Tsūtenkaku Tower (aka Tower Reaching Heaven) is a well-known landmark in the Shinsekai of Naniwa-ku Osaka, Japan. The tower is 103 meters tall. The first tower was modeled after the Eiffel Tower in 1912 and was connected to the adjacent amusement park, Luna Park by aerial cable car. At that time, it was 64 meters and was considered to be second tallest structure in Asia. The original structure suffered a devastating fire in 1943 that basically damaged everything. Rather than rebuilding it, it was dissembled and the steel was used war purposes. After war, they decided to rebuild the tower. A private company, the Tsūtenkaku Kanko Co. Ltd. was created and Tachū Naitō were selected to design the tower. The new tower which was now 8 sided opened in 1956. The tower is also known for its neon lights, that change every few years. Now the neon lights have been replaced with LED lights. 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. The lights on top of the tower show tomorrow's weather by a combination of different colors. On the fifth floor perception deck is cherished Billiken, the God of Happiness or "things as they should be." Billiken, a prevalent American appeal doll that came to Japan in around 1910, was revered inside Luna Park when it opened. At the point when the recreation center shut in 1923, the wooden statue of Billiken turned up gone. As a piece of a push to restore the tower, a duplicate of Billiken was produced using an old photo and put inside the tower in 1979. The statue of Billiken got to be nearly connected with the tower and is a prevalent image of good fortunes. Every year a huge number of guests place a coin in his gift box and rub the soles of his feet to make their wishes work out as expected.
By: Jeida Parkinson
Source: Wikipedia
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