Osaka Builds Infrastructure To Become Olympic-Ready
<B>Osaka Builds Infrastructure To Become Olympic-Ready</B>
By Annalise Bomenblit
Ever since the Olympic committee announced in August that Osaka is an official contender for the site of the 2008 games, Japan's second-largest city has been visualizing itself in this role. Osaka actively is investing in a number of large-scale facilities to accommodate the potential crowds, and already boasts a number of deluxe hotels that add to its growing reputation as a convention city.
In the meantime, travelers will benefit from the cleanups and improvements already ongoing. An entire sporting complex has been developed for the proposed games, and the awaited opening of Universal Studios Japan is slated for spring 2001.
"The city of Osaka is working especially hard to support venture business, multimedia industry and the promotion of tourism in Osaka," said Aya Wada, publicist with the Chicago office of the city of Osaka.
The Osaka International Convention Center opened this summer on Nakanoshima, an island located in the northern part of the city and south of Osaka Station. The center joins the other two major meeting and convention facilities, the Asia and Pacific Trade Center and Intex Osaka, which are both located on Sakishima Island in Osaka Harbor. The Trade Center has a main hall that can accommodate 3,294 attendees and small conference and meeting rooms, while the Intex Osaka offers six exhibition halls that range from 54,750 to 431,000 square feet, along with a conference hall seating 300 attendees.
The International Convention Center boasts a 2,754-seat theater that has big-screen video equipment and an eight-language simultaneous interpretation system. The center also has a circular, rooftop conference room with the capacity for 550 attendees, 25 smaller meeting rooms accommodating between 25 and 300 people, an exhibit hall and an atrium for receptions. The convention center is connected to the 990-room Rihga Royal Hotel via an underground walkway.
The 640-room Hotel Nikko Bayside Osaka is part of this project, and also is slated for a spring opening. The 33-story hotel will offer panoramic views of Osaka as well as a full-service spa, rooftop restaurant, grand ballroom and four conference rooms.
Only a 15-minute ride from central Osaka, the hotel also is gearing to meet the needs of business travelers. Its location in the Kanahana district makes it central to an area with growing business development.
The first Universal Studios outside of the United States is scheduled to open there in the spring and it is expected to stimulate development of the multimedia and telecommunications industries in the city.
Additionally, the 194-room Hotel Monterey Osaka began business earlier this year, as did the 120-room Toyoko Inn in Temmabashi. Next year will see the opening of a 332-room property run by the Hotel Keihan.
Meanwhile, travelers touching down at Kansai International Airport will see the ongoing construction of a second runway that is slated for completion in 2007--another pre-Olympic deadline. For this project, a new island offshore is being developed, with a 4,000-meter runway that will run parallel to the present runway, along with support facilities. Early construction has concentrated around the perimeter of the island, to protect future construction from oncoming waves. Current foundation work is being conducted by sand draining. By the end of construction, a total of 1.2 million pillars of sand will have been created in the sea floor's soft clay, which will contract and harden beneath the weight.