Tsutenkaku Tower
The "Tsutenkaku Tower" is a landmark tower of Osaka and registered as a national tangible cultural property. If you go to the golden observation platform where you can have an entire view of the hustle and bustle of Osaka, you will meet the “Billiken” statue that is said to bring good fortune to those who touched the soles of his feet.
The original tower was built in July 1912 as a symbol of an entertainment facility called Luna Park, and was made to look like the Eiffel Tower was on top of the Arc de Triomphe. It measured about 75 meters tall and was the tallest building in the East at the time, with the name literally meaning “a tall building leading to the heavens.” Due to a fire in January 1943, the original Tsutenkaku was dismantled. Later in 1956, the 2nd Tsutenkaku was rebuilt with the backing of the local residents. The 2nd tower was 108 meters tall, including the lightning rod. The designer was Tachu Naito, who was also the designer of Tokyo Tower which was being built during the same period. In recent years the tower continued to evolve as it added a special outdoor observation platform and the Tower Slider.
Basic information
- Business hours
- 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM(admissions until 7:30 PM)
- Holidays
- Open year-round
- Price
- Adults ¥1000, elementary and Junior high school students ¥600, free admission for infants
- Access
- 3-minute walk from Ebisucho Station on the Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line,
or a 6-minute walk from the Shin-Imamiya Station on the JR Osaka Loop Line
- Address
- 1-18-6 Ebisuhigashi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka-shi
- Telephone
- 06-6641-9555