Statue & Monument · Suita / Expo Park

Tower of the Sun 太陽の塔

Taro Okamotos 70-metre concrete giant from Expo 70, with three faces staring across Expo 70 Commemorative Park; inside, a 41-metre "Tree of Life" sculpture climbs through the tower, open by reservation.

About

Okamoto Taro, the volcanic avant-garde artist, built the Tower of the Sun as the theme pavilion of the 1970 Osaka Expo, punching it through the roof of Tange Kenzo's giant space frame. The roof is long gone, but the tower stayed, and its three faces, the golden Face of the Future at the top, the Face of the Present on the belly and the dark Face of the Past on the back, became a symbol of the region. After a restoration, the interior reopened in 2018: you climb stairs around the Tree of Life, a 41-metre sculpture hung with 183 models of creatures from single cells to dinosaurs and humans, lit in shifting colours. A fourth face, the Face of the Underground, was lost after the Expo, and a reconstruction is displayed at the base. Entry to the interior requires park admission plus a tower ticket, with daily numbers limited.

Highlights

• Three faces of past, present and future on a 70 m tower
• Interior Tree of Life with 183 creature models
• Reconstructed Face of the Underground at the base
• Icon of Expo 70, now a Registered Tangible Cultural Property

Tips

• Book the interior online in advance; daily capacity is limited and walk-ins are not sold when full.
• Photography inside is restricted to the lower level; check the rules at entry.
• The best exterior view is straight down the central path from the parks main gate.
• Combine with NIFREL and the Expo 70 Pavilion museum.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Expo 70 Commemorative ParkPark · 300 m away
• NIFRELZoo & Aquarium · 380 m away
• Redhorse Osaka WheelShows & Entertainment · 420 m away
• 109 Cinemas Osaka ExpocityMovie Theaters · 480 m away
• National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku)Museum · 890 m away
• Panasonic Stadium SuitaSports & Sumo · 970 m away
• Open-Air Museum of Old Japanese Farm HousesMuseum · 5.3 km away
• Hattori Ryokuchi ParkPark · 5.5 km away