Horse around JRA Wins Umeda, Osaka City 25km

🐎 Horse-Shaped GPS Art Walk Through Vibrant Umeda 🗻

This GPS art course offers an exciting way to combine New Year shrine visits with urban exploration in Osaka’s Umeda, Nakanoshima, and Nakatsu districts. Starting from WINS Umeda, the approximately 25-kilometer course forms the shape of a horse—the zodiac animal—on your GPS map, symbolizing strength, progress, and a positive start to the year.

WINS Umeda is an off-track betting facility operated by the Japan Racing Association (JRA). Conveniently located within walking distance of JR and private railway lines at Umeda Station, it features cashless UMACA betting, paid seating areas, and information spaces, making it a popular hub for racing fans in the heart of Osaka.

The course passes many of Umeda’s iconic landmarks, including the Umeda Sky Building with its Floating Garden Observatory and the HEP FIVE Ferris Wheel. Walkers then explore GRAND GREEN OSAKA, a newly redeveloped green urban zone, before heading to cultural venues such as the Umeda Arts Theater and Grand Cube Osaka. In the Nakanoshima area, highlights include Osaka City Hall, the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, and the Osaka Science and Technology Center, all set among elegant riverside scenery.

Nakanoshima has long been known as Osaka’s administrative and cultural center, shaped by waterways like the Dojima and Tosabori Rivers that earned the city its nickname, “the City of Water.” The course also ventures into Nakatsu Shopping Street, where traditional shops and local life reveal a more nostalgic side of Osaka, contrasting beautifully with the modern cityscape of Umeda.

Drawing a horse-shaped GPS art course through these districts creates a powerful New Year experience. The horse, a symbol of success and forward momentum, perfectly matches Osaka’s energetic spirit. This long-distance course offers not only sightseeing and cultural discovery, but also a strong sense of accomplishment—making it an ideal GPS art walk for those seeking an active and meaningful way to begin the year in Osaka.