OSAKA, Japan >> A huge artwork draws visitors to JR Osaka Station, on the walk northward from the ticket gate to the west exit.
The Fountain Boy, a black concrete sphere about 9 feet in diameter and bearing a vibrant stained glass image, was created by Hirohiko Araki, author of the popular manga “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.”
The station once housed another statue named The Fountain Boy, which served as a popular meeting place for over a century. Araki reinterpreted the iconic original statue, and his piece now draws people seeking to experience its powerful presence.
The work was installed in July 2024 on the first floor of Inogate Osaka, a building connected to the station.
Araki’s stained glass image depicts a boy with sharp eyes who has both hands raised toward the sky. It is modeled after the old statue, featuring a boy in a fountain holding a lotus leaf.
Seven characters from “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” called “Stands,” are also depicted in the new work. Among them is the rain-conjuring “November Rain.”
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A water cycle — with rainwater flowing from the rivers to the sea, evaporating and then returning as rain — is also depicted, symbolizing people gathering, interacting and healing.
“Its dramatic worldview and the beauty of the coloring is overwhelming,” said Kae Fukushima of West Japan Marketing Communications Inc., who commissioned Araki to create the object.
The original Fountain Boy was a nearly 4-foot-tall bronze statue installed in the second JR Osaka Station building that was completed in 1901. After the third station building was completed in 1940, the statue graced its central concourse and became a popular meeting spot.
Because of its historical value, the statue was designated a “quasi-railway monument” in 1963. It was removed from the station in 2004 during renovations to the fifth station building and is currently stored at the Kyoto Railway Museum.
Araki’s artwork was created as part of a larger project at the station. The West Art Project, or WARP, was organized by West Japan Railway Co., or JR West.
“It’s romantic,” Araki said when he accepted the project. “A former symbol will see the light of day again.”
About a year has passed since his artwork was installed, and it continues to draw visitors to the area. Fukushima hopes that it will become a new meeting spot.
Art-filled area
Osaka Station is a gateway to the Kansai region, from which many people come and go. The west exit of the busy station has evolved into a place where people can view art on a daily basis. To date, 12 artworks have been put on display as part of WARP.
“Point,” a 6-1/2-by-23-foot graphic art piece, hangs on a wall on the first floor of Inogate Osaka. The image depicts a bustling station where people and objects interact is depicted via layered, multicolored symbols.
Umekita Green Place, a space connected to Osaka Station by a pedestrian walkway, houses an artwork that employs extended reality to blend virtual and real worlds, with artwork that shows up on smartphones.
“We hope people will experience something akin to warping into another world,” said a JR West official.
Something to try
Located on the fourth floor of Inogate Osaka, Doyama Shokudo is an izakaya chain that specializes in ham cutlet (about $2.65 per piece).
The innovative dish features a fluffy egg salad wrapped in ham and fried into a cutlet. Besides the egg salad, diners can enjoy eight varieties, including “tuna corn” and cheese.
From window seats, visitors can get an overview of the JR tracks and watch trains arrive and depart from Osaka Station while having a meal. The eatery is popular among office workers in the Umeda district in Kita ward, as well as families with children. It is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
AloJapan.com