An Osakanese, Taichi Sakaiya, a former bureaucrat and now novelist published the plan to establish the plan to have 10 big sightseeing areas in Osaka.

The biggest of the attractions will be the swimming pool in Dotonbori canal in 2015. How can you turn a canal a river ( see the pic). The plan is not suck the water out of the canal but put the floating swimming pool "on" the canal.

Dotonbori canal is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Osaka and also it is known that the local base ball team Hanshin Tigers wins the tournament some fanatic fans jump into it.

Almost every time when I am in Osaka on holiday or business, I go there but to be honest the canal water does not look so clean.

In 2003 one dead body found in the canal with a megaphone with the number 44 of Hanshin Tiger printed worn around his neck. The number 44 is the number of the Randy William Bass, an American baseball player who played in Hanshin Tigers when the team won the national competition in 1985.

The police suspects he must have jumped into the canal and drawn in 1985.

In February, 2013 the Okayama city mayor announced it will rename the city "Peach Boy city" after the legendary peach boy who was told to have lived in the city..But later it turned out to be a joke.

I wonder if this Dotonbori swimming pool story can be also a promotional joke. What do you think? Do you want to swim in Dotonbori canal?

Latest poll says around 80% of the people questioned say they do not want to swim in the pool...(in 2014)

<< Interested in swimming in this summer? Check our list of swimming pools in Tokyo area >>

When we read about this plan, everyone was excited to see the big swimming pool in the center of Osaka city, right?

As of 2017, we learnt that this plan was CANCELED. In 2013 the companies around Dotonbori area invested around 14 mil JPY to set up a special purpose company. 

The problems were two. One: there was not enough money to build the pool i.e. 3bil JPY. Two, no company wants to manage this project. So...pity but considering the possible big loss from Tokyo Olympic, we are more or less okay that this plan did not realise in the end.

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