Unspecified/General

The tower called Tsutenkaku, a name that can be rendered as the tower reaching to heaven, stands at the centre of the old Shinsekai district of Osaka and has become an emblem of the city's downtown, working-class character. The present steel tower, rising about 100 metres, dates from 1956, a postwar rebuild of an earlier structure put up in 1912 that had combined echoes of the Eiffel Tower with a replica of a Parisian arch below; that first tower was dismantled during the Second World War when its steel was needed for the war effort. The observation decks give views across the closely packed streets of southern Osaka, and the tower is famous for a small gilded statue at its heart, Billiken, a quirky good-luck figure with a pointed head and a knowing smile whose feet visitors rub for good fortune. The tower's lighting has long served as an informal weather forecast for the neighbourhood, changing colour to signal the next day's conditions. Around its base, the Shinsekai quarter is known for its retro atmosphere, cheap eateries and the local deep-fried skewers called kushikatsu, making the tower the focal point of one of Osaka's most characterful districts. The original tower of 1912 was the pride of the Shinsekai, or new world, district, a pleasure quarter built in imitation of the great cities of the West, with the tower modelled on the Eiffel Tower standing above a base inspired by a Parisian triumphal arch, linked to a nearby amusement park by an aerial cableway. That first structure was damaged by fire and finally pulled down during the Second World War so its steel could be used for armaments, and for a decade the district was without its landmark until local residents raised the funds to rebuild it in 1956. The good-luck figure Billiken enshrined in the tower has an unusual history of its own, an American novelty charm of the early twentieth century that became wildly popular in Osaka and has remained a local mascot ever since. The tower's coloured night lighting, long used to forecast the next day's weather, is a quirk that locals know by heart. Around its base, the Shinsekai has shed its earlier rough reputation to become a much-loved survival of old downtown Osaka, its lanes crowded with glowing signboards, game parlours and stalls selling kushikatsu, making Tsutenkaku the proud centrepiece of one of the city's most atmospheric quarters.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: 1-18-6 Ebisuhigashi, Keihanshin, Japan

Website: https://www.tsutenkaku.co.jp

Opening Date: 28/10/1956