Umeda Sky Building Tower

Among some of the must-visit attractions in Osaka, the Umeda Sky Building Tower is one not to miss. It will give visitors the opportunity to see the amazing Osaka skyline in 360 degrees.

This interesting building is also located in the Kita-Ku district, within walking distance of the Umeda and Osaka train stations. Standing at 173 meters (568 feet) tall, the Umeda Sky Building consists of two main towers connected on the 39th floor.

Visitors will head here as it houses the Floating Garden Observatory, which has an admission fee of  ¥700 per person.

As for what to do here, there is an open-top 360-degree viewing deck and an interesting souvenir shop. The rest of the building is occupied by businesses while there is an interesting Japanese food street called Takimi-kojion the ground floor. During any festive season, this place is bustling with activity.

As I visited this attraction in Osaka during Christmas, there were a lot of lights, local Japanese food, souvenirs and even Christmas snacks being sold by locals and foreigners at the local street market at the bottom of the building area.

During festive seasons, the building area is decorated according to the theme, and there is also the well-known love-locks section where couples can express their love by placing a message and securing a lock, a romantic gesture widely popularised in Japan.

During the Christmas period, there was a section dedicated to Christmas wishes, where visitors could write notes and wishes on gold or white star paper and hang them up.

The Times, a UK newspaper, also listed this magnificent building as one of the Top 20 buildings worldwide. Before going up to the main observatory deck, you will see a scaled replica of the building in a glass case.

Umeda Sky Building Information

• Open: 10:00 am to 10:30 pm (Entrance Open Till 22:00)
• Open: 7 days a week
• Tickets: ¥700 (When I visited in 2014), now it’s ¥2,000 per person
• Buy Tickets: Umeda Sky Building Website

Conclusion

Visitors to Osaka should not miss this opportunity to visit the Umeda Sky Tower, and it is best done in the mornings or just before evening, as this is one of the best places to see the beautiful Osaka sunset. This is also a lovely place to bring a loved one.

For timing, visitors can spend anywhere from 1 to 2 hours exploring this place. Getting here from the main train stations, it will take about 10 minutes to walk to the Umeda Sky Building Tower in Osaka.