The view from the highest part stays my best memory from that whole night. The city of Osaka is in all directions, lights everywhere, buildings seem to last forever and almost disappear in the dark of the night.I spent too much time to get a good photo through the glass, but the reflections blocked everything, probably because of the strong light in the observation deck. Many of those observation decks that I visited in Japan got the same problem at night.
Even so, seeing the city from that height was the main reason for my trip over there, and it did not disappoint me.I visited the Tsutenkaku Tower at night, and the line outside already ran quite a lot. The whole tower was lit up with neon lights against the dark sky, so you could see it even from very far, like that I found it without need of directions. It stands in the Shinsekai area of Osaka, that old fun district since the start of the 1900s.
Then I reached the entrance area.
Night View of Osaka from Tsutenkaku Tower
The ceiling art inside surprised me. Flowers and birds covered the top in bright colors, and I never expected such decoration in something that I imagined simply a normal tower. Not so sure whether that artwork was part of the first building or it was added later.
The first Tsutenkaku was actually built in 1912 and rebuilt in 1956, so I guess that most of the inside you see today comes from the newer version.
While I went down some stairs to the entrance of the observation deck, helmets were all around, what first seemed strange, but I think that it connected to the Tower Slider. There got a long line to get in.
The Tower Slider is a tube slide, that runs down through the tower, and it looked quite fun. Traffic lights at the entrance showed when can go, which made me smile. I thought to try it, but the line was too long, and I wanted to reach the observation deck before it became too late.
Gachapon machines stood along the walls. Can find them at almost every tourist place in Japan. My friend back home gathers capsule toys and confirm would go through each of those.
Ema boards hung under some lanterns, where visitors write wishes on wooden plaques for memories. I always read what others wrote here. Some of them really are funny.
One whole inside area was a display about Kinnikuman, with art and things from the manga, plus a big character figure next to which can sit for photos. Think Kinnikuman got some connection to the Shinsekai area, but cannot know about the exact history.
A robot model of the tower with huge hands, cartoon posters, all those weird things packed the hallway spaces. Not always sure what half of that was about, but it gave the place much personality compared to other observation towers that I visited last time.
Then we went up with the elevator.
The Billiken statue is the main thing that all come to see up here. It shows a little figure with a big smile, that supposedly brings good luck, if you rub the bottom of its feet. Next to it is a whole collection of Billiken figures and things, in various sizes and styles.
It reminded me of similar deity statues that I saw last time during a trip to Tōdai-ji Temple in Nara, only much more silly.
From the windows of the observation deck can spot different landmarks across the city of Osaka. A poster on the wall helped to note spots in the distance, and I believe that I saw the Yanmar Stadium from where I observed, but at night was hardly sure.
The windows were quite big enough to give a wide view of the city below.
Higher up there was an outside area with net around it, and the wind hit you straightaway. The city lights showed through the net below, people stood around on the deck, only looking out.
From that height, Osaka at night is something totally different. You see the streets and all the buildings that stretch very far, and the whole city simply feels huge from up here. I could stay longer, but I already was here long enough.
During the going down, little models showed old Osaka street scenes with people in old costumes, tiny buildings, carts. One of them shows the Tsutenkaku Tower itself, everything lit in a dark room with little people walking around it. Cannot imagine how much time it took somebody to build all those tiny details.
More Billiken statues on different floors, with a Bishamonten statue in a display. The tower has much more than I expected actually. It does not stick to only the observation deck.
I saw the entry board during the going down that showed different deck choices in different heights.The staircase between floors had rainbow lights on the walls, that looked cool in the dark spot. Next to Shin-Imamiya Station, even the signs of the station also had pictures of the tower on them.
The shopping street under the tower was filled with people and glowing signs. Shinsekai at night noisy, bright and full of life.
When I looked back at the tower from the street, the whole thing glowed against the dark sky.
While I passed through the shopping street, I kept turning around to look at the tower one more time. The Hitachi sign on it, all those lights, people moving below. Shinsekai is one of those parts of Osaka that feels as if not much changed in years, and the tower at its center simply fits perfectly.
Not the tallest tower that I ever climbed, but for sure the one with the most character.
