The Matsuyamachi neighbourhood, or Matchamachi as it’s known in the local dialect, was traditionally a hub for roof tile manufacturing. By the early 1600s, much of Osaka had been destroyed in fighting between rival warlord-led families. As the Tokugawa clan emerged victorious and established a shogunate to consolidate its rule over Japan, the city’s reconstruction picked up speed, causing a spike in the need for construction materials. Tile artisans flocked to Osaka to satisfy this demand, settling in Matsuyamachi in great numbers. Once the city had been rebuilt and roof tiles were less urgently required, the tilemakers began applying their skills to crafting unglazed dolls, and Matsuyamachi eventually came to be known as the Town of Dolls.
All kinds of dolls are still sold at stores along the Matsuyamachisuji shopping street, a one-way southbound road connecting Nakanoshima in the north with Namba to the south. The centre of this commerce is around Matsuyamachi Station, where countless little shops also deal in items like toys and candy. Matsuyamachi is busiest around the festivals of Hinamatsuri in March and Children’s Day in May, when traditional dolls are lined up in the shop windows along the street, attracting hordes of onlookers. The area is also fun to visit in summer, when the shops do a roaring business in fireworks, yo-yos and other summer festival essentials, bought up by neighbourhood organisers from throughout the Kansai region.
Of additional note in the area is the headquarters of video game giant Capcom, which fans of titles like Street Fighter, Mega Man and Monster Hunter may want to seek out for a photo op.