70808-0014 - Dotonbori

Flags advertise businesses on Dotonbori, Osaka. People carrying umbrellas are seen on the street.

The crowded and lively street, designated as the theater and entertainment district in 1621, was filled with teahouses (shibai-jaya), restaurants and theaters. During the Meiji Period, the five main theaters were called the Dotonbori Goza (道頓堀五座).

During the US firebombing of Osaka in 1945 (Showa 20), these theaters were destroyed or badly damaged.

To this day, Dotonbori is one of the entertainment centers of Osaka, but only one theater remains, the art-deco style Shochikuza, built in 1923 (Taisho 12). It was completely restored in 1997 (Heisei 9).