Tsutenkaku Tower

In front of you rises Tsutenkaku, the tower of Shinsekai, the "New World". Its name was coined by the scholar Fujisawa Nangaku and means something like "the building that reaches to heaven".

1Paris and Coney Island in Osaka

In 1903 the Fifth National Industrial Exhibition was held on this land and drew millions of visitors. Afterwards, an entertainment district was planned on two models: Paris to the north and Coney Island to the south. Shinsekai opened in 1912 with an amusement park, Luna Park, and a first Tsutenkaku that evoked the Eiffel Tower perched on an Arc de Triomphe.

2The second tower

In 1943, after a fire, the first tower was dismantled and its steel handed over to the war industry. Locals never forgot it, and in 1956 the current one opened. It was designed by Naitō Tachū, the engineer who also designed Tokyo Tower. It stands 100 meters tall, 108 with the lightning rod, and since 2007 it has been a registered Tangible Cultural Property.

The observation deck is home to Billiken, a grinning god created in 1908 by the American Florence Pretz. Rubbing the soles of his feet is said to bring good luck.

The first Billiken statue arrived with Luna Park in 1912, vanished when the park closed and was replaced in the late 1970s.

3What to look for

• The observation cabin at the top of the steel frame.
• The Hitachi sign, there since 1957.
• The Billiken figures dotted around the shops.