Mc681 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsMuseum & venue · Osaka
Nakanoshima Library
大阪府立中之島図書館
The Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library opened in 1904 in a domed, columned building paid for by the head of the Sumitomo family. The main building and its two wings are national Important Cultural Properties, and it is still a working public library.
Step inside to see the dome and grand staircase, then settle into reading rooms full of material on Osaka, old Japanese books and business research. The library also runs small free exhibitions, and on Saturdays it closes earlier.
What to see and do
The central hall under the dome is the architectural heart of the 1904 building.
Osaka Materials and Rare Books Room shows; autumn 2026 marks 100 years of the Osaka Prefectural Government main building.
Next to Osaka City Hall and near the Central Public Hall, so it fits easily into a riverside walk.
What’s on
Good to know
- Closed on Sundays and holidays, so plan a weekday or Saturday visit.
- It is a working library: keep quiet and follow the posted rules in the reading rooms.
More art nearby
Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka
A giant black cube that opened in 2022. Modern and contemporary art and design by the river.
National Museum of Art, Osaka
Almost entirely underground, entered through a sculpture of silver steel tubes. Contemporary art from Japan and abroad.
掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsMuseum of Oriental Ceramics
One of the world’s great collections of Korean and Chinese ceramics, on the island of Nakanoshima.
＋－ · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTenma Tenjin Hanjotei
A theatre just for rakugo, Japanese sit-down storytelling. One performer, a fan and a cloth play every role.