Emerging from the Umekita underground passage from Osaka Station, I pause to take in the scale of the new Time Out Market Osaka. Opened March 21, the space reveals itself in dramatic fashion: a staggering 3,000-square-meter food hall with a cavernous interior bathed in ambient lighting. One wall features a colorful, street art-inspired mural by local artist Shun Nakao, while illuminated posters display iconic Time Out magazine covers featuring David Bowie and Andy Warhol’s Campbell Soup cans — subtle nods to the brand’s cultural legacy.
Time Out Market Osaka is a milestone for the London-based media and hospitality business — it’s their 11th food and cultural market worldwide but their first in Asia. The concept began in 2014 with the original Time Out Market in Lisbon where the company transformed the historic Mercado da Ribeira into an upscale food hall. It has since expanded globally, with markets in Miami, New York, Boston, Chicago, Montreal, Dubai and now Osaka.
The Osaka market represents a significant partnership with real estate developer Hankyu Hanshin Properties, one of the driving forces behind the ambitious Grand Green Osaka development. The urban renewal project has transformed a former cargo yard into a multipurpose complex of offices, hotels, commercial facilities and the Umekita Park — 45,000 square meters of greenery featuring 110 cherry trees and an artificial pond. Time Out Market Osaka is a permanent tenant located beneath Grand Green Osaka’s South Building.
