Commemorative stone tablet for the 50th anniversary of Midosuji Street construction completion

The Midosuji 50th Anniversary Completion Monument was erected in 1987 to mark 50 years since Midosuji—Osaka’s main boulevard—was completed. It is located near Exits 9 or 12 of Osaka Metro Midosuji Line Yodoyabashi Station. A street called Midosuji existed since the Edo period, but at that time it was about 1.3 km long and only 5.4 meters wide. Today it is about 4 km long and 43.6 meters wide. The name “Midosuji” comes from the fact that it connects Kita-Midō (Hongwanji Tsumura Betsuin) and Minami-Midō (Namba Betsuin of the Shinshū Ōtani-ha). Construction that began in 1926 was carried out at the same time as the building of the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line, which reportedly made the work difficult. Every year around the end of the year, Midosuji hosts the “Midosuji Illumination,” an event that lights up about 800 ginkgo trees lining the boulevard. The stretch of Midosuji between Shinsaibashi Station and Namba Station is a particularly popular area, lined with department stores and brand-name shops.