Landmark & Tower · Nakanoshima

Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library 大阪府立中之島図書館

A domed 1904 library on Nakanoshima, donated by the Sumitomo family, with a Corinthian portico and a beautiful central hall under the dome; still a working library and open to visitors.

About

Designed by Noguchi Magoichi and Hidaka Yutaka for the Sumitomo family and opened in 1904, the Nakanoshima Library is one of Japan's finest Meiji-era Western buildings and an Important Cultural Property. Its granite facade with Corinthian columns and a copper dome looks like a small Roman temple. Inside, the central hall rises to a stained-glass dome supported by a sweeping staircase, and visitors can look in quietly. The library now specialises in business information and old Osaka materials, and a cafe-restaurant inside serves Danish open sandwiches in a former reading room. With the Central Public Hall and Osaka City Hall next door, it forms the classic architectural block of Nakanoshima.

Highlights

• Meiji-era Western facade with Corinthian portico, an Important Cultural Property
• Central hall under a stained-glass dome
• Cafe in a former reading room
• Next to the Central Public Hall for a Nakanoshima architecture walk

Tips

• It is a working library: keep voices down and no flash photography inside.
• Closed on Sundays; go on a weekday or Saturday.
• The cafe makes a quiet lunch spot.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Osaka City Central Public HallLandmark & Tower · 70 m away
• Sendanoki BridgeBridge · 110 m away
• Suisho BridgeBridge · 130 m away
• Museum of Oriental Ceramics, OsakaMuseum · 210 m away
• Yodoyabashi BridgeBridge · 210 m away
• Oebashi BridgeBridge · 230 m away
• Coin Lockers · Yodoyabashi StationLuggage Storage · 240 m away
• Nakanoshima Children's Book ForestPhoto Spot · 300 m away