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The story
Kyodo News reports that “Myaku-Myaku Ward” — a proposed new ward name punning on the Expo mascot “Myaku-Myaku” — has been rejected as part of the Osaka metropolis plan’s ward-naming process. The official ward names are expected to be finalized within the month. On 5ch, the decision sparked debate over whether katakana (the script normally used for foreign loanwords) belongs in Japanese place names at all, along with discussion of other proposed names like “Uemachi Ward.” Some pointed to existing place names like Niseko Town and Minami-Alps City to argue that katakana place names are nothing new, while others countered that they simply couldn’t understand the urge to put katakana into Japanese place names. The thread’s focus ended up centering squarely on the taste behind the naming choices themselves.
Osaka Rejects “Myaku-Myaku Ward” — Osaka Metropolis Plan Ward Names Headed for Decision Within the Month | NEWSjp – Kyodo News
Published 2026/10/10 19:22:49
Updated 2026/10/10 19:39:05
Source: news.jp / Original article here
What people said
Niseko Town
Minami-Alps City
Niseko's fine, that one's from Ainu, but
Minami-Alps, though… really?
The legendary phantom "Minami Central City"…(´・ω・｀)
Using "Shitennoji" instead of plain "Tennoji" would sound cooler if you ask me
Honestly the Umeda area could just be "Myaku-Myaku Ward" too
And "Uemachi Ward" has a nice storied feel to it, covering everything from Osaka Castle down to the Uemachi area
What the heck is that, lol
Geographically, Ikuno would end up falling under Uemachi Ward anyway
I figure the whole Uemachi Plateau area could just go there
and give Nara "Sento-ku(n) Ward" (a pun combining "ward" [ku] with Nara's mascot Sento-kun)
Nara's population is too small to even have wards in the first place
Though "Todaiji Ward" would work fine too, I guess
Myaku-Myaku's actually still pretty popular even now
Not sure why, though
Kita
Naniwa
Tennoji
Now that actually sounds like Osaka
Though Tennoji could just as well be Abeno
Tennoji is really a station name — place-name-wise it's actually Abeno
Tennoji Station sits right at the very southern edge of Tennoji Ward anyway
Plenty of Osaka natives aren't too clear on where Abeno actually is either
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
The Osaka metropolis plan is a proposal to abolish Osaka City and reorganize it into multiple special wards — a plan that has already been rejected twice by referendum, in 2015 and 2020. The ward-naming proposal reported here is part of that same framework: “Myaku-Myaku Ward,” a pun on “Myaku-Myaku,” the official mascot of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, had been floated as a candidate but was ultimately rejected, with official ward names expected to be finalized within the month. What split the thread was the naming approach itself — some voiced discomfort with using katakana in place names, while others pushed back by citing precedents like Niseko Town and Minami-Alps City, arguing it’s “nothing to be surprised about at this point.” Questions were also raised about proposed ward boundaries like “Uemachi Ward,” specifically whether the actual geographic area matches what people picture when they hear the name. This article sticks to reactions to the naming proposals themselves and does not cover the broader political debate over whether the metropolis plan should go forward at all.
※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (News Flash+) thread “Osaka Rejects “Myaku-Myaku Ward” — Osaka Metropolis Plan Ward Names Headed for Decision Within the Month.”
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