Shinsekai, Commercial district in Ebisuhigashi, Osaka, Japan

Shinsekai is a district in Ebisuhigashi, Osaka, laid out in 1912 with a Paris-inspired northern half and a Coney Island-inspired southern half. Its centrepiece is Tsutenkaku Tower, a steel lattice structure painted in alternating light and dark horizontal bands, with a round observation deck and conical cap. An arch sign at the street entrance reads "OSAKA SHINSEKAI".

Shinsekai opened on 3 July 1912 on the former site of the 1903 National Industrial Exposition, with the first Tsutenkaku Tower and Luna Park; the tower imitated the Eiffel Tower on an Arc de Triomphe base. Luna Park closed in 1923. The tower was dismantled in 1943 after a fire and for wartime scrap metal, and the district was devastated in the March 1945 air raids. The second tower, designed by Tachū Naitō, opened on 28 October 1956.

The area is known for skewered foods fried in batter, and local eateries serve everything from vegetables to sweets on sticks. Many small restaurants hang red lanterns and invite guests to sit at long counters where cooks prepare orders in full view.

Reach the neighborhood by subway at Dobutsuen-mae Station, where the platform displays animal tiles on the walls. The lanes are easy to walk, and most shops and eateries open in the evening when the colored lights show best.

The area houses a large bathing complex with themed floors that alternate between genders each month. The complex offers European and Asian style baths, so visitors can experience different sections on separate visits.