Sun Tower

Sun Tower

The iconic Sun Tower of Expo '70 Commemorative Park stands at the center of the park, reaching approximately 65 meters in height with long arms about 25 meters long. Atop the tower sits a gleaming "Golden Face," while the front features the "Sun Face" and the back the "Black Sun"—three distinct faces in total. The Sun Tower is constructed from steel frame and reinforced concrete, with some parts made lighter through the use of sprayed concrete.

The "Golden Face" of the Sun Tower is created by affixing gold-colored film to a steel plate with a diameter of about 11 meters; the "Sun Face" is painted sprayed concrete on a fiber-reinforced plastic face mold with a diameter of approximately 12 meters; the "Black Sun," with a diameter of about 8 meters, is made by tiling Shigaraki pottery tiles in a mosaic pattern. The front "Red Lightning" and the back "Green Corona" are crafted from Italian glass mosaic tiles.

The Sun Tower was built as part of the theme pavilion for the 1970 World Expo and symbolizes the posture and vitality of endlessly growing humanity. The interior of the tower is hollow—during the exposition, it served as an exhibition space featuring a steel-made "Tree of Life" about 41 meters tall. The trunk and branches were adorned with 292 biological models of various sizes, showcasing the evolutionary process of life from amoebas and other primitive organisms to dinosaurs and eventually humans. After the Osaka Expo, the Sun Tower was preserved as a symbol of Expo '70 Commemorative Park.

Tower of the Sun

Why Visit: One of the most iconic symbols of the Osaka World Expo

Continent: Asia [Asia]

Country/Region: Japan [Japan]

Prefecture/State: Osaka Prefecture [Osaka Prefecture]

City: Osaka [Osaka]