Sakishima Cosmo Tower Observatory

Out on Osaka’s bayfront, the Sakishima Cosmo Tower lifts you 252 metres above the water for one of the widest views in Kansai. The observatory crowns one of the tallest buildings in western Japan, and because it stands apart from the downtown towers, nothing interrupts the panorama: city one way, open sea the other.

The view

A long escalator ride through the building’s glass crown delivers you to the top floor, where floor to ceiling windows run the full circuit. Eastward lies the entire sprawl of Osaka; on clear days the view stretches toward Awaji Island, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge and even Kansai Airport’s island runway. Sunset is the prize slot, when the bay turns gold and the city lights come up in sequence, and the observatory’s couches and cafe make lingering easy. It is markedly quieter than the city centre observation decks, which locals consider part of its charm.

Worth pairing

The tower stands in the Nanko port district near the Osaka ferry terminals, and it combines naturally with an afternoon at the Kaiyukan aquarium and Tempozan waterfront across the bay, or a low key evening away from the Dotonbori crowds.

Getting there

Take the Chuo subway line to Cosmosquare, transfer to the New Tram Nanko Port Town Line for one stop to Trade Center-mae, and the tower is a short covered walk away. From Namba the whole trip takes around twenty five minutes.

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