Amerikamura (also America mura; アメリカ村, ''American Village'') is a sizable retail and entertainment area near

Shinsaibashi is a district in the Chūō-ku ward of Osaka, Japan and the city's main shopping area. At its center is , a covered shopping street, that is north of Dōtonbori and Sōemonchō, and parallel and east of Mido-suji street. Associated with Shins ...

in the Chūō-ku district of

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is usually referred to by locals as "Ame-mura". Amerikamura is an area stretching from Nagahori Street to Dotombori, located in the west side of the

Shinsaibashi station is a metro station on the Osaka Metro located in Shinsaibashi, Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. Lines * ** (Station number: M19) **] (Station number: N15) ** (, Station number: Y14) For the purpose of fare calculation, Shinsaibashi Station is treated ...

. Amerikamura is identifiable by a small-scale reproduction of the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...

that peers down on the streets. It is a well-known haunt of

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

s, and centres on Triangle Park, a concrete rest area surrounded by retail outlets of Western fashions, bars and nightclubs, some of which are run by Westerners. Its reputation as a hangout for foreigners is a matter of degree. Osaka's registered foreign population is a small fraction of the total population; the makeup of the crowds and retail space in Ame-mura is predominantly Japanese. Locally, Ame-mura is known for being a place for observing some of the more "

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

intense" manifestations of

Japanese pop culture Japanese popular culture includes Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, anime, manga, video games, music, and doujinshi, all of which retain older artistic and literary traditions; many of their themes and styles of presentation can be tra ...

. In 1983, the "Peace on Earth" mural was painted in Amerikamura by artist Seitaro Kuroda.

References

External links

AMERICA MURA INFORMATION by AMERICAmura Association

Chūō-ku, Osaka Tourist attractions in Osaka Shopping districts and streets in Japan Geography of Osaka {{Osaka-geo-stub