Tsutenkaku Tower in Osaka (Osaka): Tower Slider, Dive & Walk, the Observation Decks and Billiken

Tsutenkaku Tower seen at the end of a covered shopping street in Shinsekai, Osaka (Osaka) — Tsutenkaku Tower from the Tsutenkaku-Hondori shopping street in Shinsekai, Osaka (Osaka).Photo: そらみみ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tsutenkaku Tower stands in the middle of Shinsekai, the old downtown of Osaka (Osaka), and it's more than a viewpoint. You can ride a 60-meter slide down the side of the tower, walk around its rooftop on a harness and "dive" from about 40 meters, step onto a see-through floor near the top, and rub the feet of Billiken, the tower's god of good luck. This guide sets out the prices, opening hours and age, height and weight limits from the tower's official pages, plus what to wear, where your bag goes, and what to do if it rains, so you can pick the experiences that suit you.

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What you can do: two decks at the top, Billiken, the Tower Slider and Dive & Walk
Prices, hours and the age, height and weight limits
Timed tickets, crowds, weather, clothes and lockers
Who should skip which experience, and what else to enjoy in Shinsekai

The tower at a glance

OSAKA-INFO, run by the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau, describes Tsutenkaku as a landmark tower of Osaka (Osaka) and a national registered tangible cultural property. The first tower opened in July 1912; the present one was rebuilt in 1956 and is 108 meters tall including the lightning rod. Everything in this guide happens on different levels of the same tower, so it helps to picture them stacked up:

What's at each height (not to scale)

Heights from the tower's official pages and the Japan Tourism Agency's English description of Tsutenkaku (checked October 4, 2026).

Looking down at the city streets through the see-through floor at the tip of a deck high on Tsutenkaku Tower — The see-through tip of TIP THE TSUTENKAKU, 92.5 m above the ground.Photo: anthodomi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

The observation decks and Billiken

One observation ticket covers both levels at the top. Since April 1, 2026 the tower sells the indoor decks and the open-air deck only as a set. According to the tower and the Japan Tourism Agency's English description:

Golden deck (87.5 m): an indoor deck decorated in gold, home to Billiken. OSAKA-INFO says the statue is said to bring good fortune to people who touch the soles of his feet. Billiken isn't Japanese in origin: he was created by the American artist Florence Pretz in the early 20th century.
Light deck (84 m): one floor down, with telescopes.
Tenbo Paradise (94.5 m): an open-air deck at the very top, with nothing blocking the view.
TIP THE TSUTENKAKU (92.5 m): a deck that sticks out 5.4 meters from the tower, with a see-through floor at the end.

Getting to the open-air deck involves stairs, so the tower asks people who have difficulty walking or who use a wheelchair not to go up to it, for safety. Food, drink and smoking aren't allowed there, and neither are tripods or monopods. In the basement, Wakuwaku Land has shops run by well-known snack brands, a handy stop for souvenirs.

Tower Slider: the 60-meter slide

The Tower Slider starts on the 3rd floor of the tower's middle section, 22 meters up, circles the elevator shaft one and a half times, and ends in the first basement floor, 4.5 meters below the ground, in about 10 seconds. The slope is about 30 degrees and the tube has a clear roof, so you look up at the tower as you go down. You ride in a sliding bag and wear a helmet. The tower's English terms say the whole experience takes about 30 minutes, longer when it's busy.

Who can ride: ages 7 to 65, at least 120 cm tall and under 120 kg. Children aged 7 to 12 must come with a guardian aged 18 or older.
Your things: smartphones, bags, hats and other accessories all go into the free lockers for the slider in the first basement floor.
Clothes: the terms say clothing that shows a lot of skin may touch the sliding surface, so take precautions.

My visit

I tried the Tower Slider myself. It's fast and short, but it's a fun memory. I went on a weekday during the summer holidays and waited about 30 minutes. Long pants are a good idea. I went with my kids, and my younger child couldn't ride because of the age and height limits, so check the limits before you go if you're traveling with children. At the end you get a receipt, and you can download a video of your ride from its QR code.

About the video: cameras record you at the start and at the finish, and the clips are joined into one video that you download with a QR code after the ride. When the slider opened in 2022, Daily Sports reported that the video is included in the slider fee; check on the day in case this has changed.

The tower's official limits for the Tower Slider: ages 7 to 65, at least 120 cm tall and under 120 kg, and children aged 7 to 12 must ride with a guardian aged 18 or older. For Dive & Walk the limits are ages 9 to 65 and at least 130 cm (see the chart below).

The tower's own terms say clothing that shows a lot of skin may touch the sliding surface, and ask riders to take precautions.

Dive & Walk: outside the tower on a harness

Dive & Walk has two parts. In the Walk, you wear a harness (a safety line) and go around the outer edge of the rooftop of the middle deck, 26 meters up, with obstacle-course style sections. In the Dive, you jump from about 40 meters and drop about 14 meters toward the deck below. A "Walk" only ticket is also sold. Check-in is not at the tower itself but at Tsutenkaku SATELLITE, 1-6-3 Ebisuhigashi, Naniwa Ward.

Who can join: ages 9 to 65, at least 130 cm tall and under 120 kg. Ages 15 and older may join on their own; children aged 9 to 14 must come with an adult aged 18 or older, who also needs a ticket.
Time: 40 to 60 minutes in total, including putting on and taking off the harness (about 30 minutes of activity).
Stairs: the route has more than 200 steps from the ground, and there's no elevator.
Your things: nothing in your pockets. Everything goes into the lockers on the 3rd floor of the SATELLITE. You can take your smartphone only in the tower's own case, for 500 yen per phone; photos are otherwise taken by the camera system on the route, which is included in the price.
Clothes and shoes: sandals, Crocs, heels, skirts or dresses can't be worn with the harness, but you can rent pants and shoes for 500 yen per person. A collar that shows a lot of neck may rub against the harness.
Restroom: you can't use the restroom while wearing the harness, so go before you put it on.

Prices and limits at a glance

From the tower's official pages and English terms of use (checked October 4, 2026). Prices are per person and may change; check the official site before you go.

Opening hours

What	Hours on the official pages
Indoor observation decks	9:00 to 21:45 (last entry 21:15)
Open-air deck (Tenbo Paradise, TIP)	9:00 to 21:45 (last entry 21:35)
Tower Slider	9:30 to 20:30 (last entry 20:00)
Dive & Walk (from September 1)	10:10 to 20:00 (last entry 19:15)

The tower says it announces changes to its hours and any temporary closures on its official X (Twitter) account, so check there on the day.

Tickets, timed entry and crowds

Every ticket at the tower now comes with a reserved entry time. The official site recommends buying online in advance: tickets bought by the day before let you go in at the time you chose. Passes and exchange vouchers are swapped for a timed ticket at the counter on the day. The tower warns that there can be a wait on the day, and that tickets can sell out from the evening onward, so leave plenty of time. Tickets can't be refunded or reissued, and once you leave the decks you can't go back in.

The tower's pages for the Tower Slider and Dive & Walk say that sightseeing tickets and coupons issued by travel agencies can't be used for them. If you want those two, the simplest way is the tower's official online ticket site.

OSAKA-INFO notes that Janjan Yokocho, the shopping street next to the tower, gets large tour groups on weekends and holidays, so a weekday and an advance ticket help if you want a quieter visit.

Rain, wind and cold

All three outdoor or semi-outdoor experiences can close without notice:

Open-air deck: may close in rain, strong wind or thick fog.
Tower Slider: may close or stop in heavy rain, lightning, strong wind or thick fog, and also when heat, cold, dryness, humidity or condensation makes it unsafe.
Dive & Walk: may stop in strong wind, lightning or heavy rain.

The indoor decks and Billiken are the reliable part of a rainy-day visit.

Who should skip what

The tower's terms say these people can't use the Tower Slider or Dive & Walk. Please take them seriously; staff can also stop anyone they think can't take part safely.

Both: pregnant guests; anyone who has been drinking alcohol; people with bone problems or physical or mental health concerns; people with visual impairments or difficulty using their arms or legs; people uncomfortable with heights, enclosed spaces or the dark.
Dive & Walk also: people with heart disease, high blood pressure or other existing medical conditions, and anyone not feeling well.
Tower Slider also: people who get motion sickness easily or are sensitive to flashing light.

Two practical tips follow from this. If you're planning kushikatsu and a beer in Shinsekai, do the slider or Dive & Walk first. And if heights aren't for you, the indoor decks and Billiken are still worth the trip.

Make an afternoon of Shinsekai

OSAKA-INFO traces Shinsekai back to the 5th National Industrial Exposition, held in the area in 1903; the first Tsutenkaku and the Luna Park amusement park followed. Today the streets around the tower are known for the giant pufferfish lantern sign and for Janjan Yokocho, a covered shopping street with kushikatsu restaurants, standing bars, and go and shogi clubs whose games you can watch through the windows. Before you sit down at a counter, read our guide to kushikatsu and the "no double-dipping" rule.

Smoking isn't allowed inside the tower or on the Dive & Walk route, and the streets outside are no-smoking too: see Osaka (Osaka)'s citywide street-smoking ban. Staying overnight? Osaka Prefecture charges an accommodation tax. More ideas on our Osaka (Osaka) destination page.

Getting there

OSAKA-INFO gives the tower's address as 1-18-6 Ebisuhigashi, Naniwa Ward, Osaka City (Osaka): a 3-minute walk from Ebisucho Station on the Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line, or a 6-minute walk from Shin-Imamiya Station on the JR Loop Line.

Last reviewed: October 4, 2026. Prices, hours and rules change, and the tower posts changes on its official site and X account. Please check them before you go.