Opened in 1993 and named one of the world's top 20 buildings, the Sky Building resembles a 40-storey, space-age Arc de Triomphe. Twin towers are connected at the top by a 'floating garden' (really a garden-free observation deck) with breathtaking 360-degree city views day or night. Getting there is half the fun – an escalator in a see-through tube takes you up the last five storeys, between the towers (not for vertigo sufferers). The architect, Hara Hiroshi, also designed Kyoto Station .
The building is reached via an underground passage, a short walk north of Osaka and Umeda stations.