Osaka Tower (通天閣 Tsutenkaku, or "Tower Reaching Heaven") is a well-known landmark of Osaka, Japan. It is located in the Shinsekai district of Naniwa Ward.
Its total height is 103 m: the main observation deck is at a height of 91 m.
The current tower is actually the second to occupy the site. The original tower, patterned after the Eiffel Tower, was built in 1912, and was connected to the adjacent 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 materiel.
After the war, citizens lobbied to rebuild the tower, and their efforts were finally realized when the modern Osaka Tower opened in 1956. It is now operated and maintained by a private company, Tsutenkaku Kanko Co. Ltd.
The tower is famous for its neon lights, which change every few years (they were shut off during the oil crisis of 1974-76). Hitachi has sponsored the 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.
There are two large colored lights on top of the tower, which display a coded weather forecast at all times. Two white lights indicate clear skies, two orange lights indicate clouds, and two blue lights indicate rain. When two colors appear together, it means that the two weather patterns will be intermittent.
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