Located southeast of Naniwa Bridge (commonly known as Lion Bridge), the Osaka Exchange (formerly the Osaka Securities Exchange) is famous for its retro architecture. Its magnificent cylindrical white exterior and beautiful stained-glass entrance lobby are distinctive features. Completed in 1935, it was designed by the Hasebe Takekoshi Architects. The exchange's origins date back to the early Edo period. During the Shoo and Kanbun eras (1652-1673), feudal domains across Japan established storehouses in Osaka, where they transported and stored rice tax and sold it to merchants. Among these, Yodoya, the most influential merchant, established a residence at the south end of what is now Yodoyabashi Bridge. As a result of his active trading, other merchants gradually gathered there, forming a natural market. This later became known as the "Yodoya Rice Market," and is said to be the beginning of securities trading in Japan. The market was later moved to Dojima on the opposite shore, and in 1730, it was officially licensed by the shogunate and came to be known as the Dojima Rice Exchange. At the time, it mainly traded rice through "chogo rice transactions," where settlements were made through the transfer of book-keeping differences, and it is also famous as the world's first organized futures exchange. Since merging with the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2013 and becoming part of the Japan Exchange Group, the Osaka Exchange has inherited the Dojima DNA and specializes in futures and options trading. On the first trading day of the year, you can see kimono-clad office ladies clapping hands in unison in the lobby. The OSE Gallery, the western base of the Japan Exchange Group, is a facility where you can learn about securities markets such as stocks and futures, and is open to the public. Reservations are required for groups of 10 or more.