Doubutsuenmae, The Osaka Butt Train Station

We’ve gone to a lot of great places in Japan, from fun local destinations like the Trick Art Museum to major historical sites iike those found in Nara. And if you follow this blog, you know we love animals like the ones found in the many animal cafes of Japan. People all over the world love animals, but the Japanese have a particular love of one aspect of God’s creatures in particular: animal butts.

This is Doubutsuenmae, a subway station in Osaka on the Midosuji line. Most train stations in the city have the same stuff: couple of platforms, bathrooms, vending machines, turnstiles, ticket machines, booth with an officially-dressed employee. Some larger ones, like Umeda and Namba, have shops and restaurants. But Doubutsuenmae stands alone because of its columns decorated with pictures of animals - of their butts, to be exact.

The name Doubutsuenmae roughly translates to “In front of the zoo.” This station is, you guessed it, near the zoo. It’s in the south part of town near Tennoji and the Shinsekai shopping area (where you can get delicious doteyaki), but isn’t one of the highest-traffic places in the city, so you’ll have to make a special effort to get here. The pictures of animals, in theory, remind everyone that the zoo and its animals are there. But these aren’t pictures of all the creatures roaming in their habitats and eating and what have you. There’s just pictures of their butts.

Rows of butt columns. You can see them from the train. Elephant butts and giraffe butts and zebra butts. Why? Shut up, that’s why. Just enjoy the butts.

We pass this stop on our way to get our hair cut (we travel an hour on the train to go to a fancy hair salon because that’s our idea of a good time), and it always elicits a laugh. I can’t help but think that in America, this wouldn’t fly, that someone would voice some complaint about a bunch of pictures of asses’ asses all over a train station, and that’s too bad. Japan has proven that butts are good, and pictures of animal butts are good, and this train station is good. Rejoice.

If you ever find yourself in Osaka, take some time out to visit Doubutsuenmae. It’s cheaper than going to the zoo, and you don't have to waste your time with the fronts of any animals. Instead, you get to focus on the important parts: their big ol’ juicy butts.