A rebuilt landmark
The original Tsutenkaku, completed in 1912, was loosely modelled on Paris's Eiffel Tower as part of the same development that created Shinsekai. It was dismantled during WWII, and the tower standing today is a 1956 rebuild — different in design from the original but occupying the same symbolic role at the centre of the district.
Billiken, the lucky statue
Inside, an observation floor holds a statue of Billiken, a grinning, pointy-headed good-luck charm figure originally created in the United States in the early 20th century that became unusually popular in Osaka. Tradition holds that rubbing the soles of his feet brings good luck, and the statue has become as much a symbol of Shinsekai as the tower itself.
The view
The observation deck gives a straightforward, elevated view over Shinsekai's low rooftops and lantern-lit alleys, with Abeno Harukas visible in the distance to the south — a useful way to see how the retro district sits against the modern skyline around it.