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Humongous Open Water Opportunities Planned For Osaka

The prefecture and city of Osaka in Japan are moving forward with their plans to create a 1-kilometer 12-15m wide and 1.1-1.4m deep pool, called Pool Dotonbori. Scheduled to open in 2015, Pool Dotonbori will feature large spaces for advertising in order to subsidize the largest pool open to the public in a major metropolitan area.

The river water-fed pool will open on the 400th anniversary of the Dotonbori area and will feature open water swims and public swimming (¥1000 for the first hour and ¥500 for every subsequent hour).

The pool can also be rented out by events or sponsors for 200,000 yen (US$2,424) for 2 hours.

On a typical weekend, there are usually 100,000 people per day walking along the area and along the planned boardwalk. There will be POW (Pool Open Water) competitions in a very public setting.

The new-type of public exhibitions of open water swim will be endearing, exciting and entertaining for swimmers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

Open water swimming is definitely growing, but imagine the possibilities of the Pool Dotonbori are for 1+ km races in front of 100,000 spectators and a television audience in one of the largest cities in the world.

Concept image provided by Kyodo (共同).

A few years later…

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