From baseball to running shoes
In Osaka, everything moves fast, trains, trends, and people. But finding space to run in Japan’s second-largest city? That’s a different challenge. The solution came from an unexpected place: the roof of a shopping mall.
Built on the grounds of the former Nissay Baseball Stadium, the Morinomiya Q’s Mall Base carries the spirit of sport in its DNA. Where crowds once cheered for home runs, residents now jog laps around the skyline. When it opened in 2015, the project made headlines as Japan’s first “runnable shopping center.”
At its heart lies the AirTrack a 300-meter rooftop running track that loops across multiple levels, complete with bridges, green terraces, and breathtaking views of Osaka Castle. The best part? It’s free for everyone. No ticket, no membership, just open access to movement.
The AirTrack: a city on the move
The AirTrack isn’t just one lane, it’s three.
- A running lane for everyday athletes.
- A walking lane for casual visitors.
- A fitness lane for stretching and circuit training.
Together, they form a living circuit that connects the city’s energy with its people. Every turn reveals a new view of Osaka’s skyline, while soft astroturf underfoot absorbs both impact and stress. At night, the track glows in green light, a floating ring of vitality above the retail buzz below.
And the innovation doesn’t stop there. The mall also features two futsal courts, a climbing gym, and a fully equipped fitness center, making it a true wellbeing complex, not just a place to shop.
Where retail meets wellbeing
Q’s Mall was designed by Tokyu Land Corporation with a radical idea: Shopping centers shouldn’t only sell, they should revive.
By integrating sport and recreation into a commercial environment, they flipped the traditional retail model. Instead of passive consumption, the mall promotes active participation. Instead of just waiting for your partner to shop, you can literally run laps while they browse.
The rooftop’s vibrant atmosphere has turned the mall into a gathering point for runners, families, and office workers alike. It’s a place where commerce and community coexist, proof that vitality can be built into the everyday rhythm of urban life.
“In Osaka, we didn’t just build a mall, we built movement into the city.”
A design born from heritage
What makes this project distinctly Japanese is its balance between innovation and respect for legacy. The site’s baseball past wasn’t erased; it was reimagined. The circular AirTrack subtly echoes the shape of the old stadium, preserving the sense of continuous motion that once defined the place.
The rooftop structure uses lightweight materials and modular turf systems to minimize load on the existing building. Transparent fencing keeps runners safe without blocking sunlight or views, while native plants add texture and shade along the route.
The design is understated, efficient, and deeply human, the hallmarks of Japanese urban design.
“Above Osaka’s skyline, movement became the heartbeat of a city that never stands still.”
Movement as public good
One of the project’s most remarkable features is its open accessibility. The AirTrack is not reserved for paying customers or fitness members, it’s open to everyone in Osaka. That simple choice transformed the mall into a public wellness zone, blurring the line between private property and public space.
For a city known for its density, this gesture carries real social weight. Families use it for evening walks, students for workouts, office workers for quick runs between meetings. The AirTrack has become a shared ritual, a rhythm that unites people above the traffic and noise.
What cities can learn from Osaka
Morinomiya Q’s Mall is more than a clever reuse of a roof. It’s a prototype for the next generation of urban wellbeing spaces, places where health, design, and community converge naturally.
Three lessons stand out for cities everywhere:
- Reuse before rebuild. Transform what exists, from stadiums to shopping centers, into active spaces.
- Make movement visible. When people see others being active, they are inspired to join.
- Keep access open. True innovation includes, not excludes.
From baseball to running, from consumption to connection, Osaka’s Q’s Mall shows how cities can evolve without expanding. By lifting sport above the streets, the project made vitality visible again.
It’s not just a rooftop; it’s a symbol of urban rebirth. A place where a city known for its energy found a new way to express it, step by step, loop by loop.