In the evening we decided to cut on actual sightseeing and have some fun. There was only one landmark left on our list: Tsūtenkaku, the “Tower Reaching Heaven”.

Tsūtenkaku

After seeing Osaka’s panorama from Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel during day and Umeda Sky Building during the early evening, we weren’t really feeling like going all the way up to see the same landscape from a different angle. Still, we just had to see the tower! It’s 103m height with observatory deck just a few meters below the top. We just took a few pictures of the amazing illumination and went on our way.

Tsūtenkaku Tower during late evening

Time for unusual supper!

Since it was getting late it was the highest time to find something to eat. We went to Izakaya that we found on our way to the tower -  it was a few meters from the exit of the subway station, on the left. Given the late hour it was the best place to find something to eat (with additional bonus of having some other customers). The food was really good, ordered straight from English menu with detailed pictures. We were able to try many things, since the dishes were small enough. I still fondly remember the drink I ordered: alcohol free cocktail with lots and lots of berries and sweet, fresh flavour.

That's just the first part of our supper but it was already delicious

Surprising details. 

There were two things I really liked in our evening trip, that wouldn’t seem like anything worth mentioning, but I still found them to become a fond memory. The first was the subway line we used to get to the tower. Sakaisuji line, marked as brown in every subway map, had a really nice cars. I’m not one of the train fans (although I’ve heard it’s a really popular hobby in Japan) and usually I don’t pay much attention to what type of vehicle I’m using as long as it’s comfortable enough, but those trains looked so retro, that it was really nice to use them. There was something in those shining walls made of fake wood and green seats looking like comfy sofas from trains in old movies, that just made me smile (even though, objectively speaking, it was a completely average subway train). Maybe it was how peaceful and clean it was, or maybe just that the seats were in my favourite colour, or maybe I was simply happy to be in Osaka, on a trip to see the very best of Kansai? And let's ot forget the station's stamp, which was simply beautiful!

Sakaisuji Line

Another tiny detail that made me smile was this part of the pavement that we found on our way to the tower - the colourful drawing on it was just such a pretty little thing to be found in the middle of the street.

Photo is a little blurry but you can still see the picture, right?

Time to go back

When we (finally) finished our supper, it was time to go back to our hotel. We took the Sakaisuji line again and were meet with a surprise: the last subway to our destination left a while ago. Fortunately it wasn’t so far away, so we simply took a 20 minutes walk, enjoying Osaka during the night.

Osaka's neighbourhood by night

We had a day full of adventure and new experiences: a domestic flight, trying to get the Kansai Thru Pass, eating a nice dinner in Namba Parks and then watching the city’s panorama from ferris wheel and Floating Garden Observatory to finally see the Tsūtenkaku and eat a great supper. Now it was the time for rest, but we still had a moment to catch some nice sights before we got to our capsule hotel (which was an adventure on its own).

Basic information:

Access: Subway Ebisucho Station, exit 3
Admission: adult 700 yen (Kansai Thru discount: 600 yen), collage student: 500 yen, age 13-18: 400 yen, children: 300 yen.
Open: 9am - 8.30 pm
How to get there: