Osaka's landmark Sky Building (1993) resembles a 40-storey, space-age Arc de Triomphe. Twin towers are connected at the top by a 'floating garden' (really a garden-free observation deck), which was constructed on the ground and then hoisted up. The 360-degree city views from here are breathtaking day or night. Getting there is half the fun – an escalator in a see-through tube takes you up the last five storeys (not for vertigo sufferers). The architect, Hara Hiroshi, also designed Kyoto Station.
Shutterstock / Martin Mette
Umeda Sky Building
Osaka
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
25.85 MILES
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26.04 MILES
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Nearby Osaka attractions
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Hiding in plain sight amid the skyscrapers of Umeda, this 1300-year-old shrine owes its fame to one of Japan's best-known tragic plays (based on true…
2. National Museum of Art, Osaka
0.96 MILES
Originally built for Expo '70, this underground construction by architect Cesar Pelli now houses Japan's fourth national museum. The building – like a…
1.05 MILES
A mid-1980s building incorporating some elements from the 1921 City Hall.
1.14 MILES
Built in 1911, this dramatic, red-brick neo-Renaissance building is an important cultural property.
5. Museum of Oriental Ceramics
1.22 MILES
This museum has one of the world's finest collections of Chinese and Korean ceramics, with smaller galleries of Japanese ceramics and Chinese snuff…
1.22 MILES
Japan's largest covered shopping arcade, which began as a wet market during the Edo period (1604–1868), stretches 2.6km over six blocks. The majority of…
7. Osaka Museum of Housing & Living
1.27 MILES
Two subway stops from Umeda, this museum contains a life-sized reproduction of an 1830s Osaka neighbourhood with shophouses, drug stores, an old-style…
1.45 MILES
Founded in the 10th century, this shrine is where Osaka students come to pray for success: it's dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, also known as Tenjin-san,…