The is a tall

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

located in Rinku Town, Izumisano,

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

, Japan. The 56-

storey A storey (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) or story (American English), is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for living, work, storage, recreation, etc.). Plurals for the wor ...

building was completed in August 1996, following the design of ' and Yasui Architects & Engineers. It is currently the fourth-tallest building in Japan, after Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower, Abeno Harukas and Yokohama Landmark Tower. The tower is split into three vertical sections: the lowest section contains an international conference hall, the middle contains business offices, and the top and slimmest section is the Gate Tower Hotel. The hotel is in a convenient location for travellers, as it anchors the Sky Gate Bridge leading to the

Kansai International Airport Kansai International Airport (), commonly known as Kankū (; ), is the primary international airport in the Keihanshin, Greater Osaka Area of Japan and the closest international airport to the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is located on ...

and is connected to the JR

Hanwa Line The is a commuter rail line in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, owned and operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The 61.3 km (38.1 mi) line runs between Osaka and Wakayama, Japan and has a 1.7 km branchline ...

and

Nankai Main Line The is one of the two main railway lines of Japanese private railway company Nankai Electric Railway, together with Nankai Kōya Line, Kōya Line. The route is from Namba Station in south downtown of Osaka to Wakayamashi Station in Wakayama, Wa ...

Rinkū Town Station. The 26th floor serves as an observation level which gives views of the

ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

, Sky Gate Bridge, and the

Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a big wheel, giant wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondola ...

of Rinku Town. The building has two underground floors which are used as a 365-space car park. The building contains offices, shopping malls, retail, a department store and the Star Gate Hotel Kansai Airport hotel that occupy levels 29-54. An

observation deck An observation deck, observation platform, or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure, such as a skyscraper or observation tower. Observation decks are sometimes enclosed from we ...

on the 54th floor features a 360-degree view over the airport, the Kansai Kokusai bridge, and the Rinku Carnival.

History

The Rinku Gate Tower Building was conceived in the mid-1980s during the planning of

. Originally, the plan was to build twin towers on the site, which would form a "gate" facing the airport. By the time construction began in 1992, the

Japanese asset price bubble The was an economic bubble in Japan from 1986 to 1991 in which real estate and stock market prices were greatly inflated. In early 1992, this price bubble burst and the country's economy stagnated. The bubble was characterized by rapid acceler ...

had collapsed and the plan to build the second tower was scrapped. During the building's first few years of operation, its office area was largely vacant, given its distance from central Osaka and the under-utilization of the airport. In 1999, the government of

Osaka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Osaka Prefecture has a population of 8,778,035 () and has a geographic area of . Osaka Prefecture borders Hyōgo Prefecture to the northwest, Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Nara ...

moved a number of functions into the building, including a passport office. The building's hotel was originally part of the ANA Hotels chain as the ANA Gate Tower Hotel, and was operated by an affiliate of

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a Japanese airline headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. ANA operates services to both domestic and international destinations and is Japan's largest airline, ahead of its main rival flag carrier Japan Airlines. the airline has approximate ...

. The hotel operating company filed for

liquidation Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a Company (law), company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as :wikt:wind up#Noun, w ...

in 2005, which caused its parent company, the building operator, to file for restructuring several months later. A group of investors led by

Shinsei Bank is a leading diversified Japanese financial institution that provides a full range of financial products and services to both institutional and individual customers. It is owned by SBI Holdings, SBI Group and headquartered in Chuo, Tokyo, Chuo, ...

and Kennedix purchased the building at the end of this process for . From 2005 to 2011, the ANA Gate Tower Hotel was managed by a company 90% owned by Osaka Prefecture. The company ran an operating deficit of 150 to 400 million yen per year and eventually became insolvent. Osaka governor Tōru Hashimoto pushed to privatize the hotel, and in July 2011 management was transferred to Dancin' Diner, a

Kansai region The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropol ...

restaurant chain, with the hotel being renamed "Star Gate Hotel Kansai Airport." An affiliate of the Hong Kong-listed company SiS International Holdings purchased the building in December 2012 for 3 billion yen as its first real estate investment in Japan.S'pore firm buys second tallest Japan skyscraper - ANN
Asianewsnet.net (2013-01-18). Retrieved on 2014-06-23.

Floors

* 55-56: Observatory * 53-54: Restaurant * 34-52: Hotel guest rooms * 29-33: Ballrooms and hotel facilities * 10-29: Office * 7-9: Clinic, showroom * 3-6: Banquet hall * 1-2: Lobby, retail * B2-B1: Parking

References

External links

Official website
* {{usurped,
Emporis.com
} – Building ID 105197

Skyscraper office buildings in Japan Skyscraper hotels in Japan Office buildings completed in 1996 1996 establishments in Japan Skyscrapers in Osaka Prefecture Tourist attractions in Osaka Prefecture Izumisano

History

Floors

See also

References

External links