Bentencho

Bentencho Station serves as a gateway to Osaka Port and functions as a transfer point between JR West’s Osaka Loop Line and the Osaka Metro Chuo Line. The name “Benten” comes from Benzaiten, a goddess once enshrined at the Ichioka Shinden administrative office. At the time the station opened, there were other areas named Bentencho, including one in Minato Ward and another in Higashisumiyoshi Ward (Uriwari Bentencho). The former was renamed Shiromi in 1979, while the latter was renamed Uriwari following the separation of Hirano Ward in 1974. Bentencho Station is a directly operated station managed by Nishikujo Station and is part of the JR Urban Network area. It is also classified within “Osaka City” under JR’s designated metropolitan area fare system. Since the 1990s, its proximity to Umeda and Osaka Station has renewed interest in the area as a residential location, leading to the construction of many high-rise apartment buildings. Until 2014, the Transportation Science Museum was located next to the station. Bentencho is also home to Solaniwa Onsen OSAKA BAY TOWER, one of the largest hot spring theme parks in the Kansai region, where visitors can enjoy a time-travel-like experience inspired by a town from the Azuchi-Momoyama period, blending traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern, stylish design.