Suminoe-ku, Osaka


Suminoe-ku is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan, stretching along the south-west border of the city. It borders the wards of Minato-ku, Taisho-ku and Nishinari-ku to the north, and Sumiyoshi-ku to the east. It is the largest land area of all wards in Osaka, and includes about half of the Osaka Bay harbor area.
Suminoe-ku is connected to the region by three municipal subway lines, as well as two rail lines and three expressways. The ward is also home to the Osaka international ferry terminal with services to Shikoku and Kyushu, as well as international destinations Shanghai, China, and Busan, South Korea.

Attractions

Within the ward are multiple large parks, museums, international business facilities, and arts facilities.

Kitakagaya Creative Village

A largely pre-war neighborhood, with a large concentration of galleries, artist workshops, studios, urban farms, and other creative facilities among factories and old wood-frame homes
Chidori Bunka – a community arts and crafts complex, built inside a collection of old interconnected buildings
Creative Center Osaka – a large dockside arts and performance complex
Morimura@Museum – interactive arts museum by Yasumasa Morimura, a well-known contemporary Japanese artist
The Branch Art Lab – ecological art gallery with urban garden and residency program

Landmarks

– former gas power plant, now decommissioned
Intex Osaka – one of the largest conference and exhibition centers in Japan
Osaka Prefectural Government Sakishima Building – formerly known as Osaka World Trade Center, at 256 m is the third tallest building in Japan, with shops, restaurants, and observation deck

Other Galleries and Museums

– an award-winning maritime museum, designed by architect Paul Andreu but which closed in 2013 just a decade after its opening
Mizuno Sportology Gallery –
Wine Museum Osaka –

Parks and Recreation Facilities

– 19-hectare wetland park serving as a stopover point for migratory birds coming from as far as Siberia and New Zealand, with public observation towers
Suminoe Park –
Sumiyoshi Park – opened in 1873, a storied park that is the oldest in Osaka City

Shopping and Entertainment

– large international trade complex and shopping mall
Zepp Osaka – major music hall

Education

International schools: