s, the area which is now Umeda was agricultural land. The area was reclaimed and filled in by the prefectural government in the 1870s to support

684-637: The Shin Umeda City General Information Center. It is also located near key transport hubs such as the Ōsaka Station and the Umeda Station , both of which serves as one of the most busiest railway stations in both Japan and the world. The building primarily highlights a rooftop observatory, named the Kuchu Teien Observatory , which is also known as The Floating Garden Observatory . The two-floor observatory serves as

722-608: The Tsuyu-no-Tenjinsha shinto shrine. Doyama-cho is one of Japan's few LGBT districts, and known to be the home to one of the largest homosexual communities in west Japan. Kitashinchi was a high-class entertainment district of Osaka until the end of the bubble era , at which point its reputation decreased. It has been known as a red light district since the Edo period . The area hosts restaurants, karaoke , hostess clubs , snack bars , brothels , and pole dance bars. The area

760-417: The Umeda district and the entire Osaka Skyline in three dimensions. The towers' construction process started with the construction of the twin towers using reinforced concrete, while the construction of the sky deck began afterwards. As the structural works of the towers were completed, the sky deck was raised to the ground using the lift-up construction method, which used a set of hydraulic elevators to raise

798-536: The Umeda district, but may use "Umeda" on their buildings, business names, and in their advertising, and are commonly referred to unofficially as the Umeda area. An example of this is the Umeda Sky Building , one of Osaka's most recognizable landmarks, which resides not in Umeda but in Oyodo-Naka. Osaka Station City refers to the immediate area around Osaka Station , above and below ground. JR Osaka Station boasts

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836-523: The area. For the 2011 re-opening, the station was re-branded Osaka Station City. The construction of Umeda Sky Building in 1993 and the re-branding of Osaka Station City in 2011 transformed the Umeda area from a business district to a retail and tourist attraction. Umeda makes up a large part of the Kita Ward of Osaka city. Before 2019, the Kita Ward Electorate could elect three representatives to

874-399: The capsules. The benefits of these hotels are their convenience and low price, usually around ¥2000–4000 (USD 18–36) a night. In Japan, capsule hotels have been stereotypically used by Japanese salarymen who may be too drunk to return home safely, have missed the last train of the day to make a return trip home due to working late hours, or are too embarrassed to face their spouses. During

912-532: The city featuring modern architecture , and drew inspiration from the Grande Arche in Paris , France , which features a hypercube -like design. The second concept within the complex is to emphasize a vision of a "floating city", which can be reflected from the city's urban landscape and is contrasted with the opaque ceramic atrium at the ground floor. The concept also included open-air like amenities and viewing decks of

950-417: The creation of the first Osaka Station. The word "Umeda" was previously written with different kanji characters; 埋田 (English: "buried field") to reflect this history. The name was changed to 梅田 (English: "plum field") without altering the pronunciation, likely due to negative connotations with the previous characters. The original Osaka Station, a two-story red brick building, was opened in 1874, along with

988-408: The fifteenth-tallest building in the prefecture, and is one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. The towers reached a total height of 170 m (557.74 ft) while the overall height of the tower including the towers' spires is at 190 metres (623.4 ft). The towers were designed by Hiroshi Hara , and was constructed by Takenaka Corporation and was completed in 1993. The building

1026-419: The first railway connecting Osaka and Kobe cities, and in 1876 an additional line to Kyoto. This was essentially the establishment of Umeda as a district. As industry in the area increased at the turn of the century, the station required expansion, so in 1901 the first station was demolished, and a larger station was built in the location where Osaka Station exists in a different form today. Hanshin Umeda station

1064-460: The immediate area to its south and west, although "Umeda" is often used to describe much of the surrounding area, and is commonly used as a catch-all to refer to the downtown area of northern Osaka City. In addition to JR Osaka Station, Kitashinchi Station , Hankyu Umeda Station and Hanshin Umeda Station are located in this area. Osaka Metro 's Higashi-Umeda Station and Nishi-Umeda Station provide subway services to and from Umeda, making it

1102-531: The largest number of passengers in and out of any station in the JR West network, so Osaka Station City is the central hub of Umeda. Umeda 1-chome Diamond District refers to the area of Umeda 1-chome north of Hanshin Umeda Station and south of Osaka Station. A pentagonal section of Umeda 1-chome surrounded by the Midosuji and Sonezaki Dori roads, which resembles a diamond on the map. The price of land within this area

1140-500: The second-level rooms, similar to bunk beds . The open end of the capsule can be closed with a curtain or a solid door for privacy, but can be locked from the inside only. Like a hostel , many amenities are communally shared, including toilets , showers , wireless internet , and dining rooms . In Japan, a capsule hotel may have a communal bath and sauna. Some hotels also provide restaurants, snack bars, bars, or vending machines , pools, and other entertainment facilities. There may be

1178-476: The section upwards, and is the first time to be introduced within a construction project. The installation of the glass-layered escalators and elevators also followed the same system. The tower was fully completed and began opening its doors to the public on March 25, 1993. The two-tower skyscrapers sits within the Shin-Umeda City, a 4.34-hectare (10.7-acre) mixed-use area which includes The Westin Osaka , and

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1216-638: The towers' main attraction and also features Café Sky 40 and the Fence of Vows. The tower also has an underground market that attempts to recreate the atmosphere of Osaka in the early 20th century. The base of the towers also presents two sets of urban gardens with walking trails and water features, namely the Island Garden, and the Vegetable Garden. The building was mainly owned by Toshiba Corporation through Toshiba Building Co., Ltd. In July 2008, Toshiba sold

1254-454: The underground city are planned to be completed by the end of 2022. Many university satellite campuses and research centers opened in Umeda in the 2010s due to the convenience of public transport and proximity to the business district. Umeda Sky Building 34°42′19″N 135°29′23″E  /  34.70528°N 135.48972°E  / 34.70528; 135.48972 The Umeda Sky Building ( 梅田スカイビル , Umeda Sukai Biru )

1292-581: Was completed in 1942 as a station underpass but has been dramatically expanded since. The total underground area extends from Chayamachi in the north to Dojima in the south, and Doyamacho in the east to Osaka Garden City in the west. The area connects the shopping malls of Whity Umeda and Diamor Osaka with the basements of Hankyu Sanbangai, Hankyu Department Store, Hanshin Department Store, JR Osaka Station, Osaka Ekimae Building, Osaka Toukoku Life Building, New Hankyu Building, and Herbis Osaka. More expansions to

1330-547: Was constructed in 1906, followed by Hankyu Umeda Station in 1910, the Umeda subway station and Midosuji subway line in 1933 and Kitashinchi station in 1997. The current incarnation of Osaka Station was built in 1979, and underwent extensive renovation and reconstruction between 2005 and 2011, including the addition of the North Gate Building, a glass roof covering the tracks, and vast additional retail space providing shops, restaurants, sports centers and movie theatres to

1368-774: Was historically called Umeda Haka (Umeda Grave), because it was one of the seven largest cemeteries of Osaka from the Edo period (1603–1868) until the first twenty years of the Meiji period (1868–1912). In 2020, survey teams for the Umekita redevelopment project discovered ancient burial remains of over 1,500 people. Experts say these remains were of commoners, not the aristocracy. They used several burial styles, both cremated as well as buried with enclosed wooden caskets, barrel-shaped open containers and earthenware coffins called kameganbo (turtle caskets). They found burial items such as pipes, clay dolls, rokusenmon (a set of six coins to pay passage across

1406-465: Was originally conceived in 1988 as the "City of Air" project, a planned mixed-use skyscraper which was envisioned to create four interconnected towers in northern Osaka, located within the Umeda central business district and is at close proximity to the Yodo River . The third tower of the complex was initially planned to be constructed within the current site of the Vegetable Garden, while the fourth tower

1444-515: Was planned located along the eastern side of the third tower. Eventually, the Japan economic bubble of the 1980s caused widespread damage to the Japanese economy and brought the total number of towers down to two towers. During the architectural planning of the complex, Hiroshi Hara created the overall concept of the towers are based on two key concepts: the first concept was to create a modern landmark in

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