Tsūtenkaku Audio Guide

Tsūtenkaku: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Tsūtenkaku

   Look up. That slender lattice tower rising above the streets of Shinsekai, in Naniwa Ward, Osaka, is Tsūtenkaku, written 通天閣 in Japanese. The name means the tower that reaches through to heaven. It is an observation tower belonging to the Nankai group, and it is one of the most recognizable symbols of Osaka. What you are looking at is actually the second Tsūtenkaku. The first one appeared in 1912, and the tower standing today was built in 1956. In 2007 it was registered as a Tangible Cultural Property, and its official mascot is a cheerful figure named Billiken. Over the next few minutes we will follow the tower from its first life as part of an amusement park, through its disappearance, to its return as a symbol of recovery. We will also look closely at its design, the clever details on its walls and legs, and the way it keeps working while it is being strengthened.

2. 02

   Tsūtenkaku and the Dream of Luna Park

   Our story begins in 1912, in the Meiji era. The first Tsūtenkaku was modeled on the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Osaka wanted its own tower reaching for the sky, and it chose one of the most famous structures in the world as its inspiration. The tower rose on land left empty after the Fifth National Industrial Exhibition of 1903, an event held to promote industry. On that same ground, Tsūtenkaku was built together with an amusement park called Luna Park. The two were linked by a ropeway, so visitors could travel between the tower and the park, and together they made a grand entertainment district. Ordinary Osaka residents took it to heart as a place to relax and enjoy themselves. That is the spirit behind Shinsekai, the neighborhood around you. It began as a place built for fun, and the tower stood at its center from the very start.

3. 03

   Gone, Then Rebuilt: A Tower of Recovery

   The first tower did not last. Luna Park closed in 1925. Then in 1943, a fire damaged Tsūtenkaku. It was not repaired. The structure was taken down, and its steel was put to other use. For more than 10 years, Osaka's skyline had no Tsūtenkaku. But people missed it. A citizens' movement called for its return, as a symbol of hope and recovery, and in 1956 the tower you see today was completed. Its designer was Naito Tachu, who built Tokyo Tower just two years later. That is why Osaka's city government describes the present tower as a symbol of the city's postwar reconstruction. It is not only a copy of an older landmark. It is the result of people deciding that their city should have its tower back.

4. 04

   Details to Spot on the Tower

   Start at the bottom. A city road runs directly beneath the tower, so the entrance level has four iron legs standing on all sides and straddling the road. Walk through and you are literally passing under the tower. Now look at the walls above the arms of the tower. Advertisements appear on three faces, but the west face, the one toward the city side, is kept free of ads as a public face. From 1957 to 1967 it carried a large thermometer known as the Mammoth Thermometer. Since then it has displayed rotating slogans from Osaka Prefecture, the Naniwa police station and the Naniwa fire station, including traffic safety messages chosen from entries by local junior high school students. The tower was also strengthened against earthquakes by the construction company Takenaka. The first plan would have closed the tower and nearby shops for about nine months. Instead, the work went ahead while everything stayed open. A work stage was built in the ceiling of the entrance, 8 meters above the ground, and all materials were brought in at night, after hours.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Tsūtenkaku is more than a viewpoint. Since December 2013, the route to the observation deck starts from the basement level, where the tickets are sold. On the way back down, the elevator stops at a floor devoted to the history of the tower and Shinsekai, with a diorama of the area in its early heyday and a short video of period photographs and footage. There is also a lighter side. The tower has a shop run by Glico, the Osaka confectionery company, with a Pocky-themed game and a photo spot featuring a brass Bell of Happiness hanging from the ceiling. Before you leave, walk once around the base and look up from each side. Notice which faces carry advertisements and which does not, and picture the first tower with its ropeway to Luna Park. The streets of Shinsekai below still have plenty of stories left to tell.