Hirakata Shuku, or the post town of Hirakata, was a station on the Osaka Kaido, a branch of the Tokaido highway that connected Edo (now Tokyo) and Kyoto during the Edo period (1603–1867). A bustling travel intersection, it encompassed numerous inns, merchants’ houses and warehouses, all catering to the entourages of lords who were required to travel regularly between the capital and their respective provinces.
A few traces of that era remain in present-day Hirakata. Some of the traditional townhouses have been renovated and turned into restaurants and guest houses. The building that once housed the Kagiya, one of the town’s premier inns for travellers waiting for a ship to take them down the Yodo River, is now a museum detailing the history of Hirakata Shuku.
On the second Sunday of every month, a market takes over the historic stretch of road between Hirakatashi Station and Hirakata-Koen Station. Some 200 stalls are set up, with sellers dealing in everything from vintage accessories to baked goodies.