Amerikamura

Amerikamura

The Osaka audio-guided tour plunges you into Amerikamura, often called Ame-mura, the most creative and rebellious district of the city. A veritable laboratory of trends, it is the Osaka equivalent of Tokyo's Harajuku.

From coal warehouses to counterculture

Originally a district of warehouses linked to coal, the area transformed at the end of the 1960s, when young entrepreneurs and surfers began to import there clothes, records and objects from the west coast of the United States. Japan was then experiencing strong growth, and an urban generation sought to distinguish itself from a very codified society, seeing in American culture a symbol of freedom. Thanks to the very low rents left by the abandoned warehouses, shops gradually replaced the industrial buildings, and the name Amerikamura was born from this wave of jeans, vinyls and thrift shops.

What there is to see

The streets of Amerikamura overflow with streetwear shops, vintage stores, record shops and independent galleries, while the façades covered in street art and the loudspeakers playing hip-hop create a very particular atmosphere, down to the originality of its lampposts. At night, bars, concert halls and clubs take over. The Big Step shopping centre is one of its essential places.

Practical information

Amerikamura is a few minutes from Shinsaibashi station, in Osaka. The district can be walked freely on foot at all hours and on the level. Shops, bars and clubs follow their own hours; the atmosphere is particularly lively in the evening.

Why is the district called Amerikamura?

The name, which means "American village", comes from the importation, from the end of the 1960s, of clothes, vinyls and objects from the United States.

What can you find today in Amerikamura?

Streetwear and vintage shops, record shops, independent galleries, street art, as well as numerous bars and clubs.