hidden gem

Suita City

A sentimental journey through Senri Chuo, filled with a sense of newness and nostalgia.

2025.03.27

Approximately 13 minutes by train from Shin-Osaka Station

Senri New Town was born as Japan's first large-scale new town, and in 1970 the neighboring town hosted the Osaka Expo. 55 years have passed since its spectacular beginning, and the town's landscape is undergoing major changes. Author Aya Shimada, who spent her childhood and adolescence in Senri Chuo, commonly known as "Senchu," at the heart of the new town, reports on the town's appearance, along with her memories, as it can only be experienced now.

Hello. I'm Aya Shimada.

Born in Suita, Osaka, and raised in Toyonaka. The nearest station to my parents' house is Senri Chuo Station on the Kita-Osaka Kyuko Line.
Let's hang out together today in this city that I love.

I've just arrived at Senri Chuo Station. I'm posing as if I'm safe, but I'm actually a little late. Sorry.

Near the station are commercial facilities and cultural centers. From coffee shops and standing bars to luxurious restaurants and hotels. A short walk away are the apartment complexes and condominiums where my local friends live, and the parks where we used to play together.

Senri New Town, the area that includes Senri Chuo Station, was born in the 1960s as a new residential area, as its name suggests. The population grew rapidly, and in 1970 the neighboring town became the site of the Osaka Expo. A commercial area also opened at the same time, and with the birth of the Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway, access to the Expo site and central Osaka was created from Senri Chuo Temporary Station (※), and the area around Senri New Town became the "city of the future" that people at the time dreamed of.

*Senri Chuo Temporary Station...At the time it was a temporary station. It was later moved to a slightly different location and became Senri Chuo Station.

Scenes from the 1970 Osaka Expo (Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway "Expo Central Exit Station"). Photo courtesy of Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway Co., Ltd.

The aim of Senri New Town was to create an open town that makes the most of the abundant greenery and does not obstruct views. The architecture and the way the town connects with nature are both very "new."

For example, the view of the subway station I just came up from. From the atrium above the platform, you can see the trains running, the shops lining both sides, and the people coming and going.

To me, this is an everyday sight, but a friend who came from far away said, "There's a shop on top of the train!"

...I've written this as if I know everything, but there is so much history and interest that it has been studied by various experts, and my knowledge is still limited.

that's why!
Today I will be taking you through this tour from the perspective of my own memories. Please bear with me.

Cooperation: Senri New Town Research and Information Center (Discover Senri)

＼Today’s Guide／

Aya Shimada

Essay writer. After graduating from Kansai University, he worked in social design in the fields of education and job hunting for 10 years before going independent. His essays on note became a hot topic and he began his writing career. In addition to writing, he also works as a planner, MC, commentator, etc. He is currently experimenting with different lifestyles, such as opening up 94% of his home to people in their teens and twenties and moving his room to multiple cities.

Enjoy delicious sandwiches for breakfast at Cafe New Astoria

It's now 9am.

First, let's head to New Astoria for breakfast.

Located right outside the south exit of the station, this cafe was founded in 1970, just like the station itself, and serves excellent pork cutlet sandwiches. I often went there with my mother.

As I looked at the menu written on the window, my eyes met with the staff inside. They exchanged looks of "Can I have it?" and "Yes, please."

"I'd like a cutlet sandwich with vegetables, and some coffee, please, blended."

The hand wipes here are retro and cute. I especially like the ellipsis "Please hold your hands..." It's a lingering reminder that helps to organize your hectic mornings.

I once put it in my pocket, took it home, and put it in my pencil case thinking, "I'll use it on the next field trip!", but then I forgot about it and it got completely dried up.

Now, the pork cutlet sandwich has arrived. Let's eat.

Even though it's filled with lots of ingredients, the cross section is always beautiful.

There's a whole lot of goodness packed into one bite. The sauce, meat juice, and sweet onion ooze out. It's so delicious that I always close my eyes while munching. When I was in elementary school, I used to practice eating the parsley garnish here.

It gets crowded with locals early in the morning and at lunchtime, so keep an eye on the crowds from the window and find a good time to pop in.

This shop was started by an apprentice of the Astoria sandwich parlor in Namba. That's why it's called "New Astoria." By the way, there's another cafe that serves katsu sandwiches at Senri Chuo Station, called "Ichi." In fact, the same master is also there, so they're like sister shops. It might be fun to compare the two.

We also recommend the milkshake (left) and mixed juice (right).

New Astoria

Toyonaka City Shinsenri Higashimachi 1-3 Senchu Pal Specialty Store Street B1F

Google maps

Business hours: 8:00-16:00 (last order 15:30)
Closed: Thursdays and the fourth Wednesday of every month (and other irregular holidays)
Phone number: 06-6831-2537
Senchu Pal Official Website

Between the city and nature. A hotel you'll want to experience: Senri Hankyu Hotel

On to the next memory.

What you see over there is the Senri Hankyu Hotel, which opened in 1970, just like the New Astoria we saw earlier.

Many of you may have already heard about this from the news. The Senri Hankyu Hotel will close its doors after overnight stays on Monday, March 30, 2026, and will be transformed into a park.

This familiar scene in front of the station can only be seen now. Let's head to the hotel, which is full of 55 years of history.

When I was a child, I thought that the other side of this crosswalk was a foreign country. When you cross here, the air and the flow of time change so much.

I lived nearby, so I don't have any memories of staying there. However, this hotel has many places where even non-guests can spend time. There are cafes and restaurants, as well as a garden, a pool, and even a rest area. It's a very open hotel.

For me, the lounge that holds the most fond memories is the one called "Sakura Lounge."

When I was in elementary school, I would call my mother from a public phone at the station after school and she would say, "I'm at Sakura Lounge, come over." When I arrived, she would greet me with, "Welcome back!" And if it was the last day of exams or the end of the semester, I would be treated to the "golden combo that children will love" as a treat.

This may seem like an elegant story, but it's actually much more casual than you might imagine. It remains the same today as it was back then, a place of relaxation for the townspeople.

I asked the staff, "Do they still have that?" and they replied, "Yes! We do," so I ordered without hesitation.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Take a look, this is the "golden combination that kids will love." Perfect orange juice and shortcake. I can't get enough of it.

It looks like each of them could easily be turned into an emoji...? (I mean that as a compliment, of course.)

This space surrounded by arches is so beautiful... Next time, I think I'll invite my mother.

As I enjoyed the sweet cake and the beautiful ceiling relief, my childhood memories came back to me. Even though I was wandering around like this, the hotel staff were always watching over me kindly.

I also have fond memories of the floor tiles. I used to squat down and touch them, calling out, "Chocolate, cookie, this one is caramel." They were all slightly different colours, so the darker ones were chocolate and the lighter ones were cookies, something like that. But this isn't just a children's fairy tale. In fact, each and every one of these tiles was handmade by a craftsman. No wonder...!

Even children can sense the texture of the tiles, and they're mouth-watering.

The fingerprint-like swirls are traces of the manufacturing process used to extrude the clay using a kneading machine.

The tiles on the front counter look like pressed flowers, which is apparently difficult to recreate due to the lack of artisans available.

I don't think there are many people who say "a hotel that makes you want to touch it," but for me, Senri Hankyu Hotel is that. Not only as a child, but even now as an adult, everything feels nice to touch. When I told the staff about this,

"That makes me happy to hear that. In fact, the handrail you are touching right now was achieved through a lot of trial and error by our craftsmen to achieve its current roundness. It was made so that it would fit comfortably in the hand of anyone, regardless of age or gender."

The catchphrase for the Senri Hankyu Hotel is "The Junction Between the Forest and the City." There's nothing too straightforward or inorganic about the design that adorns the hotel. That's why you can feel the warmth of people and how it blends in with nature.

The garden lounge is open to non-guests as well. The glass partitions are engraved with images of wild birds that live in the town.

The downlights are reminiscent of the worldview of the 1970 World Expo. It feels like you're in space.

The lights come in a variety of shapes. This light has many fans among the staff, and apparently has nicknames like "Raft" and "Chun Chun." It's so cute.

As you observe each piece in this way, you'll notice things here and there that make you think, "Oh, I feel like I've seen this before." For example, the painting on this elevator has the same design as the round window above the foyer.

The mark, which is also the hotel's logo, can be found throughout the building.

The logo mark is a floral pattern of a plant called ivy geranium.

Although these are located in different buildings that were built at different times, the same motifs were incorporated based on the architects and writers' desire to "connect the stories."

If you can leave your memories of the time you spend here, I think that will also become a link in a story. Please be sure to visit.

I wonder how they can be connected. I'll think about it too.

Senri Hankyu Hotel

2-1 Shinsenri Higashimachi, Toyonaka City

Google maps

Phone number: 06-6872-2211
Official website
*The hotel will close after the last stay on Monday, March 30, 2026.

Nostalgic Mystery World "Senchu Pal"

Anyway, next, I headed towards the station again.

When you cross the crosswalk and go up the footbridge, my favorite view awaits you.
Ta-da! Here it is!

A beautiful blue-green with rows of white-rimmed triangles. The building towering before your eyes is "Senri Hankyu." Ah, it's always electrifying to see it...! It has a kind of beauty that sends shivers down your spine.

Senri Hankyu was also completed in 1970. However, as the surrounding area undergoes redevelopment, it seems that reconstruction is also being considered. There's still time to see it, so be sure to take a look at it along with the hotel...!

and.

Looking back from Senri Hankyu, you can see another iconic sight of Senri Chuo: Senchu Pal. This one is also cool, ah, beautiful...! (I'm getting excited)

Senchuu Pal is the commercial area stretching directly above Senri Chuo Station. Its catchphrase is "160 specialty shops right next to Senri Chuo Station," and it includes New Astoria, which we visited that morning.

From here, let's take a walk around Senchuu Pal.

If you go further along the footbridge, you will come across an atrium with overlapping stairs and escalators. Going down leads to the subway ticket gate floor.

What's more, the bottom of this escalator is a vibrant green and pink color, and the view looking up from below is amazing...

Now, let's get into a bit of a mystery. Take a look at this photo.

There are many stairs and slopes. For some reason, you can walk in a zigzag pattern. I wonder what the difference is between the stairs that the old lady walking in the opposite direction from me used and the stairs I'm going down.

Please take a look at the photo taken from a distance. There is actually another slope on the right. There is also a fork in the road along the way. Even if you choose the slope, you can still decide, "I'll give up, I'll just take the stairs." ...Huh?

There are probably people who do things other than walking, so it might be nice to be able to choose the ideal incline...

I don't know the truth, but it's fun to think about it and gain more perspectives. And this is the view when I got off.

Here I would like to introduce my childhood friend, "Tongari." At night, it sparkles and looks like an amusement park or a circus, which is both nostalgic and cool.

"Tongari" isn't its official name, but everyone at school called it that.

There is a bench under this point.

When I was in elementary school, I would go to "Tamura Bookstore" and buy the latest issue of "Nakayoshi" with a book voucher, then sit here and read while waiting for the bus. When I was in junior high school, I often stopped here with my friends to buy snacks after club activities.

In fact, this place is right on the border between Senchu Pal and a commercial facility called "Celsi," which closed in May 2022. From this bench, you can still see Celsi exactly as it was when it closed. It's like time has stopped, which is also a strange feeling.

In addition to supermarkets and restaurants, Celsi has had a variety of content to suit the times, such as a pool with a slide, a mini golf course, an indoor Chinatown, and yoga.

In the event space, there is the legendary stage, also known as the "gateway to success for celebrities" and the "holy land of idols." On days when there were no events, I would climb up to this place where so many people realized their dreams, spread out my Purikura photos, and exchange them.

That's right, the Purikura machine was on the third floor. I practiced my gyaru handwriting and doodled for an unlimited amount of time. I remember saying, "I want to grow up quickly and live on my own!" with a 500ml carton of milk tea in hand. I think this place was a game center called "Kodomo no Kuni."

Reminiscing makes me hungry, doesn't it? Let's have a snack.

Our destination is the extremely popular ramen restaurant Hokkaiya, located on the east side of the third floor of Senchuu Pal.

Senchuu Pal is full of great restaurants, so I personally recommend ordering takeout and eating while walking around. This restaurant also has a unique takeout location. The pick-up window appears halfway up the stairs, on the 2.5th floor.

There's another shop on the second floor directly below. I wonder what the layout is like, the mystery of the cafe returns.

We also recommend eating in the artificial turf area called "Pal Mountain" across the street, where kids can have a blast.

Senchu Pal

1-3 Shinsenri Higashimachi, Toyonaka City

Google maps

Phone number: 06-6831-0638 (Senchu Pal Specialty Store Association Office / 10:00-18:00)
Official website

How to play? A canvas to test your imagination at Senri Central Park

Now that your hunger has been satisfied, I have one more recommended spot for you to visit, so please come along.

If you walk a little to the east of Senchuu Pal, you will enter Koborebi Street, a promenade that stretches from east to west.

There are also some strange playground equipment along the street.

At this point, those who like Japanese language might be wondering, "Koborebi...? Isn't it komorebi (sunlight filtering through the trees)?" Please take a look at this sign. Beautiful minutes have been kept.

The light not only shines through the trees but also reflects off the buildings, sparkling so brightly that it's called "Koborebi." Apparently, the idea was invented by a child.

About 10 minutes to the east, cross the footbridge and you will see Senri Central Park.

This park was built in 1968, at the same time as Senri New Town.

But this is just the entrance. The view I want to show you is at the very back of the park. Once you're greeted by these three animals, you'll know you're almost at your destination...

Ah, we've arrived! This is it, the incredibly long roller slide!! Wait, wait. Don't go away. This slide is quite fun, in many ways.

For now, let's go up together. I'm sure you'll hear some "Huh?" out there, but it's easy today, since all you have to do is scroll down.

Yes, this is what I wanted to show you. Take a look: "The super difficult choices you'll be forced to make within the first 5 seconds of sliding!"

The first time I tried skating, I was 7 years old. I was a kid with high energy, so I asked in a panic, "I want to slide down, but which way should I slide down?"

Since I had come all the way here, I wanted to go sliding for the first time in a while, but the equipment was temporarily closed on the day I visited due to adjustments. If I were 7 years old, I might have cried (it is now operational).

It recreates the feeling of landing on your hands with the momentum of sliding down.

I didn't get to be a "slider" or a "descender," but I did meet some fun residents. Members of the birdwatching club had cameras in hand. They'd come to observe the Japanese white-eyes that come to play in the trees and the ducks in the reservoir. It's a fun way to have fun like this...

"Everyone in the town watches over the birds," he said.

When I said, "It's a duck!" the teacher replied, "That's a tufted duck."

The park also has a cafe where you can enjoy a bread buffet, and a community space where you can discuss how to enjoy and make the most of the park!

Well, let's head back to the station. The park chairs are also telling us to go home.

"Nabe nabe gachagacha"...? There are lyrics I don't know.

Senri Central Park

3 Shinsenri Higashicho, Toyonaka City

Google maps

Phone number: 06-6843-4000 (Toyonaka City Environment Department, Parks and Greenery Promotion Division)
Toyonaka City Official Website

A toast at Warajiya a takoyaki specialty store with three generations of customers

I returned to the station and felt like, "I'm home!"

It's almost time for dinner, bringing our Senri Chuo tour to a close.

I've already decided what I'm going to order from the beginning. This is Warajiya, a takoyaki specialty shop! Just like New Astoria and Senri Hankyu Hotel, this shop has been in business for over 50 years.

The store has a new look due to the relocation following the closure of Selsey, but the sign that reads "This flavor is a hit!!" and the brown curtain remain the same.

This is also a taste I've been eating since elementary school. There are 10 pieces on one plate. Please give me one for now.

My mom and I went there twice a week. My grandma preferred takeout.

What comes out is a bare takoyaki with nothing on it.

The gourd-shaped plates are the identity of the restaurant.

Yes, at Warajiya, when you eat in you can season your food to your liking.

It's crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. I recommend eating the first one without adding anything.

After quenching our thirst with beer, it's time for some takoyaki! Here we go, takoyaki!!

The current manager is the third generation. The first owner, an older man, originally ran an inn in Namba, but he thought "takoyaki will be the next big thing," so he started Warajiya at this station.

At the time, Senchu was a brand new town. Isn't it amazing that this old man took on the double challenge of "quitting his lodgings to open a takoyaki shop" and "starting a business in an unknown town"?

At the end of the takoyaki, a sprinkle of this is added to add flavor. It's a Bailee's bottle, but the contents are white wine. "It's a secret ingredient, but it's not hidden," says the founder, continuing the tradition.

While listening to such stories, I ate the whole thing in one go.

"More please!"

By the way, this gourd plate also has a history, and the one currently in use is the second generation. The first generation was also brought out as a special treat.

The person on the left is a newcomer, and the person on the right is a veteran. Over the course of more than 50 years, the plates and the plate makers have been passed down to the next generation.

Wow, this new/old collaboration is super hot for me...!!

"They were so happy, I'm glad I kept it," she said. Please keep it for generations to come.

With our stomachs and hearts full, we paid the bill.

On my way home, a poster caught my eye, bringing back another memory. I think I learned the kanji for "umbrella" from this poster when I was in elementary school.

I used to not believe that this was a real kanji character and thought it was some kind of mark. "It's impossible for one character to have four people in it! Two would be fine!"

When I asked him, he said, "It might be the oldest thing we have here." It was a poster made by the second generation owner, the father of the current store manager, and when they moved, regular customers told him, "Make sure you take this and put it on display again," and "This is Warajiya!" Yes, yes, I understand that.

Today's meal was also delicious. Thank you for the meal.

Warajiya

Toyonaka City Shinsenri Higashimachi 1-3 Senchu Pal B1F

Google maps

Business hours: Weekdays 11:30-22:00 (last orders 21:20), Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays 11:00-21:30 (last orders 20:45)
Closed: Open daily
Phone number: 06-6832-7510
Senchu Pal Official Website

A sense of newness and nostalgia overflowing. "Senchu" for the next generation

What did you think?

Today's post focused on my own memories, but a town can only be filled with so many charms, as it has so many people and memories. There's probably still a lot about Senri Chuo that I haven't discovered yet.

And in this town, now called a "New Town," the newness of the past has become nostalgia, and the newness of the future is just beginning.

Redevelopment work will soon begin, and Senri Chuo will be transformed.

That street, that building. That shop on that corner. A scene that is finally coming to an end.
The sentimentality of this town comes from these aspects. I have many thoughts about this, but I'm sure that in the new town too, there will be many scenes that children of the future will reunite with and feel nostalgic about in 20 or 30 years' time.

There used to be a long crocodile here, but now there are rabbits. I hope that one day you too will come running over and say, "Oh, that brings back memories!"

At the Senri Hankyu Hotel, I heard someone say, "I want to connect the stories." I hope that by coming here today and putting my words into words, I too can play a role in connecting the stories. I hope that everyone can do the same.

It's cute and cool. There are some mysterious, dream-like things, and some surprising realities.
The oozing of newness and the overflowing nostalgia - that's my town, Senchu.

That concludes our sentimental journey through Senri Chuo!