Tower of the Sun - Osaka, Japan

34°48'35" N latitude, 135°31'56" E longitude


The Tower of the Sun is both a concrete tower and a work of art located in Expo Commemoration Park in Osaka, Japan. It was created by artist Tarō Okamoto for Expo '70. The tower has three sun faces: the face on the front represents the present; the face on top represents the future (looking forward); and the face on the back represents the past (looking back). The jagged red lines on the side of the tower represent thunder. The tower was originally housed in a larger building, with the top of the tower emerging through the top of the building. The building was removed in 1979, exposing the Tower of the Sun. The tower has been alternately open and closed throughout its history, and is currently closed for renovations until 2010.

Tower of the Sun:
Photo credit: Images courtesy of yohidore. These images are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Getting there:
The Tower of the Sun is located in the Natural and Cultural Park, the portion of Expo Park north of the highway. To get there, take the main line of the Osaka Monorail to the Bampaku-kinen-kōen Station (station 17). Emerge from the station, walk 700 feet to the east, then cross the highway over a pedestrian bridge. The entrance fee for the Natural and Cultural Park is 250 Yen for adults an 70 Yen for kids. Some of the facilities within the park require additional fees.

Explore the Tower of the Sun:

• Wikipedia - Tower of the Sun
• Google image search - "Tower of the Sun"
• Map of Expo Commemoration Park
• Osaka Prefecture - Expo Park
• Hiroyuki Kitada - Tower of the Sun