Osaka Underground

What?
The Maishima Incineration Plant (舞洲焼却工場見) in Osaka (大阪) is a waste treatment facility that looks more like a castle from a fairy tale than a factory. The building was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser and has a sibling standing mere meters away in the form of the Maishima Sludge Center (舞洲スラッジセンター). The incineration plant can be visited free of charge; the only thing you need to do is make a reservation. And then stick to it. A guided visit does not happen in large groups, but rather in the number of people you made the reservation for. You will be taken both outside and inside the building, allowing you to admire the aesthetic look as well as the internal workings of the plant. The Osaka City Sewerage Science Museum (大阪市下水道科学館) stands a few kilometers away and is a cute little place where kids can learn more about sewers, water treatment, and its importance. Equally free, the biggest hurdle is how to combine it with the plants.
Where?
The Maishima Incineration Plant, the Maishima Sludge Center, and the Osaka City Sewerage Science Museum are all located in Osaka’s Konohana Ward (此花区), better known for having hosted the recent World Expo. There are a few options to reach the incineration plant. Once an hour, a bus departs from near Nishikujo Station (西九条駅) on the JR Loop Line (環状線). Hop on bus No. 81 towards Maishima Sports Island (舞洲スポーツアイランド) and get off at Konohanaohashi-Nishizume (此花大橋西詰). Alternatively, you can take the Maishima Active Bus — which is barely promoted and does not show up on Google Maps — from either USJ or JR Sakurajima Station (桜島駅). This bus runs three times an hour and stops right in front of the incineration plant’s entrance (the Kankyo Shisetsu Kumiai-mae 環境施設組合前 bus stop). The Osaka City Sewerage Science Museum is a 7-minute walk from Yodogawa Station (淀川駅) on the Hanshin Line (阪神戦). If you’re trying to combine it with a guided tour of the plant, head back to Nishikujo and then take bus No. 82, alighting at the Takami Itchome bus stop (高見一丁目).
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Japan 2 Earth IF Design

The first time I laid eyes upon the Osaka Incineration Plant while driving past it on the highway, I—like apparently many others—mistook it for Universal Studios Japan. It sounds more stupid than it is. Driving on that highway, the chimneys are the first thing that catches your eye. The thing is: they don’t look like chimneys, but rather resemble towers from a Disney movie (Rapunzel springs to mind).
On that same highway, in the exact same spot, if you just turn your head 180 degrees, you might notice a roller coaster tucked away somewhere between green and concrete. That’s the real USJ.
But back then, more than USJ, the incineration plant piqued my interest, and I vowed to take a closer look.

And lucky me! All you need to do is make a reservation and you can get a free tour of the plant. Because the tours only take place on weekdays, and because spots get filled rather quickly, it took me longer than I had in mind—but eventually the day had come!
I invited some friends and together we headed for the plant. Well… one of the two plants. Both are located right next to each other, and the website wasn’t really clear about which plant to go to. They also both look equally fantastic, so we just headed to the one closest to the bus stop.
It’s a task to enter the building. Not because the entrance is difficult to find or anything, but because the building looks so whimsical that you want to keep staring at it. The first floor (ground floor) was equally uniquely designed, with a large display of what looked like a sewer system. We went to the info desk on the 3rd floor—where a startled employee in an incredibly plain-looking office informed us that we were in the sludge plant, and that the tour would take place in the other plant across the road.

We hurried over there, not without again staring at the fascinating exterior of the—this time correct—plant. I was very surprised to notice the guide waiting outside for us. I was even more surprised that we received a private tour for our small group of four—other, bigger groups all got another guide for themselves.
The guide was laid-back and took his time, partly because the group scheduled behind us had canceled—so we had ample time.
I didn’t know what I was expecting. Not much, I suppose. Maybe a short video on how the plant works, maybe a short introduction of the architect… but this was an extensive two-hour tour where the whole workings of the plant were not only explained, but also shown, as it was built with tours like this in mind. Additionally, apart from some of the pictures in the entrance hallway, everything was very well maintained and up to date. I found this tour extremely interesting and was glad my companions thought likewise. It is actually something I would really recommend to anyone visiting Osaka!

View from the mistakenly visited Sludge Center.

In and out its fantastical entrance...

...and then heading for the correct Incineration Plant.

The workers wait for visitors to move garbage around.

…
Only… the tour is only in Japanese. The guides are retired plant workers and, while very friendly, do not speak a word of English.
Also, as the tour is free of charge, many apparently abuse the system by booking and then failing to turn up. So if you are interested, make sure you bring someone who can interpret, and by all means, don’t waste anybody’s time by not showing up!

As an aftermath, I also visited the Osaka City Sewerage Science Museum, equally in Osaka’s Konohana-ku, but pretty much out of the way and difficult to reach.
It’s a great little modern museum, though it is aimed mostly at children. Still, if you’re in the neighborhood, feel free to drop by; as with the incineration plant, it’s totally free.