Miyuki-dori Shopping Street (Koreatown)

Ikuno Koreatown is the common name for the Miyuki-dori Shopping Street and its surrounding area in Momodani, Ikuno Ward, Osaka City. It originated after the war as a naturally formed black market, when around 3,000 street vendors gathered around Tsuruhashi Station. From 1993, the name “Koreatown” began to be used; before that, it was called the “Korean Market.” In 1984, a “Koreatown Concept” inspired by Chinatowns was proposed to revitalize the Korean Market, and in 1993, a shopping street about 500 meters long was completed from Miyukimori Tenjin-gu toward the east. The area also appears in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki, and legend says that Emperor Nintoku rested here when visiting immigrants (toraijin), which is why the name “Miyuki” (imperial visit) was given. Today, about 30,000 residents with Korean or Korean-Japanese nationality live in the area—roughly one in four of Ikuno Ward’s population. With the 2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Japan and Korea and the influence of the recent “Korean Wave,” the area has become a town visited by many tourists.