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Tower of the Sun
The 1970 World Expo site, now a large park, with Okamoto Taro's Tower of the Sun at its centre and its interior open to the public since 2018.
The 1970 Japan World Exposition in Suita gathered the country's postwar confidence onto one site, and Okamoto Taro's Tower of the Sun stood at its centre, bursting up through the roof of the Theme Pavilion. Okamoto gave it three faces — one on the front, one on the crown, one on the back — and filled the hollow interior with a Tree of Life about 41 metres high, its trunk and branches carrying 292 model organisms that run from single-celled life through fish and dinosaurs to humans. When the expo closed the pavilions came down and the grounds became a park, but the tower was left standing and its interior was sealed. It stayed shut for close to half a century. Restoration reopened it to the public in March 2018.
Why it stays quiet
Visitors to Osaka rarely leave the Umeda–Namba axis, and in photographs the tower reads as a curiosity rather than a destination. In person it is 71 metres of unresolved strangeness standing alone in a very large park, and the interior — a dim shaft of coloured light and models — looks nothing like the outside suggests.
Background & history
Expo '70 was held in Suita in 1970, the first world exposition staged in Asia. Okamoto Taro designed the Tower of the Sun as the core of the Theme Pavilion, and it rose through the pavilion's roof. After the expo the grounds were laid out as the Expo '70 Commemorative Park and the tower — about 71 metres tall — was kept in place. Its interior, with the Tree of Life running up the hollow centre, stayed closed to the public for decades until restoration allowed it to reopen in March 2018. The tower is designated an Important Cultural Property.
What to look for
- The three faces
- A golden face on the crown, the Face of the Sun on the front and a black sun on the back — the tower reads differently from every angle.
- The Tree of Life
- Inside the hollow tower, a trunk about 41 metres high carrying 292 model creatures from protozoa to humans, with a stair winding up around it.
- The Japanese Garden
- A long garden built for the expo, running east to west through the park and moving through successive historical garden styles.
- The emptiness of the site
- The pavilions are gone; what remains is lawn, woodland and paths. The scale of what is missing is part of what the place now is.
How to enjoy it
Book the tower interior first and build the day around the slot — the park is large enough to absorb two hours on either side of it. The Natural and Cultural Gardens and the Japanese Garden share one ticket, and the Japanese Garden is the quieter half. Cherry blossom and the autumn colours are the two peak seasons, when the park also opens on days it would otherwise close. If you are riding the shinkansen the same day, Shin-Osaka to Senri-Chuo is only about fifteen minutes.
How to actually get there
- Osaka-Umeda → Senri-Chuo (Midosuji subway line, ~25 min).
- Senri-Chuo → Banpaku-kinen-koen (Osaka Monorail, ~6 min).
- Station → Central Gate and the tower (walk across the deck, ~5 min).
- Midosuji subway, then the monorail
- Osaka-Umeda →(Midosuji subway line, ~25 min)→ Senri-Chuo →(Osaka Monorail, ~6 min)→ Banpaku-kinen-koen Stn →(walk across the pedestrian deck, ~5 min)→ the Central Gate, with the tower straight ahead. Total about 40 minutes.
- Same route in reverse
- Monorail back to Senri-Chuo, then the Midosuji line to Umeda or Shin-Osaka. From Shin-Osaka the subway leg is only about 15 minutes, which makes this an easy stop on a shinkansen travel day.
Before you go
- Cash
- Park admission (Natural and Cultural Gardens plus the Japanese Garden) is ¥260 for adults and ¥80 for primary and junior-high students. Going inside the tower is a separate ticket booked in advance through the park's dedicated reservation site, with a timed entry slot — do not count on walking up, especially at weekends.
- Closing days
- The park and the tower are normally closed on Wednesdays, with exceptions during the busy spring and autumn seasons — check the official calendar for your date. Photography inside the tower is restricted in places; follow the staff's directions.
- Another way
- Hankyu users can take the Senri Line to Yamada and change to the monorail there, one stop away. EXPOCITY, a large shopping and entertainment complex, is directly across from the station if you have time to fill before a reserved slot.
- After you get off
- From Banpaku-kinen-koen Station, cross the pedestrian deck toward the park. The tower is already visible from the bridge, and the Central Gate is about five minutes on foot.