TSUTENKAKU TOWER
Tsutenkaku Tower is a well know Osaka attraction with
an observation deck. Tsutenkaku Tower is styled after the Eiffel
Tower.
Tsutenkaku Tower (通天閣 Tsūtenkaku), lit. "Tower Reaching
Heaven", owned by Tsutenkaku Kanko Co., Ltd. is a well-known
landmark of Osaka,
Japan and
advertises Hitachi, Ltd. It is located in the
Shinsekai district of
Naniwa Ward, Ebisu Higashi 1-18-6.
Tsutenkaku Tower
Tsutenkaku Tower has total height is 103 m: the main observation
deck is at a height of 91 m.
The current Tsutenkaku Tower is actually the second to occupy the
site. The original Tsutenkaku Tower, patterned after the Eiffel
Tower, was built in 1912, and was connected to the adjacent
amusement park, Luna Park, by an aerial cable car. It quickly became
one of the most popular locations in the city, drawing visitors from
all over the area. The Japanese government dismantled the tower in
1943, believing that it would serve as a reference point for
American bombing raids on Osaka: the iron in
the tower was melted down and used for war material.
After the war citizens lobbied to rebuild the beloved tower. A
private company, the Tsutenkaku Kanko Co. Ltd. was established and
on October 28, 1956, the second-generation Tsutenkaku Tower was
opened.
Tsutenkaku Tower
On the fifth floor observation deck is enshrined Billiken, the God
of Happiness or "things as they ought to be." Billiken, a popular
American charm doll that came to Japan in about 1910, was enshrined
within Luna Park when it opened. When the park was closed in 1923,
the wooden statue of Billiken went missing. As a part of an effort
to revive the tower, a copy of Billiken was made from an old
photograph and placed inside the tower in 1979. The statue of
Billiken became closely associated with the tower and is a popular
symbol of good luck. Each year thousands of visitors place a coin in
his donation box and rub the soles of his feet to make their wishes
come true.
Tsutenkaku Tower is also famous for its neon lights, which change
every few years (they were shut off during the oil crisis of
1974-76). Hitachi has sponsored Tsutenkaku Tower since 1957, and the
light designs usually spell out Hitachi advertisements, although one
side of the tower is usually occupied by a public service
announcement.
Tsutenkaku Tower Access
JR West, Osaka Loop Line and Yamatoji Line, Shin-Imamiya
Station, East Exit (10 minute walk)
Nankai Railway, Nankai Main Line and Koya Line, Shin-Imamiya
Station, East Exit (10 minute walk)
Osaka Municipal Subway Sakaisuji Line (brown line), Ebisuchō
Station, Exit 3 (3 minute walk)
Osaka Municipal Subway Midosuji Line (red line), Dobutsuen-mae
Station, Exit 5 (10 minute walk)
Hankai Tramway, Hankai Line, Ebisucho Station (3 minute walk)
Article based on
Wikipedia article and used under the
GNU Free Documentation License)
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