{{Short description|Shopping district in Osaka, Japan}} {{About|the place in Osaka|the place in Tokyo written with the same kanji in Japanese|Nihonbashi}} {{One source|date=April 2007}} [[Image:Nipponbashi_Osaka_Japan01-r.jpg|thumb|220px|Denden Town]] [[Image:DendenTown-20080309-04.jpg|thumb|220px|Denden Town (Nipponbashi 3 chome, Sakai-Suji)]] [[File:Osaka Nansan Street.png|thumb|220px|Denden Town (Nansan Street)]]
{{nihongo|'''Nipponbashi'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Nipponbashi Osaka, Otaku Road Osaka's most famous area for fans of Japanese geek culture |url=https://www.japan.travel/en/sg/jbyj-blog/nipponbashi-osaka-otaku-road-osakas-most-famous-area-for-fans-of-japanese-geek-culture/ |website=japan.travel |publisher=Japan National Tourism Organization |access-date=16 August 2023 |date=May 21, 2021}}</ref>|日本橋||{{IPA|ja|ɲip.po(ꜜ)m.ba.ɕi}},<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典|publisher=NHK Publishing|editor=NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute|date=24 May 2016|lang=ja}}</ref>{{efn|The bridge's name and placename in Osaka is pronounced like this. The bridge's name and placename in Tokyo is pronounced {{IPA|ja|ɲi.hom.ba.ɕi|}}. For the pronunciations of {{lang|ja|日本}}, see [[Names of Japan]].}}}} is a shopping district of [[Naniwa-ku, Osaka|Naniwa Ward]], [[Osaka]], [[Japan]]. The area is centered along Sakaisuji Avenue, extending from the Ebisu-chō Interchange of the Hanshin Expressway in the south, to Nansan-dōri (just east of [[Nankai Electric Railway|Nankai]] [[Namba Station]]) in the north. Known colloquially as "'''Den-Den Town'''," Nipponbashi is known for its many shops which specialize in [[furniture]], [[tools]], and "[[otaku]]" interests such as [[electronics]], [[anime]], [[manga]], and [[collectibles]]. Nipponbashi is often compared to [[Akihabara]] [[Electric Town]], its equivalent (in terms of focus) in Tokyo.
Although written with the same [[kanji]] 日本橋 in [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Nihonbashi]] in [[Chūō, Tokyo]] is a different place and has a different pronunciation.
==History== During the [[Edo period]], this district was known as a {{nihongo|stage|宿場町|Shukuba-machi}}, called {{nihongo|Nagamachi|長町}}. In 1792 and 1872, the Osaka municipal government renamed this district from Nagamachi to Nipponbashi. During the [[Meiji period|Meiji]] and [[Taishō period]]s, many second-hand [[Bookselling|bookshops]] opened there. After [[World War II]], many [[consumer electronics]] stores were opened, and it became well known as Den Den Town.
==="Nipponbashi" name=== "Nipponbashi" most properly refers to the bridge of the same name, which crosses over the [[Dōtonbori]] canal. However, the shopping district bearing the name of the bridge does not actually reach as far north as its namesake, though its northern areas are part of the "Nipponbashi" municipal designation (unlike [[Akihabara]] Electric Town which sits entirely apart from the origin of its name).
==Den Den Town== {{nihongo|'''Den Den Town'''|でんでんタウン|Den Den taun}}, or {{nihongo|'''Denki no machi'''|電気の町}} is an alternate name for Nipponbashi, as it is famous for its wide variety of consumer electronics stores, and especially famous for its negotiable prices—unique to Osaka and the [[Kansai region]]. Several retailers are also [[tax]]- and [[duty-free]].
With the opening of [[Yodobashi Camera]] in [[Umeda]] and [[Bic Camera]] in [[Namba]], Den Den Town saw a major fall-off in furniture and home-appliance sales, but has more recently become known as a haven for [[anime]] and [[otaku]]-related shopping, analogous to Tokyo's famous electronics district [[Akihabara]]. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as the "Akihabara of West Japan", or by the phrase "'''Akiba''' in the East, '''<nowiki>'</nowiki>Ponbashi''' in the West".
===Attractions=== Besides the usual large electronics retailers such as Joshin, [[Sofmap]], etc. Nipponbashi is also host to numerous retailers of anime, [[manga]], and other otaku-related goods such as [[Mandarake]], [[Comic Toranoana|Tora no Ana]], and [[Osaka Gundams]]—a two-story all-[[Gundam]] outlet. The town also features numerous [[maid café]]s and [[cosplay]] cafés. These include small and simple maid-themed coffee shops, maid-staffed massage and beautician services, and sit-down style full service cabarets.
===Transportation=== [[Ebisucho Station (Osaka)|Ebisucho Station]] of the [[Sakaisuji Line]], as well as the [[Nippombashi Station|Nipponbashi Station]] of the Sakaisuji and [[Sennichimae Line|Sennichimae]] lines both lead into Den Den Town. ==Notes== {{notelist}} ==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Nipponbashi, Osaka}} * [https://www.nippombashi.jp/ Official site]
{{Coord|34|39|35|N|135|30|21|E|region:JP|display=title}} {{Osaka}} {{Shopping districts and streets in Japan}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Osaka]] [[Category:Shopping districts and streets in Japan]] [[Category:Electronics districts]] [[Category:Otaku]] [[Category:Geography of Osaka]] [[Category:Bridges in Osaka]]