Tower of the Sun

During Japan’s Expo ‘70 the otherworldly Tower of the Sun jutted out of the top of the giant tent surrounding it. Now, after decades of neglect, the multi-faceted, wide-winged art building has been refurbished and is finally ready to once again open its doors and allow visitors into its mysterious presence.

Finished in 1970, the 230-foot-tall tower is not, in fact, a terrifying beast from beyond time and space, but the work of artist Tarō Okamoto. The designer built the structure to represent the past, present, and future in one fluid construction, so the tower features three distinct faces. The golden face at the top represents the future and features light-up eyes. The segmented face jutting out of the tower’s “chest” represents the present, while the rather ominous face on the back of the tower is a sign of the past. In addition to the faces, the tower also features two 80-foot-long wings.

The spacious interior of the tower has, on occasion, been even more strange. During Expo ‘70 the wide space inside featured a tall sculpture known as the “Tree of Life,” which reached up into the heights of the structure. Smaller sculptures were hung from the branches, creating a sort of psychedelic Christmas tree.

Once the world’s fair it was created for ended, the Tower of the Sun was locked up and left to the elements. The lights in its eyes died and the entire site began to fall apart. In recent years, restoration of the tower has brought the site back to life. New lights were installed, the interior Tree of Life was dusted off, and limited groups of people were finally allowed back inside. After years of touch ups, the Tower of the Sun is finally set up to enjoy permanently with 3-D illuminations during special event times, such as the winter holidays.

Update March 2018: On March 18, 2018, the inside of the Tower and the Tower of the Sun museum will open to the public.