Architecture and History
Opening of the Museum
The museum opened on November 25, 1995, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Osaka’s water supply service.
It occupies the historic Former First Water Distribution Pump Station, a building completed in 1914 to a design by Sōbei Muneshima. Built in a distinctive Neo-Renaissance style using red brick and granite, the building was designated a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan in 1999.
In September 2022, it was also recognized as a Civil Engineering Heritage Site by the Japan Society of Civil Engineers. The historic building is illuminated at night, creating an attractive view after dark.
Exhibits at the Osaka Waterworks Museum
Understanding the Importance of Water
The museum explains the role of public water services, the importance of water, and the workings of water purification plants through videos, graphic panels, and interactive exhibits.
Discovering the History of Waterworks
The Waterworks Bureau History Slope uses approachable illustrations to introduce the history of Osaka’s water supply from the Edo period to the present day.
The History of Water Pumps features an actual water pump that was in use from the Taisho period, allowing visitors to see equipment that once played a practical role in Osaka’s water infrastructure.
Interactive Exhibits
Among the hands-on displays is Life and Water in the Edo Period, which recreates an Edo-period streetscape and shows how people used water in their daily lives.
The Underground Waterways exhibit features cutaway models of water distribution and supply pipes, helping visitors visualize the network hidden beneath the city.
Learning How the Water System Works
The How the Waterworks Work exhibit uses videos and display panels to explain how Osaka maintains a safe and reliable water supply.
At Water Consumption, visitors can use a bottle-tower display to compare the amount of water used for different purposes and gain a better understanding of everyday water consumption.
Environmental Initiatives
The Waterworks Bureau Initiatives exhibit introduces topics such as water rates, disaster preparedness, and environmental measures through informative display panels.
There are also exhibits covering the SDGs and marine plastic pollution, offering visitors an opportunity to think about environmental challenges and the importance of protecting water resources.
The Museum’s Former Role as a Freshwater Aquarium
The Osaka Waterworks Museum once featured a freshwater aquarium showcasing fish and aquatic organisms from the Lake Biwa–Yodo River water system. From its opening, the aquarium was highly regarded as an educational facility.
By July 2012, the aquarium had housed 142 species and 9,274 individual aquatic organisms. Among the exhibits were the Itasenpara, a Japanese natural monument, and the Ayu-modoki, an endangered freshwater fish.
The aquarium attracted large numbers of visitors, and the museum’s cumulative attendance surpassed one million people. In fiscal year 2011 alone, it welcomed 93,558 visitors.
Closure of the Aquarium Exhibits
In 2012, the aquarium program was reviewed as part of municipal reforms under the administration of then Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto.
As Osaka considered integrating waterworks-related services at the prefectural and city levels, the mayor questioned the necessity of having the Waterworks Bureau operate an aquarium. The decision was subsequently made to suspend the aquarium exhibits.
The museum temporarily closed in April 2012, and some of the rare species were scheduled to be transferred to the Osaka Research Center for Environmental, Agriculture and Fisheries.
Public Requests to Preserve the Aquarium
The aquarium’s closure prompted opposition and requests for its preservation from citizens and specialists.
Yoshikazu Osada, professor emeritus at Osaka Kyoiku University and a member of the group seeking to preserve freshwater fish from the Yodo River system, together with the Osaka Nature Conservation Society, submitted requests to the city asking that the facility be maintained. However, the city’s policy remained unchanged.
Reopening and a New Educational Role
In 2013, the Waterworks Bureau sought proposals from private operators for effective use of the museum, but no applications were received.
In August 2016, part of the facility was renovated as an educational center and reopened during the summer vacation period. From 2017, it also began opening on holidays.
In July 2018, the last remaining specimens of Ayu-modoki and Itasenpara died. This marked the end of all live-animal exhibits at the museum.
Visiting the Osaka Waterworks Museum
Opening Hours and Admission
Opening hours: 10:00–16:00
Open: Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, except during the winter period from December through February
Admission: Free
Location
1-3-1 Kunijima, Higashiyodogawa Ward, Osaka City, Osaka 533-0024
Access
Approximately 15 minutes on foot from Exit 2 of Nishinakajima-Minamigata Station on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line.
Approximately 15–20 minutes on foot from Minamigata Station or Sozenji Station on the Hankyu Kyoto Line.
Approximately 15 minutes on foot from Kunijima Station on the Hankyu Senri Line.
From Osaka City Bus routes 37, 37C, 93, or 93C, get off at Nagara Bridge North End and walk approximately 10 minutes, or get off at Nishinakajima 1-chome and walk approximately 7 minutes.
A Place to Discover Osaka Through Water
The Osaka Waterworks Museum offers an opportunity to learn about the city’s water infrastructure, its history, and the relationship between water and the natural environment.
Although the former aquarium exhibits have ended, the museum continues its role as an educational facility. The historic red-brick building itself is also an important part of Osaka’s modern industrial heritage.
For visitors interested in Osaka’s history, engineering, architecture, environmental issues, and the everyday infrastructure that supports city life, the museum provides a different perspective on the city beyond its better-known tourist attractions.