OSAKAMay 18 (News On Japan) – Osaka’s Umeda area is seeing an increase in high-rise apartment construction, including a 49-story residential skyscraper south of JR Osaka Station.
The Brillia Tower Dojima, with its distinctive yacht-inspired exterior, houses 457 units. Prices start at around 50 million yen, with the most expensive example costing an astonishing 1.08 billion yen.
Yamamoto Maho, reporter: ‘The top floor, accessible only to residents, offers panoramic views of Osaka city. I wish I could live here too!’
The building features amenities such as a lounge and a fitness room. Of the 376 copies already on sale, 373 have been sold.
Hitoshi Nomura, president of Tokyo Tatemono, said: “We are pleased to have completed a flagship project for Kansai.”
Similar luxury tower apartments are currently being built around Umeda.
Mika Kasamatsu, deputy editor-in-chief of SUUMO: ‘A 40-storey building with more than 500 units is planned here.’
Another 40-storey tower apartment is under construction near Brillia Tower Dojima. According to real estate website SUUMO, thirteen apartments totaling more than 3,000 units have been built within a 15-minute walk of six stations in the Umeda area in the past six years since 2017.
Umeda, where the first JR Osaka Station was completed 150 years ago, has long been the largest terminal in western Japan, with numerous commercial facilities and office buildings. Why is there now a surge in apartment construction in this key commercial area of โโKansai?
Kasamatsu: ‘Umeda has traditionally been seen as a commercial center and an office area, but is increasingly seen as a residential area where people can live and work nearby.’
In addition, younger generations are focusing on the area’s high ‘asset value’. In a survey asking about the most desirable places to live in Kansai, Umeda ranked first three years in a row, surpassing Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi and Kobe-Sannomiya.
This trend is further accelerated by the development of the ‘Ume-kita Phase 2’ area north of JR Osaka Station, which will open in September. Two tower apartments will be built near a vast park, almost as big as Koshien Stadium.
As Umeda transforms into a residential area, a challenge arises.
Kasamatsu: “While the population in Osaka City is rapidly increasing, suburban areas are experiencing a decline, raising concerns that Osaka City is becoming too dominant.”
The redevelopment of Umeda could give a boost to the entire Kansai region. This remains to be seen.
