Picture this You are standing before the Kujo Exit. Kujo Exit in Osaka is more than just a highway off-ramp. It’s a crossroads of history and modern life. This seemingly unremarkable exit sits above Chuo Odori Street below the Hanshin Expressway Route 16 Osaka Port Line.
Kujo Station a major transportation hub nearby opened in 1964. It served the Osaka Metro Chuo Line. The west gates of Kujo Station remained closed until 2009. That was the year the Hanshin Railway Hanshin Namba Line opened. These gates had been unused since the east gates opened in 1964. The western gates are close to Kujo Exit.
Interestingly the planning for the Hanshin Namba Line started in the 1960s. Two entrances were planned. One was in the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation Building now NTT West Building. The other was in the Sumikin Kosan Kujo Building. Today only the NTT West Building entrance remains in use.
Imagine the workers and planners. They envisioned this bustling area decades ago. They laid the groundwork for the transportation network we see today. Kujo Exit is a testament to their foresight. It is a small piece of Osaka’s larger infrastructure.
The area around Kujo Exit is vibrant. It boasts several shopping streets. There is the Nine Mall Kujo also known as Buffa-Road. Kirara Kujo Shopping Street and Kujo Shin-ei-kai Shopping Street are also nearby. Kujo Sennichi Street runs parallel to these shopping areas. The Osaka Dome and Osaka Kujo Post Office are located nearby.
So next time you are in Osaka. Remember Kujo Exit. It is much more than a mere exit. It is a symbol of Osaka’s development and connectivity. It quietly connects the past with the present. It is a small part of a much larger story.