Nakanoshima: Tekijuku, Retro Architecture, and The Museum of Oriental Ceramics

This course starts at Yodoyabashi Station, visits Tekijuku in Kitahama, crosses the river to tour Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library, Osaka City Central Public Hall, and The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka on Nakanoshima, and finally walks along the waterfront of Nakanoshima Park toward Kitahama Station. Please note that The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka is closed from August 3, 2026, to around April 2027 for renovation work on restrooms, air conditioning, and other facilities. During the closure, the museum's cafe remains open.

History and Regional Charm

Nakanoshima is a natural sandbar nestled between the Dojima River and the Tosabori River. From the 17th century onward, it was a place where feudal lords (daimyo) from across Japan built storehouses to trade at the rice market on the opposite bank. In the Meiji period, when the storehouses fell out of use, the city of Osaka acquired the land to create public spaces, and in Meiji 24 (1891), Osaka's first park, Nakanoshima Park, was established.

In Kitahama, just south of Nakanoshima, Tekijuku—founded by Ogata Koan in the Edo period—still stands today amidst the office district. Furthermore, the modern buildings lining Nakanoshima were made possible by donations from the people of Osaka. Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library was completed in Meiji 37 (1904) with a donation from the Sumitomo family, and Osaka City Central Public Hall was completed in Taisho 7 (1918) based on a 1 million yen donation by Kitahama stockbroker Iwamoto Einosuke. The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka was also founded by the city of Osaka to commemorate the "Ataka Collection" donated to the city by the Sumitomo Group. The scenery featuring the Central Public Hall and Nakanoshima Library side by side has been selected as one of Osaka's Top 100 Greenery Sites.

Key Highlights

• ​Tekijuku​​: A private school founded in Tempo 9 (1838) by Ogata Koan, a physician of Western medicine. It is the only surviving remnant of a school of Western studies (Rangaku) in Japan, is designated as a National Historic Site and an Important Cultural Property, and allows interior viewing. Many talented individuals, such as Fukuzawa Yukichi and Omura Masujiro, studied here. The Doeff Room, where Dutch-Japanese dictionaries were kept, and the students' large communal room bearing sword marks convey the fervor of the time.
• ​Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library​​: A three-story stone building topped with a copper dome; three structures—the main building and the left and right wings—are designated Important Cultural Properties. The main entrance, supported by four Corinthian columns, is reminiscent of a temple. Inside, the central hall opens up to an atrium looking up at a bronze round dome, and the names of eight historical sages are carved on the wall of the grand spiral staircase.
• ​Osaka City Central Public Hall​​: A Neo-Renaissance-style building based on red and white hues. Tatsuno Kingo and Kataoka Yasushi carried out the detailed design based on a proposal by Okada Shinichiro. In 2002, it became the first public hall building in western Japan to be designated a National Important Cultural Property. The basement exhibition room, which can be visited freely, introduces the hall's history through historical documents and photo panels.
• ​The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka​​: Its collection of Oriental ceramics, centered on Chinese and Korean ceramics, boasts world-class quality and quantity, and includes the National Treasures "Tea bowl, Oil spot Tenmoku" and "Bottle, celadon with iron brown spots." It also features the world's first natural-light exhibition room that brings in natural light from a skylight. Not all works are on display at all times.
• ​Nakanoshima Park​​: The rose garden just east of Naniwa Bridge contains 3,700 rose bushes across 310 varieties, blooming every year from mid-to-late May and in October. Naniwa Bridge, which features stone lions at its four corners, is also called the "Lion Bridge." On both sides of the lawn area on the east side, sightseeing boats and other vessels come and go.

Recommended Route and Duration

The estimated duration is about 4 hours. Tekijuku is about a 5-minute walk from Yodoyabashi Station. Inside the building, stairs are steep and ceilings are low in some places, so please take care. In the green area west of the building stands a bronze statue of Koan engrossed in reading.

About 260 meters north of Tekijuku, across the river on Nakanoshima, stands Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library. About 70 meters east of it is Osaka City Central Public Hall, and about 140 meters further east is The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, forming a row of three buildings. The Special Room on the third floor of the Central Public Hall can be viewed as part of a guided tour. The stained glass in the central hall of Nakanoshima Library looks different during the day when natural light enters compared to at night under interior lighting.

After leaving The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, conclude by walking east through Nakanoshima Park. Nakanoshima Park can be entered at any time, and during the rose season, the rose garden just east of Naniwa Bridge is colored with blooms. For your return, Kitahama Station, located very close to Nakanoshima Park, is convenient. Each facility has closed days, so please check official information before heading out.

Summary of the Experience

From the school of Western studies where youths learned under Koan, to the library and public hall born from the donations of the Sumitomo family and a Kitahama stockbroker, to a world-renowned ceramics collection, and finally to a waterside park surrounded by rivers. Walking through Nakanoshima and Kitahama reveals how the people of Osaka have cherished learning and culture.