Amazing for an area that was once home to furniture stores and nothing else, Orange Street in Minami Horie is rebranding itself as Osaka’s secret center of cool.
Close enough to the commercial centers of Hommachi, Shinsaibashi and Namba to be easily accessed by hip, young Japanese people, the area is enjoying a boom that only those ‘in the know’ actually have the scoop on. As the city expands and the fashion conscious move into the area, the local furniture stores are slowly giving way to shops catering to the latest trends.
One of the advantages of its slow growth from forgotten to fashionable is that all of the trendy new shops are condensed into a small area.
One of the advantages of its slow growth from forgotten to fashionable is that all of the trendy new shops are condensed into a small area. Tasty patisseries, a renowned bakery, fashion shops with faux European names and model-beautiful staff, and coffee shops galore are just some of the attractions. Much like any trendy area in any major European town, Orange Street is worth taking a couple of hours exploring the area as every turn off the main street is an opportunity to find something unique and exciting.
Sure other places have coffee shops, but Orange Street has its coffee shops built into its fashion stores, so you only need to stop shopping for the shortest time to grab a cup. Other places have hairdressers, but Orange Street has numerous stylists, including two in the same block sandwiching an imported chocolatier which itself dates back over 20 years.
Ultimately, the area that has just enough cool to appeal to its target market of hip 20-to-40-year olds and just enough accessibility and history to appeal to everyone else. It is this effortless blending of so many different faces and aspects of modern and old Japan that makes this area a place to discover… before the word gets out!
Discover more about Japan’s shopping districts.
