Tsūtenkaku, Observation tower in Shinsekai district, Osaka, Japan
Tsūtenkaku is a steel observation tower in the Ebisuhigashi district of Osaka, rising to a height of 108 meters and comprising six floors above ground. An observation deck sits at 91 meters and offers a wide view over the surrounding neighborhoods of the city.
The original tower from 1912 was dismantled during World War II, and the current structure designed by Tachu Naito opened in 1956. The new construction became a landmark of postwar reconstruction in Osaka during those years.
On the fifth floor sits a Billiken statue, whose feet visitors touch after placing coins in a donation box to receive good fortune. The gesture belongs to the fixed rituals that locals and travelers alike perform when visiting the tower.
The tower opens daily from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM and stands a three-minute walk from Ebisucho Station on the Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line. Visitors find signs in several languages that explain the route to the observation deck and to the different floors.
LED lights at the top of the tower function as a weather beacon and display the forecast for the next day through different colors. The colors change according to a fixed code that locals know and can read when glancing upward.
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