The Umeda Sky Building consists of two 40-story tall office buildings connected on the 39th floor as the Floating Garden Observatory. Visitors can see the surroundings of Osaka city indoors on the 40th floor, and on the open-air rooftop observatory above. Built in 1993, this 170m tall building was actually constructed as two separate towers, before the central observatory that connected the two buildings was slowly hoisted up from the ground floor all the way to the top, and then connected to the two towers.
While the observatory area is ticketed, the ticketed area only begins on the 40th floor. Visitors can take a glass elevator up to the 35th floor, where you can get pretty good views of the city from the elevator itself. Even more stunning is the aerial escalator that crosses the two towers through the air, from the 35th floor to the 39th floor. There’s also a retro-themed restaurant floor in the basement that is modeled to look like 1920s Osaka.
In general, a visit up to the top of the observatory is recommended for those who are a fan of city views. The ability to walk 360 degrees on the open-air deck is also breathtaking. For most though, going up till the aerial escalator portion is more than good enough for the views, and the escalator itself makes for a great photo spot.
