Tennoji Tower Editorial Photo

Tsutenkaku, the “Eiffel Tower of Naniwa,” rises up above Shinsekai, a shopping district with an old downtown atmosphere. Many tourists visit this tower throughout the year, to look out over Osaka from the observation deck, and to rub the feet of the Billiken statue for good luck. On the shopping street known as Janjan Yokocho you can enjoy kushikatsu (breaded and deep-fried food on skewers) or doteyaki (beef gristle stewed in miso paste and sweet rice wine), or play go, shogi, or smartball (a kind of traditional pinball) in an old-fashioned and working-class atmosphere.