Dojima-Chika Center

Dojima Underground Center is an underground shopping arcade stretching from JR Kitashinchi Station and Osaka Metro Nishi-Umeda Station toward Watanabebashi. It opened in 1966, the year after the Yotsubashi Line began service, and is affectionately known as “Dochika.” Its official mascot, “Dojima Chika-chan,” is set as the only daughter of the Dojima family—whose ancestors worked at the Dojima Rice Exchange in the Edo period—and she serves as the center’s PR representative, sharing information on regular bargain sales and attractive events. The arcade’s passageway is about 250 m long, lined on both sides with many restaurants, cafés, and food shops, as well as everyday-life services such as drugstores, convenience stores, and shoe-repair shops. In total, there are close to 60 tenant shops, making it a practical spot for daily shopping too. Because Dojima Underground Center also connects directly to Whity Umeda, it’s convenient for getting around even on bad-weather days. The three small plazas inside also provide relaxing rest areas.