The outline of the new Osaka Station West Exit, which will be the new ticket gate at Osaka Station, as well as the lines leading from the Osaka Station conventional train platforms and the Osaka Station West Exit to the Umekita area “Osaka Station Umekita Underground Exit” will be introduced in this report.
JR West Japan has opened to the press the new Osaka Station Umekita area platform, which will open on March 18, as well as the new ticket gates.
Osaka Station West Exit adopts a “water” themed design
The new Osaka Station West Gate is located under the elevated railway tracks in the west area of Osaka Station, on the conduit between the existing conventional train platforms and the new Umekita area platform.
Osaka was once known as the “water city” and developed through water transportation. Today, the area around Osaka Station is also intersected by many rivers and waterways, including the Yodo River. Therefore, many water-themed designs have been adopted for the premises at the west exit of Osaka Station.
In the concourse leading to the ticket gates after entering the west exit of Osaka Station, the ceiling lighting incorporates a concentric circle design that evokes ripples of water, and the columns are designed to resemble dugouts, waterways, and water, respectively.
The waiting area, located near the center of the concourse inside the ticket gates, will have nine pillars that will feature designs based on famous bridges in Osaka City. The central pillar has a design incorporating the “miotsukushi” waterway sign that was erected in the shallows of the Namba River, which is also used on the Namba Bridge and the Osaka City emblem. Other designs include a pillar with a motif of the backside of Tenjinbashi Bridge as seen from a boat, as well as a pillar with a motif of Shokubashi Bridge and Ebisubashi Bridge. These different pillar designs give the West Exit concourse a unique, non-uniform impression.
In addition, the ceiling lighting adopts a curved design reminiscent of waves. In this way, we feel that the entire space at the west exit has been made attractive by adopting a distinctive water-themed design.
© Source travel watch