Edifice of the Week: Tokyo Tower

Since we first began this blog, I have been looking forward for the chance to include the Tokyo Tower as "Edifice of the Week." This Japanese homage to the Eiffel Tower is just a few meters taller (333 meters vs. 320) but much lighter, since it was built in 1958, when when better steel technology was available. Its orange and white paint job is a nod to air safety regulations. Since completion of construction, Tokyo Tower has been the world's tallest self-supporting steel tower. Twenty-three broadcasting signals, including TV and radio, emanate from the upper part of the tower. The tower is only a couple of miles from our place--I took this shot from our apartment building.




Under the tower at the base is a four-story building called "Foot-town" (I guess because it's at the foot of the structure, and English names sound cool). Foot-town has lots of fun activities--a big aquarium (supposedly Japan's finest), a wax museum, a trick art gallery, a hologram display, a government information display center (here's where it starts to fall apart in the excitement department), and the "Exhibition Room for Statistical Information" (according to the brochure, "History of statistics and other data are presented...)" It sounds fun to me, but I'd take the little ones to the aquarium. Oh, and this is Tokyo, so of course Foot-town includes a shopping gallery and restaurants.




150 meters up the tower is the main observation deck, and 100 meters further up is a smaller, special (costs extra) observation deck. The main deck has two levels, and is fairly large. The center is taken up with souvenir shops and a restaurant, but around the sides, there is room to look out through the tall glass panels. Signs above the windows indicate the direction of famous sights, and for a little coin you can rent time on large spotting binoculars mounted on the floor. On the bottom floor of the deck are reinforced glass panel on which you can stand, creating the illusion of hovering high up above it all. This was not an easy picture for me to take--heights scare me.




On a recent trip to the tower Cindy and I arrived at the main deck via (very crowded) elevator. But the young, hardy souls in our group (C. J. and family friend Jorge Rodriguez) decided to climb the stairs instead. As exhausted climbers reach the deck, they are given a special ticket to honor their acheivement.




Views from Tokyo Tower are as interesting as views of it. We arrived on a hazy day, so it was not possible to see too far into the distance, but we did get a fair look at the closer parts of the city. With the aid of the telephoto lens (and tripod) we were able to capture some things up close (the goalie stopped this shot).




This is a look southwestward, toward home.

The haze was a challenge, but we were able to spot a number of former "Edifices of the Week" (see previous posts). This southwesterly view shows the LDS Temple. The tan building in the foreground, adjoining Arisugawa Park, is the hospital where Japan's crown prince was born last year. The town of Hiroo is in the background.

Dimly seen through the smog, well off to the West in Shinjuku, is DoCoMo Tower.

Near at hand--only a couple of miles away--on the west side is Roppongi Hills' Mori Tower.

Near at hand looking to the southwest is Azabu Tower. with the local shrine at its foot, and Azabu-Juban in the foreground.

As shadows began to lengthen, the electric billboards of Tokyo shone through the dusk. Cindy and I headed home, but C. J. and Jorge stayed to explore the upper observation deck and take more pictures:

Lit up as evening falls, the tower from the roof of Foot-town presents an orange maze of steel.

Here is Jorge in a nice evening shot of the tower taken by C. J. The tower is open until ten at night, to allow a view of the lights of the city. We'll be back some evening when the air is a little clearer to experience that.