Umekita Forest (うめきたの森), a new urban forest in Osaka's Grand Green Osaka (GRAND GREEN OSAKA) development, opens at 12:00 PM on Friday, November 20, 2026. About 8,400 m² of the forest opens early, ahead of the full opening of the park around spring 2027.
The forest is part of the later-phase section (about 1.0 ha) of Umekita Park North Park, which is being developed by Grand Green Osaka's nine-company developer joint venture, led by Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd., in a public-private partnership with Osaka Prefecture, Osaka City, and the Urban Renaissance Agency (UR).
To mark the opening, opening events will be held from November 20 to 23 so that visitors can learn more about the park and the city and experience them firsthand. They include the first drone show around JR Osaka Station and a special talk session moderated by Professor Hiroaki Miyata (宮田裕章) of the Keio University School of Medicine.
Umekita Forest is an urban forest developed on the west side of Umekita Park North Park in Grand Green Osaka. On the site of the former Umeda Freight Station, it brings back a lush natural environment, with plantings that include native species and waterside areas designed with the ecosystem in mind. Hirameki no Michi (ひらめきの道), a 350 m path connecting the north and south blocks, also fully opens on the same day, opening in stages after the forest opens, which will make it easier to get around the whole area.
Opening Events (November 20 to 23)
Special Talk Session
Experts, tenant companies, MIDORI partner companies, and developers each share their perspectives on the new urban value created by Grand Green Osaka and on the future of urban development and corporate activity. MIDORI partners are companies and organizations that share the project's sustainable values and its philosophy of "co-creation". The moderator is Professor Hiroaki Miyata (宮田裕章) of the Keio University School of Medicine, who works on collaboration across medicine, urban issues, the environment, and other fields with data science at the core.
- Date and time: November 20, 2026, 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
- Venue: VS., Umekita Park North Park (VS. is a cultural venue at the center of Umekita Park)
- Moderator: Hiroaki Miyata (宮田裕章), Professor, Keio University School of Medicine
- Viewing: advance application with a lottery. Details will be announced later on the official Grand Green Osaka website and official social media.
Session 1: "Redefining Urban Value: The Story Behind a Pioneering Development in Japan"
Grand Green Osaka is centered on Umekita Park, an urban park of about 4.5 ha, and consists of facilities with a variety of uses, including hotels, commercial facilities, and the innovation facility JAM BASE. JAM BASE supports people who gather and interact there in giving shape to new ideas and taking on the challenge of social implementation and commercialization. Experts and people involved in the project talk about the thinking and process behind how the district was created.
- Makie Suzuki (鈴木 マキエ), GGN Consulting Project Manager / CoTill Principal & Founder
- 小松 良朗, Executive Officer and Head of the Landscape Design Group, Nikken Sekkei (株式会社日建設計)
- 山本 晃史, Head of the Grand Green Osaka Office, Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. / Secretary General, Umekita MMO (一般社団法人うめきたMMO)
Session 2: "Expectations for Even Greater Acceleration of Green and Innovation"
Companies that have gathered at Grand Green Osaka to create innovation talk about the appeal of the district, what they expect from it, and their outlook for the future.
- Tenant company: 佐野 順, General Manager, General Affairs Department, Kubota Corporation (株式会社クボタ)
- JAM BASE resident partner: 松田 岳大, General Manager, Startup Promotion Department, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (株式会社三井住友銀行)
- MIDORI partner: 岡野 亜矢子, Director, Corporate & Brand Strategy Office, Rohto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (ロート製薬株式会社)
Drone Show
A one-night-only drone show that embodies Grand Green Osaka's concept of the "fusion of green and innovation" is held together with Redcliff (レッドクリフ), a drone show company that is a JAM BASE resident. It is the first drone show around JR Osaka Station and celebrates the opening of Umekita Forest.
- Date and time: November 20, 2026, two shows at 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM
- Each show is planned to last 15 minutes.
- Times may change, and the shows may be canceled depending on the weather.
- The image is for illustration purposes.
- Location: in the sky above Umekita Park South Park
- Access to Umekita Park South Park will be restricted for a certain period of time during the drone flights.
- The main viewing space is Umekita Park North Park, centered on Umekita Forest.
- An advance application with a lottery is not required.
- Restrictions and measures to prevent crowds from lingering are planned on surrounding roads depending on the time of day. Follow the instructions of security guards on the day.
Umekita Forest Experience Programs
Umekita MMO (一般社団法人うめきたMMO), an organization set up by the developer joint venture to carry out park management of Umekita Park together with area management of the whole of Grand Green Osaka, is extending its services in Umekita Forest. These include the rental services it runs in South Park and two participatory programs: "Umekita PUBLICSCOOP" (courses and experience programs that can be joined casually after 5 PM and on holidays) and "YOSETE UMEKITA" (performances that cross genres, including music, dance, and traditional performing arts).
A temporary "forest information center" (森の案内所) will be set up in Umekita Forest, offering a wide range of services and programs for visitors. A special exhibition introducing the background and behind-the-scenes story of the development of Grand Green Osaka and Umekita Forest will also be held for a limited time inside MIDORI LOUNGE.
- Date and time: November 20 to 23, 2026, 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM each day
- The special exhibition inside MIDORI LOUNGE is scheduled to run until December 27, 2026.
- Venue: Umekita Forest and MIDORI LOUNGE
- Some of the rental services are scheduled to continue after November 23.
Details of the events will be announced as they become available on the official Grand Green Osaka website and official social media.
- Official website: https://umekita.com/
- Instagram: @grand.green.osaka
- Facebook: @GGOsakaPR
- X: @GGOsakaPR
Related Events
UMEKITA SOUND BAZAAR (ウメキタ サウンド バザール)
The first "UMEKITA SOUND BAZAAR" proposes new sound experiences. It is organized in cooperation between the VS. joint venture (株式会社トータルメディア開発研究所 and 株式会社野村卓也事務所), which operates VS., and Big Bang Osaka (一般社団法人 Big Bang Osaka), a culture collective established on June 21, 2026 that works to create a new relationship between culture, cities, and the economy.
Umekita is a place where people of many different generations, regions, and values gather. With sound as the starting point, the event creates an opportunity for these diverse people to listen to, feel, and experience sound in the same place. In the underground space of VS., the main venue, programs related to sound and music, from live performances, installations, and talks to publications and food, come together over the three days.
Above ground in Umekita Forest, special high-definition speakers are installed, where visitors can experience a sound installation using music by Marihiko Hara (原摩利彦), the composer who created the film score and theme song for the film "Kokuho" (国宝).
Main performers: Kaho Nakamura (中村佳穂), ELECTRONICOS FANTASTICOS!, Tyondai Braxton, and others
- Dates: November 21 to 23, 2026
- The timetable will be released later.
- The musical presentation inside Umekita Forest is scheduled to start on November 20.
- Venue: VS., Umekita Park North Park
- Details: https://sound-bazaar.jp/
Mirai no Midori Laboratory (ミライのミドリ実験室) Exhibition and Experience Event
A special event that embodies the "fusion of green and innovation". It introduces the cutting-edge initiatives of 10 companies, including startups related to "green". With many exhibits and experiences for visitors to enjoy, the event lets visitors see, touch, and feel the potential of green in the future.
- Dates and time: November 27 to 28, 2026, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day
- Organizer: Umekita Future Innovation Organization (U-FINO) (うめきた未来イノベーション機構), a general incorporated association established through public-private cooperation alongside the development of Grand Green Osaka to support innovation. It acts as a hub that supports the commercialization of innovation, with the aim of promoting innovation in Osaka and the Kansai region and strengthening the ecosystem.
- Venue: Multi-space and lawn area, Umekita Park North Park
- Admission: free
- Details: https://u-fino.com/event/list/detail/000594.html
Umekita Park Living Things Quest 2026 - Great Survey of Umekita Forest! (うめきた公園 いきものクエスト 2026 - うめきたの森の大調査！)
A participatory program in which visitors discover and record local living things together through "Biome" (バイオーム), a living-things collection app. In monitoring surveys so far, 30 species (10 bird species and 20 insect species) have already been observed out of the 56 target species (birds and insects) that Grand Green Osaka aims to attract. With the completion of Umekita Forest, the ecosystem network surrounding central Osaka is expected to improve further. The program aims to raise citizens' environmental awareness and promote understanding of biodiversity, and the results will be used as basic data for the biodiversity conservation that Grand Green Osaka is working toward.
- Period: October 27, 2026 to February 28, 2027
- Organizer: Umekita MMO (一般社団法人うめきたMMO)
- Venue: all of Umekita Park
- Details: https://biome.co.jp/products/biome-app/
New Restaurant and Cafe
AOI NAPOLI OMBRA PIZZERIA CUCINA e CAFFE (Balnibarbi, 株式会社バルニバービ)
A standalone restaurant whose name, "OMBRA", means "shade of a tree". In an open space that blends with the green of the park, the first floor offers the feel of a live wood-fired oven and terrace seating, and the glass-walled second floor offers views of the changing seasons.
The menu includes freshly baked wood-fired pizza, Italian dishes made with seasonal ingredients, and selected wines. The restaurant suits a range of occasions, from lunch and cafe visits to takeout during a stroll, dinners and parties with loved ones, and weddings.
It offers a relaxed time away from the bustle of the city, as if spent in the shade of a tree.
Project Timeline
- April 26, 2013: Grand Front Osaka opened as the first development area (Umekita Phase 1 area)
- March 30, 2015: Osaka Prefecture, Osaka City, and others decided the "Umekita Phase 2 Area Urban Development Policy"
- July 12, 2018: The nine-company developer joint venture (a consortium of companies), led by Mitsubishi Estate, was selected
- December 21, 2020: Construction began on the private-sector development lots (rental buildings and others)
- February 7, 2023: The project name was officially decided as "Grand Green Osaka"
- September 6, 2024: Preview opening (the hotels and commercial facilities in the North District, part of Umekita Park, and other facilities opened)
- March 21, 2025: South Wing grand opening (the offices, hotels, commercial facilities, and other facilities in the South District opened)
- December 9, 2025: The North condominium building (Grand Green Osaka THE NORTH RESIDENCE) was completed
- November 20, 2026: Umekita Forest opens (about 8,400 m² of the Umekita Park North Park later-phase section)
- Around spring 2027: Umekita Park fully opens (about 2,200 m² of the area left unfinished this time opens)
- March 2028 (planned): The South condominium building (Grand Green Osaka THE SOUTH RESIDENCE) is scheduled for completion
- March 2028 (planned): Full opening of the entire district
