The Glico Runner sign in Dotonbori, Osaka will be updated soon. Ezaki Glico announced that the current sixth-generation signboard is scheduled to finish its display at the end of November 2026, and the update project will begin in December. The seventh-generation sign is expected to debut in the spring of 2027. Visitors to Osaka in the near future should regard the current signage, the construction period and the debut of the new signage as three different stages. It is not appropriate to regard the new version in 2027 as an attraction that can be photographed now.
Cover image: 江崎グリコ株式会社
The first generation Dotonbori Glico sign in 1935. Image: 江崎グリコ株式会社The sixth generation Dotonbori Glico sign. Image: 江崎グリコ株式会社
Let’s look at the travel time first: there may be an update period at the end of the year
What the brand announced is the scheduled timetable, which does not mean that the complete design of the new version has been displayed to the public. If the main purpose is to take photos with runners beside Ebisu Bridge, you can check it before departure.Official update announcement of Ezaki Glico; The camera angle, construction surroundings and lighting status may also be adjusted according to the progress of the project.
For New Year’s Eve or winter travelers, this information is more practical than simply knowing “there will be new signs.” There are still rivers, bridges and streets in Dotonbori where you can walk, but the familiar advertising images may not remain the same, and the itinerary can retain other angles to view the city.
How did the neon tower in 1935 become the Glico runner of today?
The history of the runner image predates the Dotonbori signboard: the candy packaging launched by the brand in 1922 already used the runner image, and the first generation Dotonbori signboard was established in 1935. The early design featured tall towers and multi-colored neon displays. Later, after wartime demolition, reinstallation, and different forms of visual updates, it gradually became the familiar flat composition today.
Image of a runner on a Glico candy package from 1922. Image: 江崎グリコ株式会社The sixth generation Glico sign established in 2014. Image: 江崎グリコ株式会社
The second generation version in the 1950s combined stage and music performances; the third generation in the 1960s added large water sprays and colored lights. This change shows that the Glico runner was never just a pattern fixed on the wall. It was also an urban installation that combined machinery, lighting and street entertainment.
The second generation Dotonbori Glico sign. Image: 江崎グリコ株式会社The third generation Dotonbori Glico sign. Image: 江崎グリコ株式会社
From fixed composition to LED, what changes is the way of viewing
The fourth generation, which started in the 1970s, gradually established the identification of the track and runners; the fifth generation put Osaka Castle, Tsutenkaku and other urban scenery into the background. The sixth generation, launched in 2014, uses about 140,000 LEDs, allowing the picture to change with time and plans, and no longer completely relies on the lines of traditional neon tubes.
For design enthusiasts, it’s not just the runners’ poses that are comparable, but also how Osaka is represented in the background and how the lighting interacts with the river and surrounding signboards. The same brand character entering the city through different media will also change the way people stop, raise their cameras and share photos.
What will the new sign look like? We are still waiting for the official announcement
The seventh generation is scheduled to be unveiled in the spring of 2027, but the currently announced update schedule does not mean that all design details have been disclosed. Old-generation photos can be used to understand history, and cannot be directly used as schematic diagrams of new versions. It is also not appropriate to speculate on unannounced effects based on existing runways and LED forms.
This generation change provides an opportunity to look at landmarks again: the familiar background in the photo actually has age, media replacement and urban memory. If you happen to visit at the end of the sixth generation display, you can record the current version; if your trip falls after the spring of 2027, follow the official announcement to confirm the actual debut date of the new sign.
