Kinryu Ramen (noodle) shop, Dōtonbori, Osaka Japan
Dōtonbori (道頓堀, Dōtonbori? IPA: [doːtomboɺ̠i]) is one of the principal tourist destinations in Osaka, Japan. It is a single shopping/restaurant street, running alongside the Dōtonbori canal, and stretches between the Dōtonboribashi Bridge and the Nipponbashi Bridge. Dōtonbori is officially a part of the Namba district of Osaka, south of Shinsaibashi. A former pleasure district, Dōtonbori is famous for its surrounding theatres, shops, and restaurants and the many colorful neon and mechanized signs, including snack/candy manufacturer Glico's giant electronic display of a runner crossing the finish line. Dōtonbori traces its history back to 1612, when entrepreneur Doton Yasui was expanding the tiny East/West running Umezu River, hoping to increase commerce in the region by connecting the two branches of the North/South running Yohori River with a canal. Doton’s task was interrupted when he died defending Toyotomi Hideyori in the ill-fated Siege of Osaka, but his cousins carried on his legacy and finished the canal in 1615. The new lord of Osaka CastleTadaki Matsudaira, named the avenue Dōtonbori in honor of its visionary even though Doton had been his enemy during the siege. The character of Dōtonbori became defined in 1621 when the newly minted Tokugawa Shogunate instituted urban planning, designating Dōtonbori as the theater and entertainment district of Osaka. The Broadway and West End of its time, by 1662 the avenue boasted six Kabuki theaters and five Bunraku theaters, as well as the unique Takeda Karakuri mechanical puppet theater. To support the flood of tourists and entertainment seekers pouring nightly into Dōtonbori, many restaurants and cafes were built, further establishing Dōtonbori's reputation and position as an entertainment district. Over the years, declining interests in traditional entertainment saw the closing of most of Dōtonbori original attractions, and the final five theaters were bombed and destroyed during World War II, leaving on
Size: 5100px × 3414px
Location: Kinryu Ramen shop, Dōtonbori, Osaka Japan
Photo credit: © Malcolm Wray / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: dragon, food, japan, japanese, kinryu, neon, nighttime, noodles, oriental, osaka, ramen, shop, shopping, ōtonbori, 道頓堀
