This trippy, grove-like cluster of metallic towers is used to supply fresh air to the underground Whity Umeda shopping centre. Sitting right in the middle of Osaka, flanked by giant department stores and surrounded by heavily trafficked streets, the structure features a gently curved silhouette that makes it feel almost organic. This aspect gets enhanced at night, when the tower is lit up (sometimes in vivid colours) and appears to hover above the ground.
The structure was built in 1964 according to a design by Togo Murano, an architect known for his work on Tokyo’s Nissay Theatre and the Memorial Cathedral for World Peace in Hiroshima. Murano’s buildings are relatively common in the Kansai area, where the architect was born and where he spent most of his life, but the Intake Tower is perhaps his quirkiest creation.
Note that there’s no pedestrian crossing to the tower, which is best viewed from the deck connecting JR Osaka Station and the Hanshin Umeda department store.