In my previous article, ”A must for sightseeing in Tempozan｜Let’s take a cruise around Osaka Port on the sightseeing boat Santa Maria!”, I featured the Osaka Port sightseeing boat, the Santa Maria.
The bridge I passed when I walked from my house to Tempozan for the coverage
is the “Namihaya Ohashi Bridge”.
I will say this first.
This bridge is so high.
It scares us.
But it is well worth crossing.
Why?
Because it offers us a wonderful panoramic view of Osaka city.
Unlike other tourist attractions such as Abeno Harukas, Tsutenkaku Tower, Umeda Sky Building, and Osaka Castle Keep, which offer a panoramic view of Osaka, this brigde is not so well known.
There are a certain number of Osaka residents who are unaware of its existence.
I decided to feature the “Namihaya Bridge,” which is high and scary but offers a wonderful view, because I wanted more people to know about it.
This article is intended for
Those who want to enjoy the spectacular view
Those who are interested in bridges.
Those who would like to visit a hole-in-the-wall spot.
After reading this article, you will know the charm of the “Namihaya Bridge” and will feel like actually crossing it to enjoy the spectacular view.
Thank you again for your cooperation.
What is the Namhaya Bridge?
The Namihaya Bridge is a 1,740-meter-long bridge connecting Kaigan Dori, Minato Ward, Osaka City, and Tsurumachi, Taisho Ward, Osaka City.
It is located near the mouth of the Shirinashi River.
It is 47 meters high near the mouth of the river to facilitate the passage of large vessels.
This is equivalent to the 15th floor of a building.
The slope is approximately 6.9%.
Proceeding 100 meters raises it by approximately 6.9 meters.
It is characterized by a fairly steep slope.
From above, it looks like a Japanese hiragana character “く”.
Construction began in December 1977 and was completed in February 1995.
It took about 18 years to complete.
I was surprised to learn this when gathering information for this article.
The Osaka City Road Public Corporation managed this bridge as the Shirinashi River Shinbashi toll road.
In other words, we got charged for crossing the brigde when it was opened.
The toll booth was located on the Tsurumachi side of Taisho Ward.
e.g.) Standard car → 100 yen (according to Wikipedia information)
However, with the dissolution of the Osaka Municipal Road Public Corporation on April 1, 2014,
it is now open to the public free of charge.
Cars, of course, but also people and bicycles can cross it.
Although there are not many buses, you can also cross the street by Osaka City Bus (Route 72/Tsurumachi 4-chome – Tempozan).
How to get to the Namihaya Bridge
Here I will show you how to get to the Namihaya Bridge from both Minato and Taisho wards.
Please choose the method that is easiest for you to get to.
Directions from Minato Ward
Get off at Osaka Port Station on the Osaka Metro Chuo Line.
Take the exit no. 6 and go straight along “Minato Dori” and turn right at the first traffic light.
This building is Osaka Minato Chuo Hospital.
It is no longer in use as it has been moved to another location.
Turn right at the first traffic light and go straight on “Kaigan Dori” street.
Walking along Chikko South Park and Chikko Junior High School, you will see a Y-junction.
The red brick warehouse is the landmark.
At the Y-junction, turn left.
After walking for a while, you will arrive at the entrance on the Minato Ward side of the “Namihaya Bridge.
It took us about 10 minutes to get there from Exit 6 of Osaka Port Station.
Directions from Taisho Ward
From the Taisho Ward side, there are two ways.
First, we will tell you how to get there from the two large furniture stores (IKEA and TOKYO interior) near the Namihaya Bridge.
It is very close, so you can cross the bridge while shopping.
In addition to private cars, visitors can take shuttle buses to IKEA and TOKYO interior.
Shuttle buses depart from JR Osaka Station and JR Namba Station to IKEA.
Buses departing from and arriving at JR Osaka Station will go via JR Taisho Station.
Please refer to this page for boarding locations and timetables.
Shuttle buses are available to TOKYO interior as well.
The shuttle bus departs from and arrives at JR Osaka Station.
Please refer to this page for boarding locations and timetables.
The entrance to IKEA.
There is an IKEA bus stop right in front of the entrance.
TOKYO interior is located directly across from IKEA.
Go straight down the street on the right side of TOKYO interior building.
After a short distance, you will arrive near the entrance.
The entrance to the Namahaya Bridge is directly behind the black wire mesh.
Another means is the Osaka City Bus.
Not everyone shops at IKEA or TOKYO interior.
There must be some who want to go directly to the Namhaya Bridge.
In that case, please use Osaka City Bus.
There are several bus stops (the bus stop name is Taishobashi) near Taisho Station on the JR Osaka Loop Line and Osaka Metro Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line.
The easiest way to find the bus is to take the bus bound for “Tsurumachi 4-chome” at Taishobashi bus stop No. 2,
Please get off at “Tsurumachi 2-chome”.
There are buses to “Tsurumachi 4-chome” from other stops, though.
The number of buses departing from the bus stop No 2 bound for “Tsurumachi 4-chome” is by far the largest, and even if you miss it, it will come if you wait a few minutes.
During weekday morning and evening rush hours, express trains bound for “Tsurumachi 4-chome” depart from the bus stop 4.
The IKEA bus departing from JR Osaka Station via Taisho Station, which was introduced earlier, departs from the bus stop No 5.
Please click here for the timetable of buses departing from Bus Stop No. 2 bound for “Tsurumachi 4-chome”.
Please click here for the location of the boarding area.
Let’s take a look at the route from the “Tsurumachi 2-chome” stop to the entrance/exit of the Namihaya Bridge.
Tsurumachi 2-chome stop.
Proceed in the direction of the green light.
Go straight anyway.
IKEA is in sight.
TOKYO interior is also in sight.
Then, the “Namihaya Bridge” came into view further in the distance.
Please keep going straight.
The rest of the route is the same as the one heading from IKEA or TOKYOinterior.
Now, it is time to cross the “Namihaya Bridge.
Let’s cross the Namihaya Bridge.
Thank you very much for your patience.
Now let’s cross over.
This time I will show my readers both daytime and evening views.
We hope you will choose the one you prefer and actually cross over to enjoy the view.
Daytime view from the Namihaya Bridge
First, let me show you the view when we crossed at about 1:00 p.m. on October 26.
On this day, to take the Osaka Port sightseeing cruise ship “Santa Maria” at 16:00,
I crossed this bridge and walked from my home to Tempozan.
Read this article for a description of our excursion on the Santa Maria.
It is a familiar bridge, but I thought again,
“The people who built this bridge are truly amazing!” .
Entrance and exit.
Come on, let’s cross the bridge.
I like to see the Namihaya Bridge from this angle.
You can see how steep and how hige it is.
We are about halfway uphill.
We are getting very close to the summit.
This is what it looks like when I look back.
The entrance area looks that small.
It is almost the summit.
The entrance is no longer visible.
I reached the top.
Take a look around. It looks like this.
Although I have crossed this bridge many times, I still cannot get used to the height.
I’m scared to death.
However, the view from the Namahaya Bridge is superb.
The weather was fine.
The breeze was pleasant and very cool.
Although it is a little hazy, I can see Mt. Ikoma as well as Abeno Harukas.
In about 2.5 hours, the Santa Maria will take me directly under that red bridge.
The skyscrapers of Umeda can also be seen.
Let’s go down then.
Mt. Rokko is also visible.
I really like the view from this angle as well.
The Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel and a cluster of hotels near Universal Studios Japan are also visible.
The way out is still not clear.
I crossed the bridge thinking, “So many rivers and canals.”
I was reminded that Osaka is a water city.
The summit area looks so small.
I finished the crossing safely.
All that remains is to head for Tempozan.
Traffic is very heavy, especially during the daytime on weekdays.
Although not shown in the photos while crossing the bridge, there were large vehicles driving incessantly.
Every time a large vehicle passes by, I feel a slight tremor. That is what drives the fear.
Every time I cross this bridge, I am forced to be nervous.
However, thanks to the weather, I was able to enjoy the best views.
The view from the top is so spectacular that it makes me forget nerves and fears.
After crossing the bridge, I headed for Tempozan and boarded the Santa Maria.
For more information on boarding the Santa Maria, please refer to this article.
Let me show you what it looks like when you next cross over in the evening.
Evening view from the Namihaya Bridge
The daytime view is wonderful, but I personally prefer the evening view.
Unlike the daytime, I crossed the street feeling the cool and comfortable breeze.
Compared to when I crossed on the day of embarkation of the Santa Maria (October 26) , because I crossed around 5:00 p.m. on a national holiday (November 3),
there was little traffic.
Therefore, there was almost no shaking caused by the large vehicles, and I was able to cross without much tension.
I first crossed from the Taisho Ward side.
The sunset is really beautiful.
Whenever I see this sight, I can forget all the bad things.
It’s hard to tell from the photo, but it was at 5:00 p.m. and despite the haze,
I could see Mt. Ikoma with the naked eye.
After all, the view from this angle is wonderful even in the evening.
The green glow in the middle is the Giant Ferris Wheel at Tempozan.
It is illuminated by lights after evening.
What’s more, the Giant Ferris Wheel becomes a “clock”.
At the time this photo was taken, it said 17:30 and from right to left
tt was displayed in a flowing manner. It looks like an electronic bulletin board.
The time could be checked from here as well.
After crossing the bridge, we headed to take the pictures introduced in “How to get to the Namihaya Bridge (from the Minato Ward side).
The following is how it looks when returning to the Taisho Ward side after the photo shoot.
It was already past 6:00 p.m. and the area was getting dark.
At firs, I said, “I was able to cross without too much nervousness.”
But I would like to retract that statement.
As we approached the summit, my nerves began to mount.
Please see.
My hands were sweating a lot (shame).
However, the view made me feel relaxed.
It’s fantastic and fascinating to behold.
The power of the nightscape is truly amazing.
I was getting hungry, so I took this picture and headed home for the last time.
Points to note when crossing the Namihaya Bridge
The Namihaya Bridge is a great place to view the spectacular scenery.
However, as we have seen, it is a very high bridge.
Therefore, you should be careful when crossing.
In this section, I will tell you the precautions to take when crossing on foot or bicycle and when crossing by car.
Precautions for crossing on foot or bicycle
Bicycles should be pushed across.
A sign stating this fact is posted near the entrance and exit of the bridge.
I see people biking downhill without braking, and it is really dangerous.
Do not do this, as it may lead to contact with pedestrians or a fall accident.
Also, care should be taken when taking photographs.
Be careful not to be too preoccupied with taking pictures to avoid contact with pedestrians and bicyclists.
The fence is lower than you think.
The low fence provides a spectacular view near the top, but do not lean over the fence to take pictures.
If you fall, it’s over.
If you feel scared, don’t force yourself to shoot at a distance from the fence.
Points to note when crossing by car
The Namhaya Bridge has one lane on each side.
There is heavy traffic of large vehicles during the daytime on weekdays.
Because of Japanese Character “く” bend near the top, you may have difficulty seeing oncoming cars.
Also, since there is no median, care must be taken when crossing the street.
The speed limit is 40 km/h.
Cross the road carefully, observing the legal speed limit.
There is no place to park at the Namihaya Bridge.
Once you enter the bridge, cross it all the way across.
Some of you may say you want to get in the car and enjoy the scenery.
However, you should concentrate on driving while traveling on the bridge.
I, hiikun, once drove across the Namihaya Bridge more than 10 years ago.
I was so nervous all the time that unfortunately I did not have time to enjoy the scenery.
If you want to take your time to enjoy the view, park your car in a nearby toll parking lot,
I suggest you walk across.
summary
In this article, I have talked about the Namihaya Bridge.
I have looked at the outline of the Namhaya Bridge, how to get there from the Taisho-ku and Minato-ku sides, daytime and evening views from the Namhaya Bridge, and points to keep in mind when crossing the bridge.
Nearly 30 years have passed since its opening, and it has already become one of the symbols of the Port of Osaka.
Located in a location that is a bit difficult to reach.
However, the attention has been increasing every year because people who cross the bridge on foot or by car while visiting tourist attractions and commercial facilities near both entrances and exits post their experience on their social media account.
I have introduced daytime and evening views, but if I have a chance, I would like to see late night and early morning views as well.
I mentioned harsh things in the precautions section because crossing requires caution.
However, there is no problem as long as the behavior is not excessive.
If you cross in a moderate manner, you will surely enjoy yourself.
Dear readers, if you have a chance, please cross the “Namihaya Bridge.
Thank you for reading to the end.
Konjakuso Tempozan Osaka Bay [Courtesy of Vacation STAY].
