The Tower of the Sun 太陽の塔

La tour du soleil en automne

The Sun Tower in Autumn

Flick/ 432__P

A timeless work

 

Created by the Japanese artist Taro Okamoto, the Tower of the Sun is to the 1970 Universal Exhibition what the Eiffel Tower is to the 1889 Exhibition: a symbol! Now located in the Memorial Expo Park in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, the tower was long closed to the public. In March 2018, it finally reopened its doors...

 

 

Symbol of the 1970 Universal Exhibition

The 1970 Universal Exhibition was held in Suita in the suburbs of Osaka . A first for Japan, which had never had the chance to host the illustrious event until then.

 

In a period of technological expansion, the exhibition saw its participants compete in ingenuity. And in particular the host country, whose theme ''Progress and Harmony for Humanity'' has inspired many futuristic works.

See also: Universal Exhibition Memorial Park

 

The tower during the exhibition in 1970

The tower during the exhibition in 1970

japaninfo.com

 

A philosophical work...

True to the theme of the exhibition, the Tower of the Sun is a veritable ode to progress .

 

Composed of a trunk 70 meters high by 20 meters in diameter , the white structure has two arms 20 meters long and three enigmatic faces which symbolize the passage of time: a black face located at the back of the tower, called ''the black sun '' to represent the past , ''the face of the sun'' , a face in the hollow of the arms of the statue which symbolizes the present , and ''the golden mask'' , a golden face located at the top of the work whose wide-open eyes light up at night to represent the future .

 

Also note that another face was present at the time of the Universal Exhibition , ''the underground sun'' , a face placed in the basement of the tower that was removed from the composition just after the exhibition to be able to move the work more easily.

 

But the highlight of the show was undoubtedly the interior of the tower, which housed a work just as intriguing as the tower itself: the tree of life.

 

L'arbre de vie

The tree of Life

AsahiShinbun.jp


Address, timetable & access

  • Address

  • Timetable

    a few minutes walk from Bampaku-kinen-koen station (Osaka-monorail). From Osaka, take the Tanimachi line from Temmabashi station, and change to the Osaka-monorail at Dainichi station
  • Price

    adult 700 yen (5.50 euros), child 300 yen (2.37 euros), to be reserved in Japanese on the official website of the commemorative park of the exhibition
  • Access

    10am-5pm
  • Website

    https://reserve.taiyounotou-expo70.jp/reservation.php

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