When Osaka hosted the 1970s world expo, it commissioned avant-garde artist Taro Okamoto to build an art centerpiece, resulting in a surreal, 70-meter structure called the Tower of the Sun.

The tower has since been the inspiration of punk artists, manga characters, and film directors. But it had fallen into disrepair, shutting the interior museum which houses a huge work called “The Tree of Life” off from the public.

Following a year of renovations, the tower is once again open to tourists. Daily visitors are limited to those with reservations, which can be made through the website taiyounotou-expo70.jp.

Tickets cost about B73 (250 yen) per person, which you’ll pay later at the entrance to the tower. The tower is at the Expo Commemoration Park on the outskirts of Osaka.

Credit: Miki Yoshihito Via www.Flickr.com

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